Another unboxing! My last post was all about paper and pens – this time…markers! I’d heard of Olo Markers before, but hadn’t considered them as an option, really. There are many knockoffs of Copic and I’ve found most relatively unsatisfying – because to get a cheaper pen, you have to sacrifice something.
It’s rare to find a company ADDING something instead. And perhaps that’s what Olo has done? They’ve made the markers more of a DIY affair – you can decide if you want brush, chisel, or both, and you can decide if you want multiples in one pen or not.
SEE THE CAVEATS ABOUT THESE PENS LATER IN THIS POST.
Tutorial: Draw sugar-coated gumdrops in Olo alcohol markers
See the unboxing and assembly of the pens – and a quick way to make gumdrops!
Watch the video below and scroll to the end to leave comments or questions — or click HERE to watch it on YouTube and leave comments over there. I read both dutifully!
Olo markers
First – I don’t know enough about the available colors to know if these are something to dive into. They’ve got a smaller collection than other brands – and with only a few colors, I don’t really know how the full range compares. I picked some dumb colors, or missed some good inbetween ones at least! Also there’s obviously no hex chart.
Nibs are very nice though, a bit thicker than Copic but not noticeably so. The bodies are round so they do roll spectacularly on my desk.
And the price point for a half marker – which has as much ink as most other alcohol markers – is much less. You need to get two to make a marker, which makes a “full” pen more expensive, but for twice the ink, well – you see how that math goes. They are definitely less expensive.
From first blush they do perform like other alcohol markers; I’ll be playing with them on my Neenah and get a fuller picture, but I don’t expect them to fail at all in that way. My only concern is the color range, which I can’t speak to with only 18 colors here.
Draw gumdrops the easy way!
Make a template first – draw a simple shape on cardstock at the size of your desired candies. Cut it out with an xacto knife, and trace the shapes onto your paper in whatever arrangement you want.
Then you can color the shapes in – give them a little dimension by putting darker color on one side than the other, but don’t stress over perfect blending OR on drawing texture like I had tried. Anything will work. Afterwards, use the mask to sprinkle each gumdrop with the white pigment using a toothbrush. Easy! (You can use other mediums like white gouache or acrylic too.)
You know me, I’m always pushing ideas to the next stage….and for my patrons this week I shared a speed drawing of a jar full of gumdrops! They also got the sketch, so they can try this themselves too. If you’d like to become a patron, you’d be most welcome to join our merry band! Each week I provide a short video – sometimes tutorials, sometimes sneak peeks, sometimes speed drawings or behind the scenes stuff. And I send out hundreds of cards to patrons too, since I know I love happy mail and everyone else must, too! You can join for just $1 a month or make it a little more to get more rewards like coupon codes and art pieces. Join patreon here.
What are your thoughts on these markers?
I know some of you are Copic-committed like me. I’m not jumping ship for these, but they’ve got me curious. Are you considering getting some to try out?
I’ve got a little bonus post to share today….a bloghop with Colorado Craft Company!
They know that I’m a big Anita fan, so little packages of goodies arrive when they’ve got new Jeram stamps…and while I only just got them, I did some super quick coloring with just a few Copic greys and one orange, and a black clored pencil.
I decided to add a little detail to them since I kept the coloring so simple – and added lines to each one with a fountain pen, but you could honestly use any pen you’ve got!
Details about the DOUBLE giveaway is later on in this post!
#short video!
This one’s just a shortie, a quick preview of the stamp sets then the cards that are below. The link to a Short on YouTube is dodgy, so it might not play here….just head over to my channel.
6 ways to add linear elements!
Each card uses a linear element in a different way – and each totally gives the cards a different look. IN this card, it’s the ground – each one has a wonky pair of lines at the edge, and the lines themselves use no ruler – just keep it loose.
A bit more coloring here! And some masking to make the different dressed-up cats look like they’re in front and behind each other. The sky is colored solid black, and I punched a circle from the background and flipped it upside down.
The lines can also be the background – a wall the characters are walking in front of. Also notice – I’m using a really really limited palette – toned Neenah cardstock with just 3 greys and an orange. And a white pen.
There’s one thanksgiving stamp in this collection; I used a pen to add the leaf and pumpkin stem on top.
A tiny strip of lines works well too – leaving a CAS card as the focus but with that sweet hand drawn addition.
