copic misfortune

 I went to a Copic demonstration today! They handed out a bunch of sample paper and markers to try out on. And, as it turns out...I've been using the wrong type of paper for years. Which explains a lot! When I first purchased my first set in 2009, I went ahead and bought the Copic marker paper I saw on the site to try out. It seemed to work, and that's what I've always used for... everything!

So I tried the paper they had, and I realized: HOLY SHIT, COPICS CAN ACTUALLY BLEND. Though I'm still pretty incompetent, and my trials...have very little blending, as you cans see. Still have a lot to learn!
 I tried the "Borden & Riley Paris Bleedproof Paper For Pens" and it was really wonderful! I love it, and when I next run to the art store, I'm picking it up. I also tried the "Borden & Riley #116 Artist Sketch Vellum" which is this really neat paper that repels the ink and makes this super awesome watercolor effect.

Also, another super cool tip I picked up was for the blender ink. If you get a general watercolor brush that you can fill up with watercolor/ink from the art supply store, you can fill it up with the blender ink. Then you can put down some marker on the paper, then use the watercolor brush to blend it out, and it look so fabulous. I never was very good at using the blender ink, because on the copic paper I used, it never worked! But now I know! You can also get small rags or paper towel, dab on the blender ink, and then lift up the maker for some texture effects. Pretty awesome stuff!