Friday, March 6, 2015

30 Day Coloring Challenge - Day 3 (and a lengthy back story)

First, I just want to say that I love my copic markers. It's a serious "what would life be like without you" kind of love...

(Husband - they're just markers - I really do love you more than any art supply!) 

Ok - back to it. Copics - I adore them. 

I was first introduced to this grand love (the copics, not my husband) when..... 

Ok I really should back up and explain this better. 

Husband: Met in High School - dated after High School - married 5 years after College...still married now even though I am now a craft-a-holic.  He's a private person, so I'm not going to give much more detail than that.

Copics: It was "like" at first sight... But we had a lengthy courting period because I was convinced copics were "out of my league".  It started while I was browsing the boards of Pinterest and there was alot of ooooooing and ahhhhhing.....All of the samples I saw were gorgeous and I wasn't sure I would be able to replicate the shading and other fabulous techniques.   And then, of course, I wasn't sure I wanted to invest that much money into a product I wasn't even sure I would use very often.  And I know myself.... I'm a collector. I "need" to complete the set. I "want" all the colors! 

I got to a point where I wanted to ask Copic on a date.... and I asked myself 2 questions:

Question 1: I like you - but I'm not sure if I know what to do with you.... What would it take to replicate these fantabulous techniques with alcohol markers? 
Answer: practice, classes, practice, YouTube, practice, Pinterest, practice, practice, practice....

And I thought about it some more... I like YouTube.... I like Pinterest.... Those are great resources and totally free! I can totally watch and practice on my own. After all - I love to color, I could color all the time....  and I would love to take classes wherever I could.  Who doesn't like taking art classes??!!

Question 2. Can I afford this relationship? (Don't laugh, eventually I grew to love my markers - we've been a lot of places together, seen a lot of things...its a relationship now.)

This only brought up more questions....what other brands of alcohol markers are out there? What is the "lifespan", are there ink refills? How many colors are available? What do other people say about them? Can I use any ol' ink pad with them, or do I need more special products to coordinate? What can I dooo with these markers?! Are there any kind of temperature or storage restrictions? What is my total estimated cost for the marker, refills, extra nibs, special ink, special paper, portable storage solutions, etc....???

I had to be smart about this. I knew I had to look at other brands too. I'm no silly head!  I outlined the pros and cons of copics vs. similar products.  After about an hour of research I had convinced myself that the copic sketch markers were the right choice for me. I was making a smart, financially sound *cough* investment decision. *nods head for emphasis*  While copics were a little on the high end of the price spectrum - they had a longer lifespan, they had refills, came in more colors, there were nib replacements, I could buy colors individually vs having to buy them in sets (reducing the risks of buying duplicates), there were copic specific apps to track which markers I had vs. still had to buy! There were A LOT of positive reviews from crafters of all levels.... and classes geared towards Copics were much more widely available than classes for other brands of alcohol markers....   The only real negative I could find was the price. BUT everything I read pointed me to a place that had a "good deal" so I wouldn't have to pay full retail price. So really - if I was looking at purchasing a lifetime-use product the copics sketch markers would be the ideal match for my coloring adventures. 

Not long after I decided to dive into the world of Copic coloring... My loving husband asked me what I wanted for my birthday.... This seemed like a good opportunity to get a basic set of sketch markers and see if I would actually like using the products. So in May 2013, my wonderful husband purchased the Copic 36-piece sketch, 25th anniversary set. As soon as I opened the box my true love affair with copic began. 

Ok now back to the verrrrry beginning of this novel length post.... 

1. I love my copic markers.

2. I also love Art Impressions, and their line of "Girlfriend Stamps".  This was the line of stamps that really blossomed my coloring addiction, and continues to remain a favorite today.   (wow, seems like I could have skipped that lengthy intro now...)


Today's submission for #thedailymarker30day challenge is an image from The Laughing Set by Art Impressions.  I love the emotion that the girlfriends show in each image.  I want to know what they are laughing about, and I think they must be great friends.  This is definitely something I would put on a card and send to one of my own IRL friends... awesomeness. 


until tomorrow friends....
xoxo,
-Amanda


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