by Linda | Jun 17, 2011 | my creative journal
I’m probably not the first person to have fallen in love with Copics before truly understanding how it all works.
I had first been exposed to the Copic brand through the manga community and used their black multiliner pens for drawing. But after seeing the beautiful coloring techniques of many cardmakers and scrapbookers – I really wanted to dive in myself! But going on a whim, I bought a few sets of Ciao markers that I saw at the art store…which turns out to be a bad approach to buying these types of markers. Now I have a mix of colors that do not necessarily go together so easily. However, I don’t think you MUST buy the various shades within a color family in order to make use of Copics. It ultimately depends on how you plan to use them and if possible, you should try them out at a friend’s place or do a bit of research to see what you prefer.
If there is a certified instructor or a presentation going on about Copics at a store, you should definitely attend.
They basically go through the foundations, so that you understand the color system and how Copics are used, usually with demos right there in front of you. Then you will be able to make an informed decision when purchasing. There’s a video by Scrapbook.com about Copics that gives you some basic information about the markers. I love Copics because they are refillable. It’s basically in the vein of buying something of quality that you can keep using, replacing only the consumable parts. Even the Multiliners are now refillable! Finally, the most important thing is to learn the Copic color system and what it all means. Those letters and numbers are very important and you should not just go by the cap color.
The FAQ on the Copic website explains the color system and if someone explains in person it will make more sense, I think. After I finally got it straight in my head, I realized that buying markers in sets of 3 per color makes a whole lot of sense. You basically want markers in the same color family and same first digit for the same saturation level. Lower numbers are more vibrant and higher numbers get more dull or grayed out… the final number is for the lightness or darkness – that’s why crafters buy sets with the last digit just 2-3 away from each other. For example, if you want to create a blended blue-green color, you might buy BG01 (lightest color), BG05 (mid-tone) and BG09 (strong shadow). Those three markers would allow you to blend it all nicely to get the gradation. This really does mean that for each color, you should have the markers to cover the light, mid-tone and dark range. For crafters, I think suzannejdean is one of the most popular on YouTube. She shows you how she colors super cute digital stamp images with the exact marker colors she uses.
However, I should note that the multiple shades in the same color family isn’t the only way to use Copics.
In fact, if you learn from a manga artist…they don’t actually use those rules of buying markers. Think of paints that an artist might buy…a teacher might recommend a palette to beginners, but everyone develops their own preferences in the use of color. Same with Copics. In fact, I also just like Copics as markers without any blending. They are just kick ass markers!
And as with anything tool, the more experience you have the better you are at using it. From the manga world, we learn that you can apply blending solution to your paper first to create a wet surface to work on…think watercolor techniques…only it’s alcohol and dries a lot faster. You can feather different colors into each other, layer on top various colors to mix and use an external palette. In fact, you can buy empty copic pens and use the various color refills to mix your own colors. I know, getting complicated. The point is to say the markers are powerful tools…like any other artist medium.
Some tips I’ve learned from attending a presentation and my own experience…
You really can use any kind of heavy paper. This goes back to the old saying of how the tools don’t totally matter…in the hands of a master, regular heavyweight copy paper was colored on beautifully! Copic still bleeds through, that is part of how the marker is used…so just make sure to have backing scrap paper when you color. Otherwise the non bleedproof papers by Copic are super thin, but have a coating on the back to try and prevent bleedthroughs. I say try because it does depend on how heavy handed you are. If you try to make it bleed, you can!
Try not oversaturate your paper, keep a light touch! I know many tutorials tell you to saturate the paper, but going overboard is what causes all the bleeding out of lines. Practicing with the paper will help you get a hang of how much ink to apply.
Copics can be used on many different surfaces, not just paper…so extremely versatile type of marker.
You can blend completely different colors!
You can use the marker directly, use your blender pen and touching it to the marker tips to get only a bit of color or create your own external palette by putting colors on a plastic sheet.
Another thing I saw, were artists putting down the colorless blender first then feathering strokes on top. They kept using the blender to smooth out edges, leaving white space as well, not necessarily coloring every spot in. The brush tip is used just like a paintbrush.
You can leave the white of the paper for highlights or use white paint, white gel pens or even white out to add touches of highlights to your final work.
The colorless blender refill can be dropped onto color to create cool effects – very much like alcohol drops on acrylic paint. Suffice to say, there’s lots to explore.
