The New Collection is Almost Here!

Gorjuss in her Spring and Summer Fun!

Dyan Reaveley Oh-So Vibrant spray is Here!

Create backgrounds on cards, scrapbook and journal pages, and in mixed media art projects. !

Cutters Dies!

From our favorite stamp company..WOJ, CC Designs and My Favorite Things!

Enjoy another great release from My Favorite Things!

Pure Innocence, Mouse in the House, Clearly Sentimental, A la Modes and Die-namics.

The one and only Henry the Mouse!

Fun, Upbeat and Animated designs perfect for traditional and classic styles!

Join the Fun!


Commenting Giveaway Alert: This week we will draw a name from all the comments left on this week's new posts and give away a $5 gift certificate! The more posts you comment on, the more chances you have to win.


11/29/11

Snowflakes!

Ok....so it's *that time of year* when if summer can't stay and the skies are gray it might as well SNOW!
...at least if everyone is safely tucked in their homes and there is a warm pot of soup and some relaxing to be done! 

Today's card for iCopic features the Snowflakes set from Wild Rose Studio.  I stamped these gorgeously detailed snowflakes with Color Box Chalk Ink and framed them with a Martha Stewart Punch Around The Page punch set.    I added some touches of pearlescent glitter to the frame and the stamped snowflakes.

The designer paper is from Prima Marketing.  You can check out all of the fabulous 6x6 designer paper pads in the iCopic store.  There are a mere 74 6x6 pads...plus the other sizes!  ...something for you to do safe from your spot in front of the fire!

Snowless in Wisconsin,
Michelle Pearson ~ Inspiration Blooms

DESIGN TEAM CALL

Hi everyone!! Don't forget that the new Tuesday Tips and Tricks segment was posted earlier today. I am so excited to give you guys the iCopic Design Team Call!!! Now is your chance to try out for a spot on our design team!

http://icopic.com 
http://blog.icopic.com 

Call ends: December 25th at 11:59PM EST 

Some Details: 
  • We want designers that LOVE to to color with Copics and would love to use iCopic supplies on their projects. 
  • We want designers who are willing to promote our company whenever and where ever possible. We want designers that keep their blogs updated regularly and share their passion of Copic coloring on their blog. 
  • No previous design team experience or publications are necessary. We encourage anyone with a passion for Copics to apply. 
  • Crafters of all styles and skill levels will be considered. 
  • American designers only at this time please. 

Team members will be responsible for: 
  • Design team members are responsible to make one project per week including tutorials and tips using Copics. This project and tutorial will be posted to your blog and the iCopic blog on a schedule to be determined once the team is selected. 
  • The design team will be required to participate in any blog hops or special events as they occur during the term. 
  • The term will be for 6 months with the possibility of continuing after that. January 1st -July 1st. 

Compensation 
  •  Designers will be sent products to work with on a monthly basis. 
  • Each member will receive a very generous discount on any purchases made at iCopic.com .

HOW TO APPLY: 
 Send an email to samantha@spandcompany.com with the subject iCOPIC DESIGN TEAM CALL. Include the following info:
  • Include THREE of your best projects showcasing your passion for Copics (either attach your projects to the email or provide a URL to your photo). Copic coloring IS required, so your projects should show some of your best coloring examples. 
  • Include your name, location, blog address, online forums or galleries you frequent 
  • Answer the following questions: 
    • What is your favorite thing about Copics? 
    • How many Copics do you own and how long have you been coloring with Copics? 
    • What other DT's are you currently a part of? (DT experience is not required) 
    • Have you submitted any of your projects for publication? Have you been published? (Publications are not required) 
    • Why do you think you would be a great fit for the iCopic team? 
    • Tell me a little about yourself, your family/job/pets, etc, crafting style/preferences, etc. I want to get to know a little bit about you! 
    • If not selected as a design team member, would you be interested in being a guest designer for iCopic.com?
Good luck and I can't wait to hear from you!!!

Tuesday Tips and Tricks: Vintage Style

Hi everyone!! Welcome to another edition of Tuesday Tips and Tricks. Today, I want to tell you the ways I vintage-ed up my inspiration project from the iCopic Weekly Challenge for this week.  Hopefully you can take away a trick or two from today's post and use them on your entry!

Let's get started!

Here's my card:


 I am not very good at vintagey distressed type of projects (I am more of a clean/bright type), but I gave it my best shot. Here's what I did to get that vintage distressed look:


I picked out some vintage style patterned paper from Simple Stories, which is now available at iCopic. This pack is called 25 Days of Christmas.

