Showing posts with label tracing memories. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tracing memories. Show all posts

Thursday, October 13, 2016

Tracing Memories App now available

Free App for Converting Photographs
For those of you who like coloring, but want to color your own picture, you're in luck! We just released the first version of our new Tracing Memories App on the iTunes store (for iPhones and iPads).

(I know the next question will be when is it available on Android, and don't worry, it will come. This is only the first version of everything, so we aren't ignoring you, we just had to start somewhere.)

Meanwhile, check it out and let your friends know. It's free, and super-easy to use. You just take a photo on your device, click a few buttons, and presto, you have an outline!

The app allows you to control line thickness and level of detail, with just a swipe of your fingers. The super easy interface helps you make the look you want, then you can easily send to a friend, or print it yourself.

I'm heading off this weekend to teach at the Oregon Art Education conference, and we'll be using this app to make images in my workshop.

I can't wait to get back and start experimenting with the new app, making great things to color (so much faster than using Photoshop!)

If you download it, please let us know what you think. Our developers have been working hard on the functionality and programming to help you have a seamless experience. We want you to be able to get to coloring faster.

Monday, March 3, 2014

Quick Class Update

Oregon Coast
This weekend I was at the coast and took a quick photo at one of my favorite beaches, Devil's Elbow/Heceta Head. This afternoon, I converted it to outlines and colored it in.

I colored the sky with B41 and 0. The trees are YG01, YG03, YG61, YG63, YG67, G28, C7, and hints of YR18. The old log is Y28, 0, E49, V99, BV23, and E27. The bridge is BV23, BV25, C3, C9, B41, and V99 for the deepest shadows. The water is YG63, B45, C7, and YG67. The sand is W1, E50, Y28, Y00, BV23, BV25, with 0. It took me about an hour to color.

As you can see, this was quick. But, each time I look at it I think of so many memories with my parents, my siblings, my husband, my kids, my friends...It makes me happy!!  This will be one of the images we color on Wednesday if you are in Eugene and come to my Sheldon Park Assisted Living dinner session. $5 reserves you a spot and dinner, 4:00 to 5:30 pm. All supplies included (these sessions are weekly, just call ahead to reserve your spot  541-344-1078).

Certifications & Workshops
If you don't live in town, and you want to take a Copic coloring class, you're in luck! We have more classes open right now than we ever have had before. They are filling fast, so register now. Register on our website under each class type Standard, Intermediate, or Workshop


Registration now open for:

March 7, Columbus, OH     Standard Certification     taught by Lori Craig      
March 8, Columbus, OH    Intermediate Certification   taught by Lori Craig FULL
March 22nd, Portland, OR Whimsical Faces & Hair workshop  taught by Debbie Olson FULL
March 22nd, Portland, OR Airbrushing for Papercrafters  taught by Debbie Olson FULL
March 28th, Calgary, AB Standard Certification  taught by Sherrie Siemens
March 29th, Calgary, AB Intermediate Certification taught by Sherrie Siemens
March 29, San Diego, CA  Whimsical Faces & Hair workshop, taught by Marianne Walker
March 30, San Diego, CA  Tracing Memories workshop, taught by Marianne Walker

April 11, Chicago, IL Standard Certification taught by Debbie Olson
Filling Fast!
April 11, Dallas, TX  Standard Certification, taught by Lori Craig
April 12, Chicago, IL  Intermediate Certification taught by Debbie Olson Filling Fast!
April 12, Dallas TX  Intermediate Certification taught by Lori Craig Filling Fast!
April 12, Phoenix AZ Whimsical Faces & Hair taught by Cindy Lawrence Filling Fast!
April 12, Phoenix, AZ Airbrushing for Papercrafters taught by Cindy Lawrence
April 29, Pittsburgh, PA  Airbrushing for Papercrafters taught by Colleen Schaan
April 29, Pittsburgh, PA  Whimsical Faces & Hair, taught by Colleen Schaan

May 1, Pittsburgh, PA  Tracing Memories  taught by Marianne Walker
May 1, Pittsburgh, PA Alcohol Ink Painting taught by Colleen Schaan
May 2, Pittsburgh, PA Standard Certification taught by Cindy Lawrence
May 2, Seattle, WA Standard Certification taught by Sherrie Siemens
May 3, Pittsburgh, PA Intermediate Certification taught by Cindy Lawrence
May 3, Seattle WA, Intermediate Certification taught by Sherrie Siemens

Opening Soon!!
Salt Lake City, Minneapolis

Friday, February 28, 2014

Tracing memories, Coloring an old building




Thank you to everyone who stopped by and visited me! Yesterday I had a fabulous demo down at the University of Oregon Bookstore. I spoke to lots of great students and professional artists from around the community. During the event, I also had a chance to color a beautiful Tracing Memories illustration of the oldest building on campus, Deady Hall. Here is an outline of my process.