And finally a wider strip of lines. Experiment with how much to use on a card! Here I also added “motion lines” around the bat and pumpkin so they’re clearly flying around.
Shop quick before they sell out
CCC has had some releases sell out, so if there’s anything on your must-have list, I’d recommend shopping quick. Visit the CCC siteto pick out your stamp sets – it’s a super cute release!
Colorado Craft Company Bloghop
CCC is doing two giveaways…You have until October 1st at Midnight MST to enter both of these!
a HUGE complete bundle giveaway to ONE lucky winner….to be entered you have to use MY affiliate link to shop! (My link generates a wee bit of income for me but is at no cost to you!)
a give away of one stamp set to a commenter here on my blog!
You might like to go see what everyone else has made with these too – there’s also a big kitty and pumpkin I haven’t had time to make something with yet but stay tuned and I’ll see if I can get something done shortly on social media 🙂 Here’s the blog list:
I’m excited to have finished up the class I told you about earlier this week, Color and Line – because…..I GOT TO OPEN MY NEW PEN! Ok sorry about yelling, I’m just excited to have a new pen! And I wouldn’t let myself open the box til the work was done. 🙂 It’s a Peter Pen – made in partnership with Goldspot & Narwhal Pens and Peter Draws from YT…..I’ve wanted to support him by getting a pen. And finally did!
Tutorial: How to Mindlessly Doodle (Copics a new Peter Pen, and an iguana)
YouTube made “suggestions” to me about the kind of content to consider posting; they said according to data, one of the top searches by people who watch my videos is “How to Doodle.” So….I figured I’d try their advice and see if it’s worth anything! ha!
Watch the video below and scroll to the end to leave comments or questions — or click HERE to watch it on YouTube and leave comments over there. I read both dutifully!
First: my Peter Pen!
My assessment of the Peter Pen is so far so good – the paper is apparently at fault for what I discussed in the video…I tried it on the good paper and all is well. It’s a little pricier than my usual recommendation though, so an Eco by TWSBI is still my recommendation for a starter pen. *see supply list at the end of this post
How to mindlessly doodle
My mindless doodle has a fall feel to it….I picked Copic colors that I don’t reink often. Why let all that ink sit in bottles? Let’s use it! Splooge ink onto the paper (or use any other medium you can draw on top of), then “trace” the shapes seen in the pigment. Wherever there’s a hue or value change, make lines around that and add textures to sections!
Doodled Gecko
I doodled this fellow after drawing him in Copics – see the Mission Impossible reel to see it done!
Doodled Iguana
Or a Jagras? Hard to say when I know little about the Monster Hunter game! But I figure if a few IG users called it that, it must have looked like a Jagras! This one in color may or may not, who knows…..
Here he is just with the Copic color:
And then with the pen and ink…a rather majestic fellow, no?
Tiny Tutorial with before and afters
Click o the image to go see the series….
Color & Line Class is open!
The Color & Line class is out of preregistrations – I worked my little fanny off (yes my fanny is tired of sitting at the desk doing computer work!) and it’s all ready for you! I emailed preregistrants, so hopefully everyone got the word that they can go start drawing!
Are you a doodler?
You don’t need to be a fancy doodler or do it in color – but doodling is such a great hand exercise that will help you in all your art. Just making marks on paper starts to develop your style, and can help keep you in practice between projects.
It’s the last day of the Labor Day sale at art-classes.com! I was trying to rush to get this class done in time, but….I kept adding more and more content. I couldn’t help myself! I have a ton of editing to do this week, but decided to open this class for preregistration so you can get the sale price. You’re welcome!
When I first started sketching out ideas for this class, I debated if it should be an alcohol marker or water-based marker class. How to decide, how to decide….then,……don’t decide, do both! ha! That meant I needed an easy transition from one to another as I worked through the lessons.
After much research I found this sketchbook that got good reviews both for alcohol markers and water based — and it’s not that slick marker paper that I don’t like working on. Due to the world we live in now, it took a while for my sketchbook to arrive, but I jammed on it right away when I got it. Class didn’t get finished but…..I’m well on the way!
Video: Color testing and comparison, new sketchbook
In this side by side test I show you how I made simple turtles in alcohol marker, water based marker, and watercolor – then added pen and ink on top. No colored pencil; the wax and oil in those tends to make ink bead up, so unless I work something out there won’t be wash & ink style pencil classes.
