It’s no secret that if you want to get better at something, you need to practice. There are no shortcuts.
I was browsing the list of design team calls for the new year and picked a few that I would apply to. I’ve been enjoying being on the design team at the Paper Craft Crew since 2013 and I would like to add another design team or two to my list.
The one thing holding me back is the Copic coloring and watercoloring.
I’m still a newbie at those skills.
I work full time and I focused on Stampin’ Up! for the last 6 years. Watercolors and alcohol markers were not in their product line for most of that time, so I did not invest in them nor did I work on improving my skills in those areas.
For about the last year, I’ve been having a total blast taking watercoloring classes and technique classes. I took a couple of alcohol marker classes, but I’ve decided to jump in and take more classes.
And yes…I made a leap and added a few more Copic colors to my stash.
I did purchase them when they were on sale (30% off) and I combined the sale with a 15% off coupon that I got from one of the craft kits I subscribe to.
Don’t you feel less guilty about what feels like a splurge when you get a good sale and have a coupon? Even better when the company your ordered from (Ellen Hutson) sends you a free length of ribbon.
Today I spent time practicing Copic coloring while taking a series of lessons. I signed up for a class at MyCreativeScoop.com. Mindy Baxter teaches it and I had taken a coloring class with her through Altenew Academy when they first came out with their alcohol artist markers. She actually has a great free introductory Copic class and lots of resources on her website.
In fact, she has a list of the basic colors of copics that she thinks you can start with. Those were the ones that I purchases a few months ago to start with and get started practicing and taking a class or two with her.
That list has served me well.
Another good resource is Kit and Clowder. They have a great free Copic class if you are interested in getting started. She actually gives you a list of colors that Copics match Spectrum Noir and all the other companies markers that you can imagine. You can take her classes with any brand of marker. She also has classes for coloring with pencils as well.
I will share my practice today:
So this little guy is from the MFT Stamps release and it is called Sweet Holiday Penguins.
I couldn’t resist. And to be honest, I found a video someone made from 2013 (HeatherHobbieHaven) coloring in a penguin with a candy cane. I didn’t have all of the colors that she used, but I managed with what I had.
The longer it sits, the more I like it. I will see how I feel about it when I look at it tomorrow when I get home from work.
I’m definitely improving.
I’m also keeping a notebook of what colors the instructors are recommending for these things. I now have a penguin page with the colors listed.
Here is the image that I got with the My Creative Scoop class:
It looks better in a photo!
I think that if you don’t like a project, you should take a picture of it with your phone and then look at the photo. It always looks better. Let’s call that Skinner’s Rule.
I thought Mindy’s instructions were great and I really like the gal at Kit and Clowder. They have different techniques of coloring, but I think it is all about learning how other people do it, trying everything, and then developing your own style.
You have to figure out what works for you.
I also went back to see what some of today’s YouTube/Blogger card maker big wigs were doing in their early years with watercoloring and Copics. They weren’t confident and said so because they were just learning. Now they have had years to practice, perfect, and develop their style and they fully admit that it has taken years of practice and many of them do this as a full time job.
They aren’t like us doing it in our spare time after work and after we have the family settled. We sneak in a few minutes or an hour or two of creative time to fill our own souls back up for the next day.
I wonder what it is like to do this for a living. I’m working on my skills and I will apply to some design teams just to get my name out there. I will also be continuing to take classes and participate in challenges. The more experience I get, the better.
A year to a year and a half from now, I plan to retire from teaching and do this full time just for fun!
All this practice is my planning and prep for my future career. I will be reinventing myself as a big wig YouTuber/Blogger/Design Team guru.
That’s the dream! I can’t envision retiring and giving up what has been my passion for the last 30+ years without a new plan in place for the next phase.
Plus, I’m having a blast doing this and just being creative. It fills me up!
Thank you for stopping by.
I would love to have you join me on this creative journey. I hope you find time to be creative today!