I found more videos of crafters who use Copic and you can see a different style here and here. You can also find out more information and updated color charts at the Copic Marker website. I’m still learning a lot, but found that after meeting instructors and seeing demos finally felt more confident in purchasing. Hope I’ve provided some helpful information to spread the Copic Love! If there are ever certification classes here in Italy, I would jump for it immediately. Copic coloring is super fun whether you like the blending methods or just plain coloring!
by Linda | Jun 16, 2011 | my creative journal
I love WordPress and build all my blogs using the system…including this one! When I refer to WordPress, I do mean the self-hosted version. Basically, you are downloading a copy of the blog publishing platform onto your own web hosting space…so you can do whatever you want with it. The great thing is that this is absolutely free and your web hosting will usually have automatic install options for WordPress. You have full control and will never be at the mercy of other hosted platforms – ahem, if you know what I mean. Let me tell you why I think WordPress is amazing.
Besides are the normal functionalities of most all publishing platforms out there WordPress has plugins. The system is also constantly being improved and updated with over 25 million people using it to power their blogs. With such a huge community to service, plugins or extensions have been created to add more functions when necessary. Anyone who can do a bit of software development can write a plugin which is not recommended if you aren’t saavy for security purposes! But there are countless established plugins out there to use with no worry. I would like to share a little list of those I have installed, helping me with marketing and pushing my creative business forward.
Akismet
This is already installed with WordPress, but you have to go into the Plugins area and activate it. You will have to sign-up with the Akismet service to get a special unique key. This is simply the best way to combat spam in my opinion. Forget all those crazy captcha and preview methods of filtering commenters – they are annoying to real people!
Broken Link Checker
Very useful tool to make sure you’re blog doesn’t become filled with broken links. I hate hitting broken links! Although no one is perfect, this tool will help you to avoid having old or broken information out there. Even though blogging is chronologically, people might hit any post on your blog. I sometimes go back and read the archives of blogs when I really like the content!
FeedBurner FeedSmith
All my blog feeds are tracked through Feedburner, a free service you can sign up for to track how many subscribers you have. With this plugin, if makes sure anyone who subscribes is tracked through Feedburner. Metrics are supremely important to keep track of over time, to see where you came from, how far you’ve gotten…
Subscribe To Comments
Unless you use a separate commenting system, it can be hard for commenters to receive the replies or follow comments on your blog. If you want to build up the community and encourage discussion, I think this plugin really helps for those who want to keep track of what people are saying. I have switched to just replying on my blog for everyone to see and track if they wish, instead of taking up more email time, replying individually…
Thumbnail For Excerpts
When you click on a category on my blogs, a list of entries pop up and this plugin makes an automatic thumbnail for me, so everything looks nice…instead of just text links.
RSS Footer
This plugin adds a special footer to your RSS feed entries…so whatever reader or however it might be organized for someone else…at least the credit is always there and available.
Efficient Related Posts
Another one I just added, replacing the Linked Within one I used to have installed. It’s just a basic list of related posts at the end of every post page. This will encourage readers to check out other posts that are related and it gets the relations from the tags you have entered. This efficient version basically creates all the connections when you update or add a post. So the viewer will never have to wait a long time to see the list of related items.
All in One SEO Pack
This is something I just installed in trying to improve my web presence. The plugin basically let’s me type in the title, description and keywords for every page and post of the blog. SEO means search engine optimization and by having this control over all the content of your site, you can optimize your code…basically make it so that people searching for xyz information on your website can actually find it better!
I hope you’ve learned something about the power WordPress and plugins…and there are many more out there that might help improve your blogging workflow. There are plugins to create polls or generate photo galleries…check them out and see what will help you improve your site. Don’t hesitate to try out plugins, because you can always uninstall if it doesn’t work for you. I think it’s important to take a look at your blog and whip it a bit into shape…every month if possible. A bit of cleanup or improvement scheduled in…just like cleaning your house or taking care of your household tools. Machinery has to be tuned up and there’s always something you can update. That’s all for this week’s creative business 101…ciao ciao!
by Linda | Jun 12, 2011 | my creative journal
Reading onward in The Artist’s Way (here’s a link to the copy I bought on Amazon) and this chapter started with talk about the Great Creator and it’s still a bit uncomfortable for me. I tend to be so practical and it is precisely some of those thoughts that might be getting me bogged down. I can’t always let go and believe in something higher. It’s all about work work work and deserving it, making your way.
