How to Use Copic Pens
Copic pens are alcohol-based marker pens that can be used to color and illustrate drawings in a rich and vibrant way. A positive feature of the pens is that the colors can be combined to create highlighted and shadowed effects. In order for the ink in the pens to work properly with your drawings you need to have the correct materials and working procedure. You can easily produce a fully colored and articulated design with copic pens without any prior training as long as you are willing to work carefully and experiment with the look.
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Things You'll Need
- Newsprint paper
- Copic layout paper
- Pencil
- Copic lining pens
- Copic colored pens
Instructions
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1
Spread out newsprint paper over the table you are going to work on. The paper needs to be laid out in a thick layer to protect the table underneath from the copic ink.
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2
Lay out the copic layout paper on top of newsprint and sketch out your image with a pencil. Make sure the lines are clear and easy to see so you can illustrate them properly.
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3
Draw in the black lines with the copic lining pen. Use a thin tipped pen for the majority of the lines and a thicker pen for the very outer edges of the drawing or in places where you want more emphasis.
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4
Fill in the drawing with the lightest color copic pen. Use the lightest for each area if you have different sections. For example, if you have a tree, use the lightest green for the leaves and the lightest brown for the trunk.
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Use even strokes and constant pressure to achieve a consistent coloring throughout your inked area. Apply the ink thickly onto the paper so the colored area is wet.
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Draw over the wet light ink with the darker color for highlight effects. Use the same motion and application as you did with the light pen and color each area you want to shade or highlight.
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Color over the darker area with the original lighter color to blend in all of the edges. Focus the lighter color on the edges of the dark to make the coloring smooth.
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Tips & Warnings
You can apply more than one color to one area by working up from the lightest color to the darkest and blending the edges with the lightest.
Do not leave copic pens uncapped or the ink will dry out.
