Hey folks! Time for another Monday with me “Marker Geek” aka Elaineabella. I hope you are all still enjoying these weekly posts. If you’ve got any questions you would like answered or topics you would like to see covered in future posts please do get in touch via the comments section and I will do my best.

Before I get to the colourful fun, I’d like you all to join me in wishing our Chief Bella (Emily) all the very best. She’s having a rough time right now, as you may be aware from reading her blog posts here. Not only is she dealing with personal stress, she is working hard to bring us even more fantastic stamps to play with. Lets make sure she knows how much we appreciate her!

It has been a crazy week, and I’m working on a few larger projects for future posts, so today I’m keeping it simple and sharing a very simple bonus colour map for one of Stamping Bella’s fun BUNNY WOBBLES images. I’m also hoping to inspire you to “keep it simple”, so read on!

The rubber stamp I used is ROW OF BUNNY WOBBLES. So. Cute. They also come with a row of Easter eggs, but the bunnies on their own are perfect for so many occasions.

Keeping it simple!

As you can see, I kept the colours very limited on this one, challenging myself to do as much as I could with just a handful of markers. The beauty of alcohol based markers like Copic Markers is that due to their translucent properties, they layer beautifully so that you can achieve depth and variety even if you don’t have a wide selection of shades. So don’t worry if you can’t blow your budget on a full set of markers – build your collection slowly and really get to know them.

Make sure you read right to the end of this post, as you will find some additional waffle about alternative marker brands, and some pointers for getting colour matches including a link to a very useful resource for Spectrum Noir users.

A special note for readers using other marker brands:

Since I started writing this series of posts for Blogabella we have received a few questions relating to other brands of markers. While I have used and loved other markers in the past, Copic Markers are currently my “most reached for” for a variety of reasons. I recognise that some readers and fans of Stamping Bella may not use the same brand, for their own varied reasons. Unfortunately I can’t be all things to all people, but I do like to be as helpful as possible!

There is a wealth of information online, both free and available to purchase. Sometimes it can be time consuming and a little daunting to sift through it all, I totally get that. With that in mind I am hoping to give you a little help in this post and hope to provide some more useful information in some upcoming posts (watch this space…).

A great starting point for finding information specific to your chosen brand of marker (or any medium) is usually the brand’s official website. They may have a “Resources” or “Downloads” or “Information” section containing tips, colour charts and suggestions for colour combinations.

If you have a crafty friend that uses a different brand of markers to yourself, try swapping hand coloured charts so you can compare theirs with your own.

Spectrum Noir users will no doubt find THIS CHART created by Corinne Jones and Irene Sherman a very handy resource indeed!

Note:

• Any colour matches that you find listed are unlikely to be exact matches for the Copic shades, but will be visually close.
• The appearance of colours may differ on different papers. Some “white” papers will have a warmer tone, some a cooler tone. This will affect the appearance of the marker colours when applied to the paper (this is why creating your colour charts on the paper you use most often is also the best idea).
• It is also worthwhile to note that different marker brands may have slightly different properties. Colours that look like a good match when compared as one layer may look quite different when layered multiple times.

I would always recommend that you use any colour combo information purely as a starting point for your own experimentation. Play with your markers, experiment with mixing different shades and colours and find what works for you! You may find that due to your colouring style, differences in paper etc. your results with any particular marker combo differ anyway, so don’t be afraid to make your own tweaks and find your own favourites!

TIP: if you have trouble finding a good match for a particular shade, try mixing a couple of colours together.

As always, make sure you stay in touch! Drop us a comment below, or tag your colouring pics on Instagram with #markergeekmonday so we can check them out.

MWAH!

Elaineabella

Time for another dose of the best antidote for Monday: Marker Geek Monday! Let’s get colourful together and forget what day it is. 😉

Today I thought I’d talk a little about something a little less glamorous, but in my opinion totally essential in your colouring toolkit: COLOUR CHARTS!

A hand coloured chart is invaluable in both keeping track of your collection and when you are selecting colours to use for a project.

There are some different options out there. These are the two I use.

