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Mua-ha-ha-ha!

Have just dropped the dosh* on a Copic A3 size marker pad so that I can do a niiiice big version of that Gojyo pic for the art show at AnimeFest. Plus, the picture in the marker book shows them using a big sheet of paper, and it'll be easier to do details like eyes when I do it big. I think the size they're using in the marker book is A2, and it'd cost me $60 to get a pad in A2, and I am so not going to do that unless I specialize in marker for a while - maybe for A-Kon if I get more practice in by then. A3's a nice big size, though, and the finished result will fit nicely into the 16x20" (opening 10x14") mats that are the biggest they sell at Hobby Lobby - A3 is very roughly the equivalent of 11x17".

*"Dosh" or "doss"? I think dosh is money while doss means to settle down and sleep somewhere for a night. Not intrigued enough to look it up at the moment, though.

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I wonder what the paper's like. o_o How's it different from regular marker paper (other than the big size)?

I've got a smaller pad of the stuff - B5 size or summat*, and it's similar to the Bienfang Graphics 360 marker paper, only it seems to allow for better blending - at least the way I do it. Since I've now got some Copic markers, I think the Copic paper ought to work even better, since they're probably formulated to work with each other. We'll see.

*Have been listening to Terry Pratchett audiobooks while drawing, and it's starting to rub off onto my vocabulary.

Huh. I've been pondering getting a set of Copic markers, but I got a godawful lot of Prismacolor and Tria markers already. >_< Little eff'ers are expensive.

My Prismacolors all dried up and died an honorable death, so I was marker-free for a long time, and then spotted that particular set - at dickblick.com it was only $89 and came in a wallet-thing that would make it easy to transport to cons.

The thing that really sold me on it was that Copics are refillable, so they tend to be a bit more expensive to start with, but over the long run should even out.

Yeah. Tria and Copic seem to be a step up from prismacolor. >_>

Refilling doesn't give you quite the same life....though one trick I did learn while doing the wigs is that you need to let it sit for a good ten minutes after refilling, otherwise it doesn't soak in and is dead in a few minutes.

Also, dunno if you saw the tutorial on their website about refilling them, but it's a load of crap. You have to take the tip out (which you can do with tweezers) and pour in. Just do it over the sink. XD

Good to know, thanks! :D

Have I ever mentioned how much I hate you? XD **insanely jealous**

XD I've set up as a small business for the art, since selling prints at cons is going fairly well, and been putting the money I get from art shows into a separate account, which is paying for all of this. Which makes my final profit at the end of the year approximately zero dollars, since everything coming in is going right back out to Akadot Retail and Dick Blick. XD

Anyway, I was freaking out over the price of the markers, then realized when talking to Mom that when I do marker pieces at cons, I sell 'em for $25, so 3 of them at the next con would just about pay for it, and when you look at it *that* way, it seems remarkably sensible - I can get far more for colored pieces than B&W.

I can justify the hell out of anything, if I want. Somehow I still end up with no profit at the end of the year...wonder why? XD

Because! TOYS!

Just when you get into a niche with one thing, you see something else that catches your eye, and of course, being art-related, it's freaking expensive, so of course, you put all of your hard earned art money right back into it.

Markers and I unfortunately don't quite have a working relationship, though I've yet to use Copics on more than a wig. From my very very brief paper experience with them (ie, while at the art store, looking for the right color for the wig and testing them on the rolls of provided paper), I was highly impressed by how well they blend together, so it's something that, when I have the money to spare, I definitely want to try to justify it myself. XD

I've done a wee bit of testing today, mostly to figure out what large-size paper I've got here that I can try this Gojyo pic on, and they seem to streak a little less than the Prismacolors I had, although I haven't used actual marker paper yet (my marker pad is too small for the pic). I'm gonna use manga paper, which seems to hold the ink pretty well, and allow for a wee bit of blending, although I think I won't be able to do near as much blending as I usually like.

Art toys! Whee! In the same order, I added more pen nibs, since they die fairly easily and I want extras on hand, plus a new refillable very thin line (.03, smaller than the .05) technical pen and some more ink, since the ink I'm using is well over a year old at the least and I figure might work better if it was newer.

That's where markers and I run into a disagreement...I'm a blend freak...pastels, oils, hell, even acrylic if I can get it to cooperate (though not often *sigh*) I think that's why I haven't delved into the world of markers much, given the not-so-great blending issues.

Let us know how the Copic paper takes the markers. The art store near me carries the Copic paper, so I'll know that, one day, in that far off distance future when I have the money (unless I get really luck at Otakon) I'll know to pick some up there. XD

I've always known 'doss' to mean being lazy and just sitting around when you should be doing something. Not exactly procrastinating, but just being too lazy to do what needs to be done. I see it a lot at work XD

Sometimes I consider buying some markers, but on previous attempts I've always got horrible streaks and blotches. This may be partly due to the fact that I only had cheap markers, no blender and I was using printer paper. But I'm just too cheap to go out and buy some decent paper just to find out that I'm no good at using them. Though I might if a pad of 50 sheets or so wasn't priced stupidly high! Last time I checked they were running up to about £15-20 each. I can't remember if they were A4 or A3 sized, but it was still way too much money for me.

Good luck in your marker attempts, from the picture in a later post I don't think you don't need to worry though. Shiny hair... :D

Err, ignore that extra "don't" it snuck in whilst I was still frothing at the mouth about prices :D

Printer paper was your biggest problem - it sucks up ink and dries it fairly quickly, and it has to remain wet and on the surface of the paper to blend nicely. Other than that, the blending marker helps, and expensive materials help, and lots of practice helps. XD

You can use printer paper, but you have to be careful and plan it in advace - you can't blend so you have to do cell-type shading, and if you oversaturate the paper you can tear it easily. And it's hard doing big areas without streaking - I haven't even really got the hang of that on marker paper.

I've ehard "doss" only in the context of "doss down for the night," so I could easily be missing shades of meaning.

Other than that, the blending marker helps, and expensive materials help, and lots of practice helps. XD

Are you saying I can't automatically be the best ever with crappy stuff and no practice? Dammit, that is soooo unfair! :D Oh well, maybe when I have some money saved I'll go out and buy some supplies, but I am broke after paying for more Japanese lessons.

And now you mention it I do recall that "doss down for the night" thing, but I haven't heard it in awhile and totally forgot about it. My dad tends to say it a lot, but I don't seem to hear people my age saying it much.

XD

I've been listening to a lot of Terry Pratchett on audiobook while doing art, so my vocabulary's picking up some interesting embellishments.

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