My First Copic Drawing

My first drawing in years. Such a good feeling. My friend Sybil was visiting, and she brought some Copic markers. She wanted me to try them, so I drew this and colored it.

Wow. First of all, the marker caps went on and off easily... no small thing, compared to the Bad Markers. Then, the colors went on smoothly - no bleeding or blotching. Beautiful, transparent colors! I bought some the next week. And I Like Markers, Marianne Walker's blog, told me everything I needed to know about them. See Bad Marker Disclaimer.

Copic colors used: Probably Y13, YR14, BG14.
Paper: 20 lb multipurpose copier paper.

Bad Marker Example

This is what I mean by Bad Markers. Blotchy, bleedy, smeary, muddy, streaky colors. And the caps were hard to get on and off. It was very frustrating for me to work with them. At least in my memory, they smelled bad, too. I like the shapes in this drawing, but the coloring spoiled it for me. See Bad Marker Disclaimer.

As a result, I pretty much stopped drawing for 23 years. Then in 2008, I was introduced to Copic markers, and I started drawing again.

Bird in Bright Colors

This bird was colored with Pentel fine tip markers (water based). The notched oval shapes are tracings around a beautiful Norwegian silver necklace, shown at right, a gift from my sister-in-law.

The background was done with some Bad Markers, and thankfully I have repressed the brand name. It just looked ugly to me - streaky and blotchy. Then, more than 20 years later, I used my Copic markers in similar colors to go back over the background. Now, I'm happy to say, it looks smooth and even. See Bad Marker Disclaimer.

Doodle Toy 1

This image is about 6 inches in diameter. It looks 3-D to me, like a stuffed toy. Too bad about the Bad Markers bleeding outside the lines. See Bad Marker Disclaimer.

Flowing Abstract

I like the flow and the colors in this drawing. It's on 15x17 paper, and I was able to fit most of it on my 8.5x14 scanner glass.

Close up, it's easy to see the Bad Marker streaking and bleeding. See Bad Marker Disclaimer.

About My Labels (part 1 of 3)

Updated October 3, 2009. I've tried to place consistent and helpful labels on all of my posts. One reason for my labels is to help my viewers find drawings they might enjoy. Another reason is to give me a way to sort and view my own drawings in various combinations. Most of my labels don't need explanation. "Flowers," for example. Others are explained below.

• Abstract: Includes non-representational. I know there's a difference, but it makes my head hurt to decide which is which sometimes.
• Airbrush: Using the Copic airbrush system (for more info, see airbrush posts at I Like Markers, Marianne Walker's blog... start here, then click on her airbrushing label for more)
  
• Bad markers: Although I like my pre-Copic drawings, many of them show the problems of "bad markers" - blotching, streaking, bleeding, smearing. That's why I stopped drawing until my Copic markers came along. See Bad Marker Disclaimer.
• Brightness: these labels give my overall impression of the coloring. "Brightness: vivid" is strong coloring, often primary colors. "Brightness: muted" is softer, paler, perhaps monochrome - often still colorful, but with a quieter feeling. It includes my black and white drawings. "Brightness: mid" is mid-range, somewhere in between vivid and muted.

For C-Z scroll down, or click here and scroll down.

"Bad Marker" Disclaimer

Updated July 2009

When I talk about "Bad Markers," I don't mean any disrespect to the marker brands or the people who use them, for whom they are "Good Markers."

Maybe I should call them "Bad Marker-Paper-Technique-User Combinations."

Anyway, I don't name the Bad Marker brands, because it's not my purpose to say bad things about the marker companies, and besides, their formulas might have changed since the 1980's. What I do mean is that the wrong materials (at least, wrong-for-the-individual) can harm both the drawing and the drawing experience.

Did I Really Stop Drawing for 23 Years?

Updated July 2009

Yes, mostly. After the "Bad Marker Example" drawing (June 1985), up to my first Copic marker drawing (Aug. 2008), I have only about 15 drawings, mostly pencil sketches and attempts to work with other media. They date from 1986-2000, and I posted a few of them. I know there were others that I didn't keep, but not many.

Over the years, I tried watercolors and colored pencils, even crayons, but they just didn't work well for me. I started singing more, something I love to do. It seemed like almost enough, but I still missed drawing.

My friend Sybil, meanwhile, was still drawing (doodling, as she calls it), and it even became part of her prayer life. In 2006, I wrote this to her in an e-mail: "Our women's group at church had a half-day workshop on art & spirit. We spent some time drawing, with white colored pencil & circles of black construction paper.... So I got out my colored pencils & bought a couple books on colored-pencil techniques. There is an amazing amount you can do with them & unlike markers, they don't dry up & disappoint you. But I don't feel connected to them like I do with markers. I will keep trying with them for awhile and see what happens." (What happened was that I just didn't enjoy the process of working with colored pencils, and I put them away again.)

Later in 2006, responding to a comment she made about her color choices, I wrote, "I used to have a lot of different color combinations in my drawing."

I saw drawing as a part of my past, something I had loved but lost. Then Sybil visited with her Copic markers, and I started drawing again.