Happy Valentine's Day RAK and Copic Marker discussion

I have been really interested in card making lately. I have been researching the web and educating myself in the application of Copic Markers as well as watercoloring and Prisma Pencils.

Here's a Valentine card I made using my Copic markers. There are alot of links to the right of my blog under resources concerning Copic markers. Copics are alchohol based inks. You can get them at HL. Once every 3 weeks, HL will put them on sale (All artist markers) for 30%. If you want to save more money, you can get them with a 40% coupon one at a time, which is time consuming, if you ask me. The markers are pricey- $6 each. But they are an investment. What I LOVE about Copics, besides their vibrant colors and blendability (using a blender pen and blending solution) is that they are refillable and the nibs (tips) can be replaced virtually making them the last marker you will ever need to purchase! I use the sketch marker (there are different ones- original, ciao, etc.) because it has a brush nib which is perfect for coloring in images. The markers are double ended. The sketch marker has a brush tip on one end and a chisel tip on the other end.

You have to use pigment inks to stamp your main image. Dye inks will bleed when used with Copics. I used Brilliance pads in black and dried it a little with my heat gun to speed things up. Make sure your image is dry before you start coloring.

To give dimension to the balloon, I used red flock. The important thing to remember when using flock is to color in your image first with your base color, in this case, red Copic ink, so that if there are any places that don't get covered with the flock, it'll be camoflauged with the red ink. (Yes, I learned that the hard way.) Then after the ink is dry, which is very quickly since it's alcohol based and evaporates quickly, apply glue ( I used 2 way glue with a chisel tip for broader coverage) and dust on the flock. Push the flock gently into the glue so it sticks. Knock off the excess flock into a coffee filter and funnel the excess back into your container.

This monkey couple is just my most favorite pair of love birds, or should I say, love monkeys? Hee hee....

Here is what a Copic marker looks like:

In celebration of my most favorite holiday of the year, I am giving away the most adorable of all time Stampin' Up Valentine set named, "Have a Heart". This set is retired and can no longer be purchased through SU!, so it is very collectible. I couldn't bear to part with my monkey stamp, so this will have to do.

Just leave me a comment telling me why and how bad you want this stamp set. (Bribes accepted! Ha ha!) If you already have this set, please let someone else have a chance to win it.

Also, please let me know if you have any questions about Copics and I will start a separate post to address any questions you may have.