I used muted Copic colors to color in the stamp image, called Pickle with Sledge from Wild Rose Studio, and I based these colors off of the patterned papers I used. I wanted everything to flow. I used the following colors:
  • E40, E41, E42, E43, E44, E47, and E49 (for all the penguin fur, sled, fuzzy part of his hat, and ribbon on the presents)

  • YG93, YG95, and YG97 (for the presents and his scarf and hat)

  • Y28 (for his beak and feet)

  • #12 AtYouSpica Glitter Pen (Silver) for the metal parts of the sled.

Then as shown in the video, I inked around the edges of the Christmassy bingo paper and the image I colored.

To add a little more of a distressed look, I curled up the edges of the bingo paper and also of the scallop. Curled and crinkled paper always reminds me of vintage.



 Here is another close-up:


What are your best vintagey tips?? Share them below!

That's all for today, but Michelle will be back tomorrow with another project for ya.


Scrapmaster's Paradise

11/28/11

iCopic Weekly Challenge #58

Hi everyone! Samantha here bringing you another awesome challenge.

This one might be easy for you guys, but for me, this one was probably the most difficult challenge yet.

Again this week, we are having a weekly prize just for our commenters!! We love when you leave us comments. Every week we will draw a name from all the comments left on that week's posts and give away a $5 gift certificate! The more posts you comment on, the more chances you have to win. We just want to offer this weekly prize to you guys to say thank you for stopping by and giving us your feedback. 


The Challenge: Vintage Distressed
Create a vintage/distressed project using your Copics. Think distressing inks, muted colors, and aging techniques (torn edges, ruffed up paper, etc).
 Add a direct link to your challenge project below. Projects are due on Sunday, December 4th at noon PST. A winner will be chosen at random to receive this week's prize. The winner and top 3 picks be showcased right here on the iCopic blog Sunday evening!


This week's prize is a special $15 gift voucher!

This inspiration project I made for you is about as vintage as my style gets. I will show you my techniques in a video for tomorrow's Tuesday Tips and Tricks segment.
The image I used is from Wild Rose Studio, called Pickle with Sledge. I will tell you about the rest of my project tomorrow.


Now enter your project below:





11/27/11

Winners #57

Hi everyone! Samantha here, and I am ready to announce this week's winners!


The winner of the iCopic Weekly Challenge #57 is. . .  6. Candy





The winner of the $5 gift certificate for the commenting contest this week is . . . Sara
Sara I. said...
Hoping you had a fabulous Thanksgiving - this card is wonderful - love the shading on the leaves and the outlining with the multiliner!


Winners, please email us at info@icopic.com so we can get your prizes out to you.


And here are this week's top 3 picks from all the challenge entries:
 20. Julie

Elizabeth Bells World November Sketch


 7. nemolumos
 

11. Diane


Congrats everyone!!  Please grab your winner buttons. See you back here tomorrow for our next challenge.

11/26/11

Saturday Spotlight

Hi everyone!!

Happy Saturday! Don't forget about iCopic's big sale. All the details are here (click here)!


Today, we've got another Saturday Spotlight for you. Remember to upload your projects to the iCopic  Facebook Page for a chance to be spotlighted right here on the blog! You never know who is going to be featured.

Melissa Oeters

Cynthia Millan

Cheryl Gorka



11/24/11

BLACK FRIDAY Sale!

Hello everyone!!

iCopic is celebrating big time, check out our amazing deals!!  Head to the iCopic Store and start shopping now!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Hi, everyone, Kelli here!  HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!  I know I made a Thanksgiving card last week with this same set, but I HAD to post a Thanksgiving card actually on Thanksgiving!  I said Thanksgiving so many times in those first couple sentences, lol!
I used the super cute Lawn Fawn - Harvest Season stamp set and all the colored images I stamped were with Memento - Tuxedo Black ink.

I stamped a bunch of the small and large leaves and colored them with various oranges, yellows, browns and greens and then cut them all out.  I also did the same with the pumpkin.
Here are a list of all the Copics I used:
Pumpkin - YR18, YR16, YR15, G28, G24, G21
Leaves - YR18, YR16, YR15, G28, G24, G21, G20, Y35, Y15, Y11, Y23, E35, E31
I know there's quite a bit of a color difference in some of the leaves, but it will eventually blend if you just move from darker to lighter (or vice versa) and just keep blending.
Also, after I cut everything out, I went around the white core of the paper with the Memento - Tuxedo Black marker.  I think it really gives the images a completed look.

 Thanks so much for stopping by!  :)

11/23/11

Pickle With Present

Today's card uses an image by Wild Rose Studio called Pickle with Present.  I combined the image with several glittered designer papers...of which there are MANY in the store!