Which leads into the next section about allowing yourself creative pleasures. It is true that we often blame certain difficulties on lack of money, but Cameron writes that it’s not actually the money. It is the feeling of constriction or sense of powerlessness. Makes a lot of sense and I suppose that is why many a wise person has said that you have to make do…
We are asked to think about what truly gives us joy and giving ourselves small gifts so larger gifts can come as well. In a way, I started to think about gratitude and the little things that can make us feel so happy and experience the abundance of life. The section about how things seem silly or crazy and that thought prevents us from doing that very thing we might need. It’s so true…we let preconceived notions and thoughts stop us from exploring so many things…like our inner creatives trying to break out, but we just shush it because it’s silly…
The goal for the week was to record our actual spending of money, to see if what we value matches with how we spend our money. I have to say I do pretty well in that arena since it’s pretty much all on books, art supplies, classes and going out with the hubby, besides necessities. I guess I don’t really have a problem enjoying myself 🙂
The takeaway for me was more internal, about letting myself do crazy things or spend a little money on something I intuitively want…even if it might not make sense or seem silly. It’s about nurturing ourselves a bit…of course, hopefully not overboard! Ugh, there I go again…
But it’s ultimately to get down to the root of how we feel about …but ultimately it’s about tackling our ideas around money and creative abundance. Huge topics to face.
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by Linda | Jun 10, 2011 | my creative journal
I must confess that things have been all quiet on the marketing front. I’ve actually been swirling in experimentation, self-reflection and reading. There goes the productivity level on the business front! Even though I want to be successful and well-informed for my creative business, it’s also the easiest thing to slip out of sight as I enjoy the process of creating and playing with art as well as frolicking in the Tuscan hills! I’ve definitely been spending more time outdoors, walking my dog and enjoying the warm sunny weather.
However, I do have a mega list of ideas for how to get my brand out – basically the many marketing options available for exploration. But I’m a bit stuck into analysis paralysis, wondering what is worth it, where to start and where my efforts should be focused upon. I thought perhaps to share my list of marketing ideas and see what you have to say. Have you tried them, have they worked…what’s your experience? I would love to know and I’m sure many others would love to know as well…so I thought it would be a nice little pow-wow on marketing here. Please comment away!
- Have you tried advertising on blogs?
- Do you use an email newsletter and track the results?
- Do you hold blog giveaways and do they attract sales in the end?
- Do you participate in multiple online marketplaces – Etsy, Dawanda, Society6, Zazzle, Artfire…etc?
- How does your blogging help with your creative business – do you track statistics or conversion to sales from your blogging?
- Social networking – is it just community and branding in general for you?
- Old fashioned face-to-face marketing – do you even do that now that online is so widespread!
- Do you offer coupons to existing customers to make them return?
- Do you offer promotions and holiday sales? Do you think it cheapens the value of your work?
- How about teaming up with partners in business?
- Submitting to galleries, magazines, blogs, etc? Does it bring traffic?
Yup, a lot swimming around in my mind and that’s a big list, a very general list as well, to really tackle efficiently. Maybe just pick one and share your thoughts? Thanks a bunch and happy weekend!
by Linda | Jun 6, 2011 | my creative journal
Last week I fell behind due to holidays in Italy, it was a long weekend with the family. The days passed by slowly and quickly in turn and I didn’t manage to blog about anything. But my mind was running full speed (as always). I enjoyed reading time during rainstorms and I’ve continued on my journey of reading The Artist’s Way (here’s a link to the copy I bought on Amazon). In fact, I read two chapters!
The fourth week of the journey is about recovering a sense of integrity. Although I see how morning pages can be useful, I definitely didn’t keep to the routine over vacation days. Sometimes, I don’t really feel the need. Although my experience has not been earth shattering per say… or a complete revolution, I’m certainly gaining tidbits of good information and a lot more understanding of my creative self in reading this book. This fourth chapter actually addresses the fact that for some it might not be a dramatic process for everyone – or we might not be able to see the change because we are in the trenches. Oddly enough, I’ve only been able to think about these headaches I’ve been getting every so often… sort of aching in the back of my head. Maybe I’m thinking too much!