Tracing Memories: Deady Hall, University of Oregon

I've known for a few months that I would be demoing at the U of O bookstore, but only a week or so ago had I decided what I really wanted to color....an old building from campus.

Last Friday it was actually sunny, so my family and I went for a walk around the U of O campus and took some photographs of a few neat places. This shot of Deady hall, through the mossy, fern-covered branches really stood out to me. I like this photo because it has good contrast and an interesting composition. As soon as I saw it, I knew I wanted to color it, but to draw it would take hours.

So, Thursday morning just before I went to the demo I converted it to outlines on the computer and printed it large, as I would be coloring in front of  many people. This picture is about 11x14"

Usually I suggest that people should keep their images smaller to have better success coloring large areas. This image has so many details that it was actually much easier to color it large.

The first thing to do when coloring a complex image is to "block in" colors. I picked out the sky with B32, BG10, and the colorless blender. Notice that I colored right over where ferns were growing, as there is daylight between the ferns. (I took these process photos on my cell phone as I was working, so the colors are not accurate.)

I blocked in the building with W1 and the trees with E44. These are not the darkest colors I see in those areas, rather, these are the lightest tones, and I will build up darkness and shadows from there. I avoided complicated areas, like the bottom left corner, as I hadn't decided which shade of gray to use as a base there yet.


Next, I worked on the building itself, slowly darkening shadows with a full range of warm grays, and picked out the blue windows with B26, B34, B32, and E04 for the frames. I felt the warm gray was a little too bland, so I threw in YG91 and Y21 in the highlight areas. This shifts it to more of a warmer feeling building, even though the photo was taken in the evening and has a cooler tone to it.

I began darkening the first branch with E29, W7, W9, E49 and the greens are YG13, G28, and G99. Look at how the dark contrast on the branches really helps pick out the foliage. 

The image really begins to pop out with the addition of darkest dark colors and adding subtle tones into the light areas. 


Here is the color-corrected scan of the final artwork. I love how it came out! This took 6 hrs to color. Each time I look at it, I think of the math class I took in this building while I was a student, or sitting in the courtyard in front of this building feeding squirrels while I was supposed to be drawing things. I also think of the walk with my family on Friday, and the fun times I had yesterday coloring the image. This really holds a lot of special meaning for me, and part of why I love the Tracing Memories program.

Needless to say, people loved the demo! I will be teaching even more workshops and demos in the future, so be looking for them. Meanwhile, if you want to take a class in your area, you might be in luck!!

I still have a few openings in my upcoming classes in San Diego and Pittsburgh, so visit our website to register or get more information. We currently have over 20 different classes and workshops open, so take a moment and look around our site for something near you.

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Oregon Classes This Month

February is always a busy month for me, here at Copic. I have a lot of local demos and events that I will be participating in, so look over the list carefully, and hopefully, if you are in my area, you can attend one of my events!

Oregon Asian Celebration, Feb 15 &16th
As with past years, I had the honor of illustrating this year's Oregon Asian Celebration poster. This is the year of the horse, so I carefully researched traditional Chinese brush paintings of running horses. After working with the Celebration Committee, we decided on this pose. I drew the horse with an E37 Sketch marker, on a piece of 11 x 17 paper, using large, bold strokes. It was colored and composited on the computer.

You can come and try Copic markers for yourself this weekend at the Asian Celebration. We will be hosting a drawing area in the Youth Art Room. Lane County Fairgrounds, Eugene OR,
Saturday from about 2:30-4p volunteers will be working the tables.
Sunday from about 2:30 to 4pm I will be demoing, answering questions, and drawing for people that stop by.

For more information visit www.asiancelebration.org

We hope to see you there!

Tracing Memories Classes
The reason I won't be at the Asian Celebration on Saturday is because I will be teaching Tracing Memories classes up in Portland. Two sessions to choose from. These are comprehensive, in-depth workshops designed to take a beginner through all the steps needed to choose colors, blend, add finishing touches, and convert your own photographs into outline works of art.