I colored my image with the following Copic Markers: R29, R27, G07, YG17, YG07, W7, W5, W3, W1, W0, YR16, Y38.  The present is accented with a Green Spica Glitter Pen.

Other embellishments include: sizzix snowflake dies, Martha Stewart Punch Around The Page punches, Cuttlebug Snowflake embossing folder, glittery flock, satin ribbon and a pearl.

Happy Thanksgiving!
Michelle Pearson ~ Inspiration Blooms

11/22/11

Tuesday Tips and Tricks: Tip Touch

Hey everyone! Samantha here with this week's Tuesday Tips and Tricks segment. Today I am telling you about a handy little Tip Touch Technique. Triple T!

This is a great little trick to use when you want to add some shading, but you don't have Copic markers that are close enough in value (i.e. one is really dark and the other is really light and you don't have anything in between). If you are reading this via email, you may need to click over for the video.


Here is the full project:

 Here are some close ups of my coloring:





Supplies from Video:
Rain Snow Shine stamp set from The Greeting Farm
Copic Hand Color Chart (click for PDF, just print it on your fave Copic paper and color it in!!)

Copic colors used:
For her skin: E00, E02(cheeks), and E21
For the scarf and shadow: W1, W3
For her hair: E53, E55, and E57
For her outfit: BG70, BG72, BG75, and BG78.


Well, I hope that you can add this technique to your coloring skills if you haven't already used this technique. It is a great technique to know!  Have a wonderful day!



Scrapmaster's Paradise

11/21/11

iCopic Weekly Challenge #57

Hi everyone!! Samantha here!

Again this week, we are having a weekly prize just for our commenters!! We love when you leave us comments. Every week we will draw a name from all the comments left on that week's posts and give away a $5 gift certificate! The more posts you comment on, the more chances you have to win. We just want to offer this weekly prize to you guys to say thank you for stopping by and giving us your feedback. 


This weeks challenge is all about being thankful and thanksgiving. If your country doesn't celebrate Thanksgiving, feel free to make a thank you card or fall harvest type of project.
Add a direct link to your challenge project below. Projects are due on November 27th at noon PST. A winner will be chosen at random to receive this week's prize. The winner and top 3 picks be showcased right here on the iCopic blog Sunday evening!

This week's prize is another special $15 gift voucher!

Here is Rachel's gorgeous inspiration project. She used the Lawn Fawn Turkey Day stamp set:

Enter here:

11/20/11

Weekly Challenge Winner #56


Hi everyone!! Great work on the Backgrounds Challenge! You all really took it to the next level with your creativity!! I know this challenge was a little difficult, but you did amazing work!! EVERY entry totally rocked so pat yourself on the back :)

Our Comment Winner from last week is. . .
Blogger Johanna said...Wow, this is very useful information. Thanks! :o)


Remember to be eligible to win for our commenting contest, all you have to do is leave a comment on any new post throughout the week. You can leave at max, one comment per new post.

Our weekly winner (picked at random) is:12. Richelle Wilson  


Congrats, Johanna and Richelle!! Please email us at info@icopic.com so we can get your prize out to you. Also be sure to grab your brag button from the sidebar.

And the Top 3 are below (in no particular order). Please grab your brag buttons:



Have a great Sunday evening and I will see you back here tomorrow for the new iCopic Weekly Challenge.

11/18/11

Anya Dreaming of Sugarplums!

Hi!  Michelle here with Fancy Anya dreaming of Sugarplums!  I colored her with the following Copic Markers: R89, R29, Y35, Y21, Y11, E31, E11, E02, E00.

I used some fabulously glittered designer paper to echo her sweet dreams!   I use a sentiment from SP & Co's Ultimate Sentiments II set. 

I'm in the midst of reorganizing the craft room....fun mess to make while the men are off playing in the woods!  Happy Weekend!!

Michelle Pearson ~ Inspiration Blooms

Whiff of Joy Card

Hey everyone!! Samantha here, HAPPY Friday!

I colored in this adorable Whiff of Joy image called Sammy with Licorice. Whiff of Joy's images are so detailed and beautiful and I have so much fun coloring their images lately. I will have plenty more of them to share with you soon.

