Copic Fun!

Keri Lee, challenged me to do something with my Copic markers other than color an image with them. I thought this sounded like a fun idea, and it would also be good practice for me to play around with the Copics and try something new. Keri took WHITE sheer ribbon and colored it with a Copic marker to match her card! Do you know what this means? No more buying multiple colors of ribbons! These markers are awesome. Keri Lee's gorgeous card is here {click}.

I wanted to go outside the box, so I tried to think of an item I could alter yet keep it simple. Then I remembered this little pail sitting on (um, buried under?) my craft table! I found these mini buckets at Dollar Tree in the wedding section packaged 3 for $1. I bought a bunch of them, of course, with no clue of how I would use them. The bucket altered today had been holding gems from StampinBella on my table. This is a photo of the original packaging in case you want to look for them:

I just received the ABS-1 Air Brush System from Copic in the mail and was dying to use it. At our certification class we had an opportunity to play with the air brush. After I got home, I found a great deal online and decided to GO FOR IT!

First, I sprayed Y15 Cadmium Yellow and YR09 Chinese Orange randomly over the mid-section of the bucket. I found some leaf stickers and placed them around the bucket. Then I sprayed E37 Sepia over the entire bucket, covering the stickers well. The Copic ink dries almost instantly, even on metal. I did notice the bucket was slightly sticky to touch, but it didn't leave fingerprints, so I just kept going. When I peeled off the stickers it left a negative leaf image. Next, I took G17 Forest Green and ran it around the mini bucket rim. Then I added ribbon and a small autumn brad {from Target $1 Spot} to finish it off. I made a late night run to Walgreen's for the candy and ta-da! What do you think?

I learned several things while using the air brush. One, it's true, once the air can gets too cold the ink won't spray. If you are doing more than just a couple of spritz, spritz ... you may need a larger can like the 180 or a real air compressor. I had to be patient and wait for the can to cool before I could finish.

Also, it takes a little practice to get the look you really want. The angle of the spray and the distance from the object you are spraying results in different spray patterns - all lovely - but if you desire a particular look, whether splotchy or smooth, you will probably need to practice a bit. I hope to play with this tool and show you more projects here on the ol' bloggity very soon.

Thanks Keri for the challenge! It was a lot of fun!

happy stampin'

Susan