Tuesday, January 3, 2012

iCopic Design Team

Just For You!

Year 2012!  WOW!

Happy New Year to all my friends in cyber-land!   I have some wonderful news.  I feel so honored to be selected to serve on the iCopic Design Team.   It has been hard to keep this a secret.... but I can finally shout it out and I am "bursting with pride"!   The community is filled with tenthusiastic, talented artists and I feel I learn so much from them.  I am ready to jump in and get started.

ICopic Design Team!

My first card for iCopic is a cute little image from Wild Rose Studio called Milton with Barrow. Isn't he just the cutest little guy?   There are some exciting changes that will be happening at our iCopic Lover Blog.  The design team members will each rotating days to post fun and creative cards and projects for you to enjoy.  There will be a different focus each day.   My first post will was today, Tuesday and I was to  was to share a tip or trick that has to do with Copics or stamping.   So, what did I do?........I used Copic Alcohol Ink Markers for my focal image and I used  Copic Various Ink Refills   to show you a quick and easy tip for making a product that looks similar to Flower Soft.  You know how it is when you want to use some Flower Soft and you run short on supplies or need a specific color to coordinate with your card.  Presto!  Read on!

The image was stamped with Tuxedo Black dye ink by Tsukeniko on Cryogen paper from Curious Metallic, Inc.   My highlights came  from the right side.  I selected this side because I wanted attention drawn to the flowers.  I also made the flowers at the top the lightest in order to be consistent with my light source.

These are the Copic markers I used to color Milton. E59 will be the darkest of the shadow area.  E31 will be the highlight.   E31 and E50 will be used around the nose.

The bear was completely  colored with E31 in order to avoid having any white spots in your finished image.  The darkest shadow area was colored sparingly with E59. A dotting method was used to apply the color in order to achieve texture in the fur.   E25, E35, E33 and E31 was applied.  The majority of the image was colored with E35 and E33.  R20 was added to the inner ear and the little pads on the bottom of Milton's little foot.    E31 was lightly applied over the top of the R20.  The muzzle area around the nose was colored with E31 and E50. 



The scarf was colored with YG13 and YG01.   For the wheel I used  C0, C3, C5 and C7.  The barrow was colored with E29, E27, E44 and E31.  I just selected some colors to  use on the flowers in order to get a feel for where I wanted to use my texture.   There was no need to shade the flowers because they  were covered with colored styrofoam.  Adhere the layers of the card at this time.  It is important that you complete this step before applying the colored styrofoam.  


Tip of the Day:  Adding  texture to parts of the focal image can add interesting and make the card memorable.  One way to add texture is to add Flower Soft.    If I do not have the correct color of Flower Soft on hand, I take two pieces of styrofoam and rub them together to create fine granules.   Color the styrofoam granules with a  drop or two of  Copic Various Ink Refills.  You only need to make the amount to need.  No storage and no waste! 

This is a sample of the styrofoam I colored with Copic R17.   It is important to allow the styrofoam to throughly dry.  Flower Soft Adhesive or Elmers Glue was applied to the  image, one color at a time.  Gently press the styrofoam down and allow to dry.  This process can be repeated with as many colors as you choose to use.  Just think... this can be coordinated with all your Copic markers!   You just have to add a drop or two  of any Copic Various Ink Refill to the styrofoam granules  and thoroughly mix  together.  You  can also try to mix the granules and producing a medley of color.   For my card, I wanted to be consistent with my light source.  The styrofoam  texture will not reflect light well  so I chose to trick the eye by positioning  my brightest color  at the top where the light source would shine.

This is the finished card.   I hope you enjoyed the tutorial.  Play with the  Copic Various Ink Refills and see what creative projects you can come up with!

I am interring this card in the following challenges:



Thank you for stopping by!   Please come back soon and from my home to yours - Have a safe and happy NEW YEAR!


22 comments:

  1. This is gorgeous girly! I love the vivid colors and the use of styrofoam for flower soft!! Truly gorgeous and a brilliant idea!
    Hugs,
    M

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  2. Stunning work, Marie! Love your faux flower soft tip! Congrats on the new design team! Hugz, Rose

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  3. Congratulations Marie! Your coloring is so beautiful, they are lucky to have you. Your cards or projects are always fabulous and I love reading your tips and reading your blog. This one is another fabulous creation. Love the flower soft substitute and the darling image.