Here is part one:


Here is part 2:



Copic Colors used:
For the skin: E00, E01, E02, E21
For the hair: E23, E27, E29
For the Pajamas: YG23, YG25
For the holly berries and candy cane: G14, G17, R24, R29
For the airbrushing & snowmen on pajamas: E30, E31
For the snowmen's hats: E77
Here's the full card:
Here are some close-ups:

I hope you enjoyed it and learned something today! Michelle will be here tomorrow with another one of her beautiful projects!!
Scrapmaster's Paradise

11/17/11

Happy Thanksgiving - Cornucopia

Hi, everyone!  Kelli here and I have a Thanksgiving card to share with you!  Can you believe that it's only one week from today?  Wow!  I absolutely love this time of year, but hate that it just flies by in the blink of an eye.  (I rhymed, lol.)  Now, onto the card for today!  I used the super fun Harvest Season stamp set by Lawn Fawn which I stamped in Memento - Tuxedo Black ink.

Even though the image isn't very big, I used a lot of Copics to color it, so I'll just list them.
E29, 27, 25, 23
R29, 27, 24, 22
G24, 21, 20, 07, 05, 03
V09, 06, 01
YR18, 16, 15
Y35, 13, 11

I decided to try something I've never done before with the layering.  I basically went from back to front (if  it were 3D) and cut out separate parts of the image and popped them up on dimensional adhesive.  It took more time than I was expecting but I think it was worth it!  When you are doing this, I think it makes a huge difference when you go around the outside edge of the card stock with the Memento - Tuxedo Black marker so that you can't see the white core of the paper.  I feel like it just gives you a clean, finished look.

For the leafy yellow paper I used the leaves that came with the Harvest Season stamp set and just randomly stamped them in different fall colors creating a coordinating patterned background.

The sentiment is from the same set as the cornucopia and leaves.  I love how the style of all three are similar since they are from the same set, so it all ties together really well!  I finished off the card with a little linen thread and tied it into a bow.

Thanks so much for stopping by and have a great day!  :)

11/16/11

Mia With Candy!

Check out this little cutie I colored today!  It's Mia With Candy from Wild Rose Studio.  I added some Diamond Glaze to her candy cane and berries and some white flocking to her hat! 

I colored her with the Copic Markers below:

Other items on this card include baker's twine, Prima Crystals, Marvy punches, Sizzix Embossing Folder and Dovercraft Let It Snow collection.

Michelle Pearson ~ Inspiration Blooms

11/15/11

Tuesday Tips and Tricks: The Paper Makes the Difference

Hello there, iCopic peeps! Samantha here with another Tuesday Tips and Tricks.

Today's tip is "The Paper Makes the Difference".

What do I mean by that, you ask? I mean, when coloring with Copics, you have to the right kind of paper that works FOR YOU. There are sooooo many papers out there that you can use for Copics, and what is right for one Copic artist may not be the paper that is right for you.

So my advice to you is, test out those papers! Find a paper that you like to color on. And not all papers are created equally as far as our Copics are concerned. Some paper just blend BETTER.

To put these tips into action, I tested out NINE different papers with my Copics. Below are my personal reviews of these nine papers.

Here is the guide to how I tested out each paper:
BLENDER:For the inside of the large heart, I wanted to test out how easily I could do colorless blender techniques. On some of the sample you will notice that the color came outside the lines near the striped parts.

SHADING:For the edge of the large heart, I did shading using three different BG's, I wanted to see how well the paper would lend itself to blending.

STREAKING: For the inside of the small heart, I wanted to see if the paper lended itself to any streaking over larger areas.

RUNNING: For the edge of the small heart, I wanted to see if the ink would run outside the lines once the paper was oversaturated.
 
SATURATION: Then I did one, two, and three streaks of color to see how much it would take for the paper to become saturated with color.

GRADATION: And lastly, I added one single feathered stroke to see how much variation I could get with just one marker.




 Here are my thoughts on each paper:
 MARKER PAPER
(This is Canson artist quality marker paper. I walked into an artist supply store and asked for marker paper and this is what they recommended, it is the type of paper that fashion designers and such use, it is a thin paper that you can see through and it is good for tracing. It looks very similar to a vellum paper. I got a sketchpad of it for about $15.)
Blender: The blender techniques were very subtle.
Shading: Easy to shade
Streaking:  No streaking
Running: No running, but a little bit of a bubbling sort of look when the paper is overly saturated.
Saturation: Medium level saturated, would be good for someone who isn't too heavy handed, but isn't too light handed also.
Gradation: Not much gradation shown with just one color
Sami's Thoughts: I actually really like this paper! It is super thin so when using it, I have had to put another layer of white paper behind the image or else whatever is behind it will show through. I really love how it blends and the ink doesn't tend to run.


PTI
(This is PaperTrey Ink's Stampers Select white cardstock, it is really thick and really white)
Blender: Blender techniques show up really well.
Shading: Great with shading
Streaking: not much, if any, streaking
Running: no running
Saturation: Not easily saturated, it would take a lot to saturate this paper
Gradation: LOTS of gradation.
Sami's Thoughts: I LOVE this paper. This is my second favorite paper for Copics at this point. I love that you can get a lot of gradation in a single stroke. Being a heavy handed colorer, it is very important for me to have a paper that will not run when oversaturated. The downside to that is that it takes a LOT of ink to use this paper, it may suck up your ink much faster than other papers out there.