1. Copic Colour Chart – this is available as a free download HERE on the US Copic Distributor’s website. The chart is arranged in numerical order, by colour family. This chart is perfect for keeping track of your markers. As you can see I also use it to track my refills by marking the colours I own refills for with a little “R” in the corner. Because the chart is arranged in numerical order it is easy to find the colour you are looking for and see where any gaps are.

2. The Hex Chart by Sandy Allnock – this is available HERE on Sandy’s website. The Hex Chart is not free, but at $5.99 it is a relatively inexpensive tool which I personally use on a daily basis. This chart is a completely different animal to the Copic Colour Chart above, as it organises the colours visually. This presentation of colours is incredibly useful for a number of reasons.

As I mentioned above, the Copic Colour Chart is a useful way to keep track of your collection, and it was the only chart I used for a number of years. I keep a copy in my folder, which these days mostly serves as a record of which refills I already own, so I can avoid duplicating any purchases! Previously it served a similar purpose for the markers themselves. I no longer use the chart for selecting colours.

When the Hex Chart came into my life, it was a game changer! I have always enjoyed playing with mixing colours from different families and this chart makes that process a lot easier.

You may be thinking “I don’t have enough markers to make use of the Hex Chart yet”. I’d advise that actually, you’re in the PERFECT position to take full advantage of Sandy’s hard work. Included in the zip file you receive are both a black and white hand colour chart and also a scanned coloured version.

The coloured version of the chart is a great reference tool to aid you in deciding which markers to add to your collection. You can get a good impression of which colours will work well together, and perhaps more importantly you can see which markers you don’t need at all because they are so similar to others. For those of us with a complete or near complete collection this aspect is useful when we have a marker that needs refilling – if we don’t have the refill for that particular marker we can reference the chart to see if there are any good substitutes so we can keep colouring.

Note: the coloured version of the Hex Chart is not guaranteed to have 100% colour accuracy due to the nature of digital reproduction and if printed out, variation in individual printer calibration. With this in mind, it is still a very useful reference.

Due to the limited lightfastness of Copic Markers (this is variable – some colours will fade more than others), it is a worthwhile task to colour a new version after a period of time. I’d suggest perhaps once a year. Having a relatively fresh version of your colour charts will ensure that you are seeing as accurate a representation of the colours as possible.

Periodically renewing your colour charts also provides an ideal opportunity for doing some marker maintenance. While you’re colouring your chart you might notice markers which need refilling or markers in need of some cleaning and maybe nib changes. Make sure you grab your beverage of choice and pop on something in the background to keep you entertained!

I hope you have a fantastic week filled with colour! Share your colour chart experiences and thoughts with us in the comments below or share pics over on Instagram using #markergeekmonday . Don’t be shy, we want to hear from you all!

MWAH!

Elaineabella

Disclaimer: I was not asked to write this post by Sandy Allnock, although I was provided with a copy of the Hex Chart to participate in her April 2015 blog hop. I have been using the Hex Chart since that time, every time I colour with Copics. All opinions are my own.

Monday again! Seriously, I’m getting a little freaked out about the pace at which these Mondays are coming around. Somebody stop the ride, I want to get off for a minute!

If you’re joining us for the first time you may want to check out the previous Marker Geek Monday posts HERE.

This week I’ve got a little video for you. You can watch me colour one of our recent releases, the lovable and totally squishable EDNA. She’s got her own section on the website, because y’know, she’s a bit of a diva. 😉 Today’s image is MEET EDNA.

Here’s a bonus colour map so you can colour along! (See HERE for instructions on obtaining the main colour maps for Stamping Bella images.)

I used one of my “go to” hair colour combos, which you can find in this post HERE along with a few others!

For past Stamping Bella colouring videos, you can check out this THIS PLAYLIST over on my Marker Geek Youtube Channel!

Have a fantastic, colourful week. Remember to experiment, then pop back and share your results here with us on the blog or over on Instagram using #markergeekmonday ! We love to hear from you, so don’t be shy.

MWAH!

~Elaineabella