The chapter also issues a challenge to not read for a week. Haha! I decided to change it up and try not surfing the internet and reading online, as opposed to traditional books. I really enjoy seeing what others do and reading blogs, but I also know it’s a huge time suck in my schedule. I can’t help it!
So this will be something I tackle for myself… to not overwhelm my senses. Of course, I have definitely learned to relax and just hang around outside playing with my puppy, so again, nothing dramatically changing for me. More awareness I suppose and tidying up of my habits and routines.
Since I didn’t feel so moved or needing of the time for the chapter, I decided to keep reading to the next one about recovering a sense of possibility. I know, I’m totally cheating, eh? This flexibility is why I like self-paced courses 🙂
Chapter Five is about limits. It was quite interesting because I’ve always been a dreamer and cheerleader type. It doesn’t mean that I’ve been able to always follow through with projects, but I’ll always be the first to say “why not?!” I really love this part of my personality… the crazy American dream factor, I like to say. Possibility is there.
The section about finding the river seems to be like going with the flow, another thing I like to say. I suppose in my mind, there are many affirmations and motivations already floating around. I love quotes and clever sayings… it’s something that has always been around for me. So I guess even though I have doubts and worries, criticizing myself in many ways… I have equally the other set of motivations to sort of balance things out. I suppose, I had never thought or realized that… but I truly feel that way. Makes me feel quite content.
The section that was the most interesting was about the Virtue trap. Basically that we seem to be totally okay on the outside and thinking of others, doing things to be unselfish. Even though we just want to be left alone. I often feel this way and it makes me feel very guilty. I want to spend time with family, but at the same time, I need solitude and quiet freedom to act upon my crazy ideas and musings. But it is a struggle.
I am always in awe of how parents are able to do anything at all!? I find it hard to just see my puppy sitting there, waiting for me to play with him. It is really hard to ensure that you are fulfilled because we don’t want to be selfish. We have been told and taught since childhood to share and not be selfish. Giving of yourself seems so virtuous. This is something I struggle with and not sure how to resolve it. I want it all! (Queen song comes to mind)
Something I do love about this chapter are all the dream and wish exercises. Lots of list making for me, because I find that the easier way to get things down in a more concise manner, rather than writing like I talk ala morning pages and these blogs I think HAHA! I’m thinking it would be good to turn all these lists into a journal of sorts. Sometimes I don’t like to write down wishes, because they might not come true and it saddens me to see the evidence…silly, right? Perhaps the courage to write it out is the first step to realizing your wishes…
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by Linda | Jun 2, 2011 | my creative journal
I’m a big fan of Karen Gurnberg, a scrapbooker, a mom, a manager, a photographer…an inspiration for all. A while back I had registered for her free class at Big Picture Classes, Embrace Perfection…but didn’t really have the time to go through it properly. But I suppose that was an excuse in some ways…perhaps I simply wasn’t ready to take it all in.
Now that I’ve finally gone through her presentation, I feel as if it’s a wake up call and really changing the way I look at scrapbooking, as well as others things in life. To go back to the root of why we do what we do…and if we are happy with how things are going.
I think all too often, especially when we start sharing our work with others, an element of wanting to be accepted and praised pops up. Even though in the end, it doesn’t really matter. You still do what you love, because you are compelled.
I’ve been quiet on the blog and not sharing so much lately. Busy with things – yes! But also not so comfortable sharing all my personal scrapbooking layouts and projects. They certainly aren’t perfect and sometimes I think there’s nothing special about them to anyone else…so why would I share or why would anyone care? But wanting to share…it’s natural, I think. What stops us…is the fear of being judged probably…
Still not sure how I feel about that at times…and of course when there are other people in my photos, I tend to not share for courtesy of not splashing their faces on the Internet. And I’m just too lazy to blur things out…seems to go against the point of sharnig things…but this is another topic I suppose…
In terms of getting things done and understanding myself a bit more…I just love what Karen says in her class. I encourage everyone to listen to her presentation, whether you scrapbook or not… the idea of embracing imperfection can be applied to any discipline.
I think it has affected me because of that…because I’m thinking about it for my whole life – not just scrapbooking. About wanting to be perfect or appear to be perfect, but struggling…struggling oh so much with it, because it is not possible.
