Hawaiian Shirt and Copic Tips

Edit: Let's talk about what paper and inks to use with the Copics. These are my personal preferences....it's all about finding the right combination that works for you.

Paper:
1. Neenah cardstock from Ellen's store, it comes in 3 neutral shades.
2. Papertrey Stamper's Select white cardstock. Thicker than the Neenah cardstock and makes a great base card too because of the thickness.

Ink:
1. Palette Black Noir Hybrid Ink-my favorite
2. Brilliance Black Ink-smears sometimes for me but if you heat set it, it works good.
3. Momento Black Dye Ink-I just got a small teardrop sample of this from Eclectic Paperie and it's working great too.
4. Ranger Archival Black ink-haven't tried but I know that a lot of stampers like this too

Hey everyone, thank you for the nice comments on my teacher treats! I will post the recipe as soon as I get a few extra minutes, look for it to be attached to that post. I'm marking the final stuff for a garage sale and I've got to get it all done today! I'm sick of it cluttering up my house. Plus I need to make room for the goodies (more stuff!) I bought at the antique store for my birthday! I'll post that as soon as my hubby brings it home for me today!!

Okay, on to today's post. I have another manly card made with Karen Lockhart's Hawaiian Shirt, similar to another card I did earlier. I thought this post would be a good one to talk about stamps that have fine details and how wonderful the Copic markers work with them. As you can see in my finished card below, Karen Lockhart pays wonderful attention to detail. With this detail comes some tiny areas to color in so you need the right markers.
I use the Copic Sketch markers for all of my coloring. These markers have two tips...a brush tip and a chisel tip. I use the brush tip most of the time when I color. You can see below that with both the brush tip and the chisel tip, that you can get very fine lines up to very thick lines. This is where the Copics blow the other markers on the market away, in my opinion. If you look at the shirt image I stamped off, you can see the very small details. And look at the sharp point on the Copic marker. That fine point is what enables you to color in those tiny spaces with ease. You can easily keep inside the lines and your images turn out fabulous!!!
Another great thing about the Copic brush tip is that they are very pliable and flexible. You can squish them all around while blending, etc and the tip always goes right back into it's shape.
Here's a comparison of two markers, the Copic Sketch marker on the bottom and another leading brand marker on the top. I hope you're able to zoom in on this photo because you can really see the difference in the two marker tips. The top marker is a new marker but the tip just didn't stay pointy and sharp. I've used that bottom Copic marker dozens and dozens of times and it still looks brand new. Awesome!!
So if you're on the fence about Copics, I know where you're coming from. They do cost more than other markers. But once you use the Copics and learn about the QUALITY, there is truly no comparison. The tips are replaceable, the markers are refillable, you can use them with the airbrushing system, you can blend marker to marker without contamination.......and so much more. If you love to color in images, I highly suggest you try out the Copic markers. Purchase a few colors in the same tones.....like three shades of green....and give them a try. They are like no other marker out there!! You can purchase your Copics at Ellen's store HERE!

And I just booked my flight for Chicago CHA so I am ready to travel!! I will be working half days at the Copic booth so if you're going to be at CHA, be sure to come visit me. I'll be working with Marianne from Copic, Debbie Olson and Kathy Sanders.