XPRESS IT
(Paper specifically designed for Copic users, it is bright white, and kind of smooth to the touch)
Blender: blender techniques showed up reasonably well.
Shading: Excellent for shading
Streaking: Not streaky
Running: NO running, but once the paper is fully saturated, I noticed that you can see flecks of the paper fibers. It is subtle but noticeable.
Saturation: pretty easily saturated
Gradation: nice gradation
Sami's Thoughts: This is my #1 absolute favorite paper out there right now. It is just blends so flawlessly and as a heavy handed colorer, it is important that it doesn't run when overly saturated. I can get great shading and gradation. I think this paper is amazing!


CANVAS PAPER
(This is paper I purchased in the artist section of my local crafts store. It is designed for watercolor painting and acrylic painting)
Blender: The ink was easily taken off with the colorless blender
Shading: very intensive to achieve nice shading
Streaking: VERY streaky, it is like the ink sits on top of the paper, which sounds good for painters, not so good for marker lovers.
Running: no running
Saturation: very easily saturated
Gradation: almost none
Sami's Thoughts: This is not a good paper for markers!


CRYOGEN WHITE
(This is a sparkly, slightly off-white paper, smooth to the touch)
Blender: blender techniques are on the subtle side, but still visible
Shading: shading is easily achieved and looked great
Streaking: no streaking
Running: there was slight running
Saturation: very easily saturated
Gradation: could get a little gradation
Sami's Thoughts: I love that this paper is sparkly and off-white because sometimes you just don't want BRIGHT white paper. BUT as a heavy handed colorer, it is very easy for me to have the ink run outside the lines of my image. I have to be extra extra careful with this paper. If you are a light handed colorer, then you will probably love this paper. It isn't my absolute favorite, but I do like to use it from time to time.
CANSON SKETCH PAPER
(This is labeled as "Drawing" paper and on the cover of the sketch pad it says for any dry media, pen, and ink, it is a slightly textured and slightly off white paper.
Blender: blender techniques are VERY visible, and the ink ended up running out of the sides where I was creating the stripes
Shading: easy to shade and shading came out nicely
Streaking: no streaking
Running: teeny tiny bit of running
Saturation: mid-range on the saturation
Gradation: there was some gradation with the single marker stroke.
Sami's Thoughts: This paper actually really surprised me at how good it worked with Copics. I was really impressed by it. I think it is a good paper if you are looking for something slightly textured or slightly off-white.


GEORGIA PACIFIC
(This is just from a ream of white cardstock I got to run in the printer from Staples, it is white but not as white as the Xpress IT or PaperTrey Ink papers, and pretty thick)
Blender: Blender techniques very visible
Shading: Easily achieved
Streaking: no streaking
Running: no running
Saturation: mid-range saturation
Gradation: some gradation seen
Sami's Thoughts: This paper actually did surprisingly well. I think that it blended pretty well and wasn't too easily saturated. It is just the slightest bit off white so I don't like it nearly as much as the Xpress IT or Papertrey Ink papers.


NEENAH
(This is a sample of Neenah brand paper for Copics, I am not sure of the exact name of the paper because it was just a sample that I got when I was taking a Copic class.)
Blender: easy to see blender techniques, at the edges, the blender made the ink run.
Shading: easy to shade
Streaking: no streaking
Running: LOTS of running
Saturation: easily saturated
Gradation: very little gradation
Sami's Thoughts: I wasn't impressed with this paper. I am heavy handed and this paper was just not for me. If you use a very light touch, then this might be the paper for you. I did get some nice blending, but I saturated the paper so quickly!


 WATERCOLOR PAPER
(This is actually Stampin' UP's brand of watercolor paper. It is a cream color, very textured, and very very thick)
Blender: blender techniques visible but on the subtle side
Shading: Shading was achieved but a little more intensive
Streaking: no streaking
Running: tiny bit of running
Saturation: mid-range on saturation
Gradation: some gradation visible
Sami's Thoughts: The main thing I noticed with using this paper is that the ink colors appeared darker than with all the other papers, which could come in handy sometimes, maybe. It was much harder to blend with this paper, but I did end up with nice blending. The paper seems to be in the middle of the saturation so it would be good for someone who isn't too heavy or too light handed.


What is YOUR favorite paper to use for Copics?




Scrapmaster's Paradise

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