I realize now that no one cares or wants you to be perfect – seriously! If I think about my view on others…it all makes sense. Why can’t I easily apply it to myself, right? We can all give each other wise words of wisdom, yet it seems we do not believe or follow it for ourselves.
I do need the reminder…the encouragement and motivation to help break through ugly thoughts. I really only care about being happy…spending time with my family…enjoying this life we have. I just saw this post where Kathy Davis says life is far from perfect but it can still be wonderful! So true.
Not sure why I’m getting all philosophical here… I really just wanted to share the minibook I created from the quotes Karen provided in the class…and to tell everyone to check it out, because it’s an amazing and inspiring class. I love the minibook idea, to help prevent me from spiralling out of control, thinking everything must be perfect as I work here on my desk.
Even though the binding of this book is totally wrong and unstable…not enough support when it comes to binding of books…
Even though I smeared glue all over, because I have serious issues with controlling that darn glue – all the time…
Even though nothing is straight or aligned…
…yet I still love my book. I had fun with paint, creating the messy crazy background papers. I had fun drawing and coloring my little girls, so they could cheer for me! It was so freeing to just cut with scissors and not care about alignment or perfection. It’s simple and cute…just the way I like things. I thought instantly – imperfectly beautiful…that’s me.
by Linda | May 28, 2011 | my creative journal
I’m at the third chapter of The Artist’s Way (here’s a link to the copy I bought on Amazon)
and I am already flailing a bit on morning pages. Sometimes I totally forget until later in the day. I suppose that I don’t pick up long-term habits so easily. However, I do think the stream of consciousness writing is helpful. In fact, I’ve always done it in the past… but usually only in times of need. Making it a practice means that you can always sound off and get things off your chest. I like that aspect of it.
There were many moments of nodding my head during the reading of this chapter. The feelings we go through, the ups and downs and struggles as a creative. I could definitely relate and it was nice to hear someone experienced talk about it and offer some advice. I suppose, it’s like having a mentor of sorts… the sharing of knowledge from experiences… only this is a book…LOL!
There was a particular section that struck me. The section about shame.
I never really thought that I might be blocked by shame, but I certainly face that “not good enough” or “not a big enough achievement” feeling at times. I am hard on myself and ever since I was a kid… I’ve always found it hard to accept compliments and praise.
Somehow I didn’t know that you can just accept it and simply say thank you and be happy. It doesn’t come naturally to me. I would always discount myself or note my doubts or brush it off as nothing – oh, no big deal. Why would I feel all weird about praise? I started thinking about it and… sort of all frustrated me. People have issues dealing with criticism… and here I am pushing away nice people who like my work?!
Well, I think I’ve since learned to say thank you and feel proud of my work. To accept what is given to me, not feel like I might not deserve the attention. Sometimes we have to psych ourselves up…we ARE worthy. I’ve come a long way since way back in my childhood days, so I’m happy about that. Perhaps it is something that comes with time, intertwined with self-esteem and confidence.
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by Linda | May 26, 2011 | my creative journal
Wow! Honored by the huge response to my handmade leather journal giveaway…and with the help of random.org the winner is…
Congratulations, Niina! Once I get your address, will send it out so you can journal away. Thank you to everyone for participating 🙂 Is you want your own leather journal, I will be adding a new batch to my Etsy shop soon…take a peek at the progress here… yummy leather!
by Linda | May 23, 2011 | my creative journal
[UPDATE: Comments closed, giveaway ended 2011/05/25]
To celebrate with the Sew, Mama, Sew May Giveaway event…I am contributing a handmade leather journal to one lucky blog commenter! This is a lovely luscious leather journal around 15cm by 21cm in size. The leather is a rich, dark brown color, super-duper soft to the touch with a cardstock lining for extra support. There are 96 pages of Fabriano ivory paper, sewn in with black cotton thread, ready for your journaling and doodling pleasure. There’s plenty of room to add ephemera as well, with a wraparound flap and braided mixed ribbon closure to keep everything together and safe from the elements. I think of it as a Victorian romantic style journal and the definition of “journal” is actually printed on the opening page. The last page has the phrase “create fearlessly” printed on it …hopefully to inspire and get you journaling!
