Tuesday Tips and Tricks: Think Outside the Box

Hi everyone!! Are you ready for today's tip?

Today's tip is about thinking outside the box -the Copic color chart box that is!

As you are probably well aware, the Copic color chart is a Copic artist's best friend.

If you don't know what I am talking about, here is the scoop! You NEED this color chart. Print it on your Copic paper (whatever paper you usually use with your Copic coloring projects). Then fill in the chart using the markers you have.

This chart is really nice because it helps you see the the actual color of your markers on YOUR paper of choice. Also, the chart keeps the colors organized with color families so you can see which colors you have for blending.

For instance, a good blending family would have the same letters, and same first digit, like shown below:

Notice all the colors that are highlighted start with B9 . That means they are suited to blend well together. B91 is the lightest color in this section, whereas B99 is the darkest.

My tip today is to THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX!  I want you to test out some blending using colors that aren't in the same blending family.

All Copic markers will blend together because they are all alcohol based inks. That doesn't mean all color combinations will look nice, but that does mean that you can experiment and come up with combos that you like.

See my example below:

For the boots (from the SP and Company Rain Boots stamp set), I used BG15 and BG34. Using colors from two different blending families created a two-toned, almost holographic type of look to the boots. You could even use two totally different colors, (maybe a yellow with a green?), to come up with a totally unique look.

Also, notice the stripes on the boots? I used a technique from a previous Tips and Tricks segment. Click here to go to that post.

I hope you enjoyed this segment. Please share if you have come up with some nice looking combinations. We would love to hear about them!

Posted in: Swatch Books , Tuesday Tips