Portland, OR Saturday, 9am to 1pm, or 2pm to 6pm, $99 either session.
(also, we are accepting applications for the Tracing Memories class in San Diego, March 30th)

To register you can visit the Copic website or send us an e-mail directly. nancy@copicmarker.com

Tracing Memories Dinner Sessions
If you live in the Eugene area, Copic is sponsoring some low-key dinner coloring sessions, in conjunction with Sheldon Park Assisted Living. Starting Feb 19th, and running through April 9th, you can come for an evening and participate in one of our "relaxation sessions."

Wednesdays, 4:30 to 6pm, $5 per session
Feb 19th - April 9th
Includes light dinner and glass of wine.
Please RSVP Sheldon Park Assisted Living to save a spot! 541-344-1078

Most weeks, I will be there, unless I am out of town. These are not comprehensive classes like my 4 hr. workshops. Rather, these are intended for people to try Tracing Memories and color a single picture in a relaxed environment, using our supplies. Great for beginners, friends, and family. 

University of Oregon Bookstore, Proudly Oregon one day event
Want a chance to stop in and ask me questions, see me work, and look at my example books? On Feb. 27th I will be demoing at the U of O annual Proudly Oregon event. This is free, open to the public, and a great chance to meet Oregon businesses, see Oregon artists, and try some great Oregon foods and beers. I will downstairs in the art department, happily coloring away (What better way to spend my birthday?!). Come and see what I will be creating and enter to win a neat doorprize.

Thursday, Feb. 27th, Eugene, OR 10 am until 4 pm, Free!

Whew, that's a lot of fun venues around Oregon this month. I hope to see you at one of them!

Saturday, January 25, 2014

Tracing Memories Video

The amazing Colleen Schaan made this great video explaining a little more about the Tracing Memories workshop. It is so easy and relaxing! Make your own works of art that mean something special to you.



Again, if you are interested in registering for an upcoming class, simply visit our website and check out all of our upcoming class options Standard, Intermediate, or Workshop

Thursday, January 23, 2014

Tracing Memories classes


What a fun time I had last week teaching the Tracing Memories class in Anahiem! I got back after the CHA trade show and finally had a chance to catch up on my work. But, after all the emails, and business was over, I had fond memories of my trip to California.

This is where I was able to use a bit of Tracing Memories to enjoy that experience once again. One evening, we had a chance to go out to dinner and I was served a Sprite in a really pretty blue Mason jar. So, of course I took a photo of it (I'm sure each of you have done something similar). The rest of the evening was great, lots of new people we met, stories we told, and good food was eaten by all.

When I got home and dug through my photos, I saw that mason jar, and instantly thought of that evening and the fun we had at that restaurant. So, I decided to keep that memory alive and color the photo.

Here I am coloring the pretty blue mason jar. You can see my original photo that I'm looking at for color reference, but the coloring is all my own. Sometimes I print out my photo for reference, other times I will look at the computer screen, as the colors are more vibrant.

This is where I made some artistic decisions about composition. The background of this photo is not as important, and I'm not going for photo-realism, so I chose not to color it. Rather than coloring the whole granite tabletop, I dotted on a few color to suggest the granite, and left it at that. The black napkin provides a nice solid, foundation for the jar, the blue really stands out, and the lime is vibrant and juicy. The condensation on the glass hid the ice cubes, so I "faked it" and drew in a couple pale blue lines to suggest ice-cubes without needing details.


As you can see from the finished illustration, I love the final  effect!! I printed copies of this illustration and gave them to each of the people from work who were with me that evening. As soon as they also saw it, they remembered the fun evening we had, and were so happy. I think, as a nice thank you, I should also send one to the restaurant.

Have I inspired you yet? The people who came to my classes in Anaheim had an amazing time, and left very happy. I will be teaching more Tracing Memories classes in the next few weeks, so REGISTER NOW!! Then you can also learn how to color your own memories.

This 4hr. class is low-key and perfect for beginners of all levels, so bring a friend, even if they aren't into art or have ever touched Copic Markers. Visit our website for more details, and to register.

Feb. 15th Portland, OR, Tracing Memories workshop taught by Marianne Walker (morning or afternoon available)

Registration opens soon for:
March 30, San Diego, CA  Tracing Memories workshop, taught by Marianne Walker


Other Copic Classes Coming up
New locations are being listed all the time for upcoming classes, so check our website regularly to see if the class you want is coming to a town near you. Register on our website under each class type Standard, Intermediate, or Workshop