Although bookmaking might seem like an exact science, I actually take a very organic approach to creating my leather journals. Each piece of leather has a style to it and rugged shape. I use it to direct me in creating a unique handmade journal…that will collect the thoughts and doodles of journalers like you. I love the rustic, rugged look, often using the raw edges of the leather piece as part of the journal. The ribbon closures have singed edges, hand-braided loosely to incorporate into the organic style of the journal. I always have a romantic sense in mind when finishing my journals because it is such a precious and important tool for many of us, collecting our thoughts, feelings and sometimes secret emotions. I’m always imagining old fashioned quill pens, scrawling in love confessions and such on the pages – oh how my imagination runs away!
I effectively “save” leather from being ground up or thrown away…because I use only remainder pieces from the leather producing companies here in Tuscany. Perfectly beautiful pieces of leather that just happens to be extra from client orders or test colors. Every time leather is made for clients (who order thousands of square meters at a time), many batches are created to ensure they get the exact texture or color for the particular product in mind. So that means a lot of extra batches that I can rescue from becoming ground up or thrown away. The leather pieces I use are truly one of a kind and unique…and I especially love the experiment batches!
This journal giveaway let’s me share a piece of “my Italia” with you, lovely leather and handmade goodness straight from the Tuscan hills of Italy.
Just comment below for a chance to win – I will pick a random commenter – open to everyone in the world! If you can’t wait for the giveaway, please do check out my Etsy shop to buy one for yourself or as a gift to a dear friend. I would really appreciate your support! Now go on and check out all the other giveaways for this event! Good luck to all – ciao ciao!
by Linda | May 21, 2011 | my creative journal
This past week, I continued my way reading through chapter 2 of The Artist’s Way (link to copy I bought from Amazon), all about recovering a sense of identity. I must admit that I found it harder to be moved by this particular chapter.
I had to re-read the whole thing because I sort of flew past it and didn’t get much out of it. Maybe I just don’t need much recovery in this department? I don’t have crazymakers in my life and the more I thought about it…the more I realized and felt grateful for the fact that I don’t have drama.
I know many folks who have a tragic story behind them, perhaps even a pivotal part of their journey to creative freedom and all that. It makes for a great story, but I don’t think you need that to happen to be a great artist or a successful person.
At times, I think people create drama for themselves to get that story. I think we all naturally have issues, darknesses, ups and downs…certainly some are decidedly more serious than others, but I don’t think you have to make it “your thing.” Not sure how to explain it, but that you don’t have to be defined by whatever circumstances you are in. Honestly, I don’t have anything to complain about or woe over because I choose not to ultimately. I look towards all the wonderful things and that makes me a much happier person and makes life way more cool…
Perhaps I have just gotten over everything, so I don’t have the patience for unnecessary drama in my life. I feel as if I have learned to live the slow life and enjoy even the little things…after coming to live here in Italy. The culture here is definitely about having a good time…or just making the best of your time here…eating well, being with family. All that good ‘ole charming homey family goodness. But since I come from a society of work, work, work and a family past of great struggles, I certainly understand what it means to work your butt off and still not have “enough.” I feel like I can jump from one to the other without drama…work hard, play hard.
I suppose part of this creative path has already been well walked upon in my case. I trust in my creativity and am growing more confident with each step. I love to follow my sparks of inspiration and have no problems when it fizzles out or turns into a failure. It happens!
I have a great support system around me that keeps me going and moving forward. I have grand plans and am definitely making progress, although I still stop and smell the flowers – often! I want to enjoy this walk of life, after all. It doesn’t have to be a painful, struggling experience and I believe it does NOT have to be so…if you choose not to live it that way.
Of course, let me backtrack a bit and note that I’m still learning so much, changing constantly and sort of growing up all the time.
I think we can never just be…in the sense of being perfect or being “there” wherever there is…because life is ever changing and we are ever evolving with it. So this week, I haven’t really changed much from this chapter of the book, but I did continue my morning pages. I missed one day and realized that perhaps I didn’t need it. I think also that sometimes doodling a bit can be as meditative as morning pages. Whatever or however we might choose to express ourselves or get things out of our minds. I’m starting to think maybe you don’t have to do it daily – yeah, I’m getting impatient already! I suppose it might be because I’m still riding off the energy from yesterday. I am so proud of myself and I guess it was a big boost of confidence and sense of self. Maybe it really does all connect after all with this week…whatever the case…I’m definitely moving forward and skipping along happily 🙂
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