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  4. Congratulations on a well deserved placement on a team!!! Your coloring is wonderful!!! What a great tutorial...and excellent way to get that exact color match!!! Thanks for sharing....and congrats again!!!!

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  5. A big congrats and you deserve it too your coloring is so outstanding and vibrant!
    Saw your link on MIM too
    Cheers
    Sonia
    cardsandschoolprojects.blogspot.com

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  6. Congrats Marie, on your iCopic Design Team position. They won't be disappointed that they found you! Love your card and what a great idea for the homemade flower soft. That's one idea that I will definitely put to good use.

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  7. Congratulations. A fab card and tutorial, so colourful. Thanks for joining Top Tip Tuesday. Elaine

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  8. Many congratulations. Lovely card, so pretty. Thanks for playing along with us at Crafty Boots Challenge.

    I should like to take this opportunity to wish you and your family a happy New Year.

    Dionne

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  9. What an amazing creation, and I love how you created your own version of Flower Soft! The teddy bear fur looks amazing, and I can see I still have lots to learn about Copics and all you can do with them! Happy New Year, and congrats on your new position!

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  10. Fabulous coloring, love the bear and the flower soft texture! Thanks for playing with HSI!

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  11. What a gorgeous card and coloring. A wonderful tutorial you've written with a technique I would never have thought of Marie. Thanks so much for teaching me something new.

    Congrats on your new DT spot. You definately deserve it and I can't wait to see your next post. Adding you to my blog list so I don't miss anything.......LOL

    Happy New Year and Big Hugs.

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  12. A huge congratulations....you're a great choice for the team. And, thanks for the Flower Soft tip. Beautiful card and the flowers look so alive.

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  13. This is so adorable - love it:)
    Congrats on your DT-job:)
    Found you through MIM.
    Happy New Year!
    *Inger*

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  14. Congrats Marie! I'm so jealous! :D
    Your card is precious and so beautifully colored! Thank you so much for joining us at Make it Monday! Remember, to be in the running to win the prize from our sponsor this week just leave a comment for another entry. Be sure to mention you saw them on Make It Monday. The more entries you comment on the more chances you have of winning! Good luck!
    Rene :D

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  15. This is absolutely fabolous. Congrats on your dt job. Beautifully coloured and I love those swirls. Thanks for playing at Top Tip Tuesday and good luck. You really should have added tip for the fab tip on your post;) Hope to see you back the 17th for a new challenge. Bettina xx

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  16. WOW!!! What a great tutorial, and what a beautiful card. Thanks so much for the tips as well. Glad I saw this beautiful creation on MIM

    Hugs
    Debbie

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  17. HUGE HUGS, VIRTUALLY HIGH FIVE & Throw in a WOO HOO!!! Congratulations on your new DT position Marie. That is fabulous news and of course, you will be a perfect addition to their team. :D
    I'm on the floor with your card. I noticed the fur texture right away and love that you gave that little secret away. The coloring and blending looks amazing on him and that styrofoam tip is, well, AWESOME!!! OH MY GOSH....how creative is that! You blow my mind, chica....love your detailed tutorials and the creative inspiration you always give.
    Have a fantastic day!
    Hugs,
    Lisa xx

    Thank you also for your gorgeous entry into our challenges at Make It Monday and Top Tip Tuesday!

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  18. well done on your dt, gorgeous card, fab colouring and the flowers look great, saw it on mim x

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  19. Wow, your colouring is great, I'm not surprised you're on the copic team. Thanks for joining us at Top Tip Tuesday. Annette xx

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  20. This bear is soo cute! Thanks for the tip for making your own flower soft! You colouring is spectacular! Thanks for the kind words on my blog!!

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  21. This is amazing! I am still trying to get the hang of Copics and your tutorial was wonderful and the instructions on the flower soft was fantastic! I have got to try this!
    Congrats on being Lisa's Pick of the Week!!

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Thank you for visiting my blog. I look forward to your comments - It's like having a cup of coffee with an old friend!
Hugs,
Marie