Feb. 21st  Tempe, AZ   Standard Certification    taught by Sherrie Siemens    almost full!!
Feb. 22nd Tempe, AZ   Intermediate Certification  taught by Sherrie Siemens almost full!!
Feb. 22nd Charlotte, NC   Whimsical Faces & Hair    taught by Debbie Olson
Feb. 22nd Charlotte, NC    Airbrush for Papercrafters taught by Debbie Olson   
Feb. 21st Orlando, FL    Standard Certification        taught by Lori Craig almost full!!
Feb. 22nd Orlando, FL    Intermediate Certification    taught by Lori Craig almost full!!
Feb. 28th,  Los Angeles, CA    Standard Certification     taught by Cindy Lawrence  

March 1, Los Angeles, CA    Intermediate Certification      taught by Cindy Lawrence
March 7, Columbus, OH     Standard Certification     taught by Lori Craig      
March 8, Columbus, OH    Intermediate Certification   taught by Lori Craig
March 22nd, Portland, OR Whimsical Faces & Hair   taught by Debbie Olson
March 22nd, Portland, OR Airbrushing for Papercrafters  taught by Debbie Olson
March 29, San Diego, CA  Whimsical Faces & Hair workshop, taught by Marianne Walker

Register Now!! You will love learning from our talented instructors.




Friday, November 22, 2013

Tracing Memories Update

Wow! The Tracing Memories class on Jan. 12, from 9am to noon is now full. I am so happy that so many of you want to take this class! And, I like seeing that many of you around the country are also eager to take this class.

If you are going to be in the L.A. area in January, don't despair, if you want to take this class. Due to the high demand, we have opened an evening session of the same class! Same date, same location, this evening class will run from 6pm to 9pm. Space is limited, and the morning class filled in a few days, so if you want to attend, register NOW!

Visit our website and apply today!

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Helpful Color Chart

Isolating Colors Chart
I hope you are having a great week! I was coloring a tutorial image for Tracing Memories outline, and I realized that a trick I use with attendees should probably be added to my blog.

An old trick artists use when they want to figure out what color something is, they isolate that color by looking through a card with a hole cut out of it. Then they can compare that one spot with the colors they are working with.

I know some people have taken their large Copic color charts and done something similar so they could identify color matches, by punching a small hole in each swatch. But, those charts are kinda small, and I don't have a long-arm small hole-punch. So, I made a special color chart that I wanted to share.

To make this easier for the class I'm working with, I created this helpful chart for 36 colors per half-page (72 colors per printout). This is set up so that you can punch the holes with a standard, single hole-punch.

To use this chart, right-click on the image and download it. Then, simply print it on your favorite marker paper and color in each rectangle with the colors you have. Write the color number next to it. Punch each hole. Then, line up the colored page with the area you are trying to color-match.

As you can see from this close-up of the dog photo, the grass is somewhere between G28 and G99. So, when I go to color, I will use a mix of those two colors. I actually want the grass a little lighter, so I threw some G24 into the picture first, then scribbled in G28 and G99.

For the lighter gray on the dog, my color guide told me that C2 is a good match. This is a really handy quick reference, especially if you have a hard time matching colors to the Copic color spectrum, or if you only have a limited range of colors and have a hard time figuring out which will match the best.

Here is the finished picture. I colored him with G24, G28, G99, YG11, YG13, YG17, G02, E33, E27, E49, 100, C2, C5, R85, and B41. instead of worrying about keeping the daisies white while coloring, I went back after I was done coloring and added them back in using Copic Opaque White. The original photo was taken by Chelsea Lowery, of her big dog, Rupert. He's such a cutie!

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Tracing Memories

For the next few weeks, I will be teaching a few Tracing Memories classes at a local senior center. Today is the first class, and we will start by coloring this scene of a park bench from a beautiful garden here in Eugene.

I'll try to post some tutorials over the next few weeks. Meanwhile, have fun coloring!

Added to post:
 I just got back from the first class with this group, and we had a wonderful time! No one in the class had ever touched a Copic marker before. Many did not consider themselves artistic. What I loved is that the staff at the senior center had as much fun coloring as the residents did! Here is a photo of a beautiful picture made by one of the ladies this morning. 

We loved seeing how excited she was about her artwork. She did not think her work was very good, but as she kept working on it, it kept looking better and better. She left very happy! Everyone was excited to come back for their next session.

Monday, April 22, 2013

Tracing Memories, Coloring Clouds

We had such a great class on Tuesday! I can't wait to meet up with students again next week. Most of the attendees knew nothing about Copic markers, so they were excited to learn and experiment in such a relaxing way. Some came for brain stimulation reasons, some came to explore a new medium, but all left happy!

