It's not a numbers game
"I don't have very many Copic markers yet, so I can't color much"
I hear this a lot from beginners and I always wonder what the magic number is. How many markers does it take to get started?
It's a common situation, you want to learn Copics but it takes a while to build up a collection, especially if money is tight. So you're stuck in limbo where you have a few but not enough to get anything done.
But how many is enough? Ten? Twenty? Seventy?
At what point do you graduate from "not enough to do anything" to "enough to do everything"?
Are you a copic wallflower?
Are you waiting at the sidelines watching others color?
It must be torture.
But you know, there is a way to begin coloring before you hit that arbitrary number of markers goal that you set for your starting point.
Why not try mixed media?
There's no rule that awesome coloring has to be 100% Copic Marker.
I can't remember the last time I did anything 100% Copic. I've got well over 300 Copics and I never do anything with just markers.
As a matter of fact, a full marker project always looks a little naked to me. They're so much more interesting after I add the little bits of pen and pencil.
Mixed media is actually easier than Copic because you're utilizing supplies you already own and know how to use.
To be honest, most of the time my Copic basecoats are just that, the basecoating process. Eating my spinach before cutting into the chocolate cake.
When I pick up the colored pencils, then the playtime starts.
Mixed media is a way to combine the Copic you want to learn with the products you already love.
And it gets you off the bench and into the game!
Greens and Browns
My Olive & Oak class uses green and brown markers.
And not a lot of them at that. I know, lots of people use 5 marker blends but we're keeping it simple- three browns and three greens for all the leaves, stems, acorns, and olives!
Then we'll add pops of color with colored pencils, enhancing our simple marker base with kisses of autumn artistry.
Most of us own colored pencils and even if you don't own many pencils, they are cheaper than markers. You can easily use them to expand your small marker collection.
But it doesn't have to be colored pencils... you could top of your Copic base with Distress Markers, Tombows, pastels, heck- even crayons filched from the back of the junk drawer.
The goal is to get you started coloring now. We can worry about the size of your Copic collection later.
Something is better than nothing
And now is better than tomorrow.
Stop waiting for the ideal sized collection. Start learning and having fun today.
Great blending doesn’t have to take six markers. Let me show you how to blend with three marker, and even two marker blending combinations!
Check out other Vanilla Arts classes:
Supplies used in “Olive & Oak”:
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