Watch the video below and scroll to the end to leave comments or questions — or click HERE to watch it on YouTube and leave comments over there. I read both dutifully!
Color & Line Class
I wanted to find a way to connect this to the Wash & Ink class, and the Travel Sketches class which is technically wash and ink too….washes of color in a medium, with ink added! The drawing portions of this class are what makes it level 4; you don’t need to be an expert draftsman, there’s no perspective etc, but some of it could be challenging.
Sign up today, Labor Day, using code LABOR, and you’ll get 10% off. This is a pricey class due to the double instruction in multiple mediums, so the % makes it a nice chunk of savings for you! All adult classes are also in this sale – you can find them HERE in order of most recent class first.
Keepin’ it short and sweet
I’m gonna end this post here – because I have both a Zoom this morning with artists who’ve joined Artventure (click here to go sign up this morning and jump on the call with us!)…..and tons of editing to get underway. Enjoy the last bit of this holiday weekend!
We finally got our version of the heat wave where I live! I know a lot of you have had it worse than we do for longer….but I’ve got no air conditioning so do I get to gripe a little about 89 degrees inside the studio? LOL! Anyhow…this week’s theme is one that will hopefully keep us all cool – WATERMELON! And we’ll start with a doodle since the drawing and doodling classes are on sale all month long. Yay!
Tutorial: How to doodle a Copic watermelon
I bet you never really thought to bring your Copics to the doodling game, did you? It’s really easy to doodle on TOP of Copic with any kind of pen – dip pens, microns, gel pens, all that works just great on the same kinds of papers you would use for Copics! This one is on Neenah – a 12″ x 18″ sheet…I found a ream of it for sale locally and broke the bank so I could have some large cardstock to work with!
Watch the video below and scroll to the end to leave comments or questions — or click HERE to watch it on YouTube and leave comments over there. I read both dutifully!
This is not a mandala.
I know some folks will worry that there’s a spiritual significance here, but honestly – it’s a doodle. It’s also not going to be ‘perfect’ which, I hope by now you realize is my jam. I do me, and I don’t worry about trying to get every line the same and every leaf shape to be identical. On a drawing like this, close enough is great for me and I celebrate it!
Do a doodle!
Whatever shape you decide to doodle on, color it first…and it doesn’t even matter if you color it nicely since detailed pen work goes on top! Then relax and add your doodles. They can radiate around a central point like this one, or just be random and fun!
If you want more step by step lessons, and to bring in all kinds of fun patterns into your world – the Whimsical Patterns class is all about white and metallic gel pens on back paper! Some of the patterns are gridlike, some circular like this watermelon, and some just freeform landscapes! Very relaxing and a lot of fun. All the Drawing and Doodling classes are on sale all month if you want to get your jam on in all kinds of media!
More watermelon please!
I’ve got tons of watermelon ideas in my head after doing this drawing – how about stamped critters ON a watermelon, or a watermelon planet in a galaxy, or a watermelon dress on a figure, or a watermelon popsicle, or…..well, you get the idea. Pop over to my instagram this week for fresh new ideas all week long! Post your own ideas and I’ll share some of the craziest ones to my Stories!
Hey there – Mother Nature heard me whining that my morning walks were still requiring jackets at 53F…..guess what? 90s this past weekend! GAH!!! I knew it was coming so did some prep last week….I bought a new fan, stocked up on beverages and popsicles and…ICE CREAM! Before the heat hit I decided this week’s theme would be ice cream, and created a ginormous set of printables for you and called it “Peace Love and Ice Cream!”
These are the colors that were out on my desk after finishing all this coloring…..and look at that sweatshirt sleeve! Yes I filmed before the heat got bad in the studio….I sat out under a tree instead all weekend!
In the zip file you’d download if you purchased this set, you’ll get nice flat versions of the colorings from today that you can keep along with the folder of images so it’s handy dandy.
The more complicated ice cream – with three flavors. You might want the version without the stippled details for things like lemon ice cream – light colors might seem a bit odd with all the black detail. But the limited detail is also a great way to learn your shading by putting it in yourself!
These, I’ll just tell ya, are too tiny! ha. I really wanted to get in more detail and couldn’t. But a tip on the soft serve with sprinkles: add them in with a gel pen or with stickles or other colored substances; coloring around tiny ones like this is too hard!
Supplies
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