I've been working on building a new portfolio of Copic Art/Tracing Memories images, based on photos that I have taken over the last few years.  This piece is an example that I made from a photo taken at our Copic design team retreat last Fall by Debbie Olson (her photos came out much nicer than mine!). The picture is only 5" x7", and took me about an hour or two to color. A beginner could spend 3 to 4 hrs. on this picture, depending on how complex you wanted to make it. Today, I'm just going to step you through the sky/clouds.


Coloring Clouds
The sky in this photo is so dynamic, with the rich blues and beautifully fluffy clouds that this image quickly caught my eye for turning into an outline. But, coloring clouds can be tricky, so let me step you through my process.

I could have colored the sky with a few different methods, but I wanted to try going dark to light and see if I liked it.

I started with B23 for the upper, rich blue area. Then, under the top row of clouds, I put some of the B23 and blended in B41. I don't think I'd use this technique in the future, because the blend looks a little irregular, but, this is why we experiment.

I colored the B41 lighter and lighter as it got closer to the horizon (his photo makes it look grayer than it actually is). The outlines created on the computer did not have all the clouds defined, so this is where you get to decide where the clouds fit. The original photo got really detailed little clouds off in the distance, but I didn't have the patience to deal with those, so I skipped them.


Now I started with my darkest color on the clouds, C3, to define my deepest shadows. I wanted my blends to look a little splotchy here, since clouds are puffy and irregular.

Get a general idea of where the shadows will be from the photo, but don't get hung up on being exact. Most people who see your finished work will never see the original photo, so they won't know if doesn't match perfectly. Notice I didn't carefully blend the dark, I loosely scribbled it in.

Next, I dabbed in C1. Notice how it softened those hard edges of the C3, but not too much. Again, I didn't blend much, I just dabbed and spotted colors on.

Something to remember when coloring a picture is that it will not look perfect at each step. Just because it doesn't look right now, doesn't mean that it won't look right a few more steps down the road. Don't give up! At worst, just start over and get a new sheet of paper.

To finish the clouds, I came in with a C0 and dabbed in my lightest gray. Once again, this softened, washed, and blended colors together. If anything looks too dark or the edges still seem harsh, then you can come in with the colorless blender and pull the grays down a bit.

Be careful not to wash out the C3! If you remove too much of the gray, then you'll lose the nice contrast you see in the original photo. Luckily, you can always go back and add your shadows back in if they disappear too much.

Here is the final picture again, just for you to compare. Notice how the clouds reflected in the water are a little duller, and a little more gray. I added C1 to the water far away before I layered on the B41, then, went into B23 and B99 as the water gets closer to the viewer.

I used BG72, B23, B41, C1 and C3, with hints of B99 on the glass from the greenhouse. I used YG06, Y08, G29, G85, and YG63 on the withered grapevines. I added pale hints of YG23 and YG11 to suggest plants inside the greenhouse.

The red boathouse is R24, R27, R39, R59. The roof is all from the Cool gray family, the brown is E35, with a gray layer. I didn't use black, anything dark is actually W7. The trees/buildings in the distance are YG63, G85, G29, and W3/W5, with a pale bit of B41 to make everything a little cooler (this helps it look farther away).

As I didn't take this photo, I cannot provide this image as a freebie, but, keep looking in the future for more info about Tracing Memories and where to get images. Also keep an eye out for details on future classes. Have a great week!

Friday, April 12, 2013

Copic Art- Tracing Memories

Beautiful Art without having to draw
Many years ago, the manufacturer of Copic markers showed us a class they had researched and developed. This class was designed for people who are concerned about their memories, and are looking for ways to relieve stress, but be productive.

In Japan, they called the program Copic Art. I've had samples sitting in my office for a long time, but never had time to develop the program in the US. Well, that has finally changed. Over the next few years, you will start to see more about our US version of this program, which we are initially calling Tracing Memories.

The concept is simple, you take a photo, convert it to outlines on the computer, then you work on coloring in, with the help of an instructor, and while looking at the original photograph. You learn to pick and match colors, you make artistic choices, but you don't have to draw! And, each time you color the work, it is a mini masterpiece. In Japan, they even have art gallery shows of these beautiful pieces.

Next week we will be teaching our first class in the US! It will be here, in Eugene, OR, and we will be coloring scenes from around Eugene. Eventually we will be offering training all across the country, but for now, if you are local, you are welcome to attend the first workshop.

The class will be held at Maude Kerns Art Center, and registration goes through them.  www.mkartcenter.org  Cost is only $40 for three, 2-hr classes on Tuesdays during the rest of the month of April.

I am so excited about this program! I can't wait to see you at one of these classes!