Copic Marker comparison, and a special coupon!

Hi, Amber here with you today. I had the absolute treat of being able to attend the Copic Certification for Papercrafters this weekend in Portland, Oregon. In two full days, I completed the Standard and Intermediate classes and learned so much from instructor Sherrie Siemens. I've dabbled in Copics for some time now, but have had my eye on the workshops, just waiting for all the stars to align to be able to go.  Luckily that time arrived and I am so thrilled to have had the opportunity. My hubby and boys were completely supportive as I trotted across a few states to be able to go color for the weekend!

I wanted to share with you how a few of the cardstock lines we carry here at CutCardStock.com hold up to working with Copics. I know that many Copic users love how the Neenah Solar White cardstock works, so I'm showing you that in a couple of weight, along with the Cougar line in a couple of weights.

For my comparison, I started with an image from a Penny Black stamp set called "Dahlias". I stamped the leaf with Tuxedo Black Memento ink.  This ink is recommended as it is stable for use with the alcohol-based Copics. I chose a trio of markers (my collection is still growing) of BG72, BG75 and BG78, less for it's specific shade but mostly to replicate the trio of blending many of us do when coloring with Copic markers.

Here are my results when stamping and coloring the same technique on the different cardstocks. (I'm showing you the front and the back so you can see how much bleeding occured. For some crafters, bleeding isn't an issue because you layer your work, but I just thought I'd share my results.)

Cougar White Super Smooth 80#

Neenah Solar White 80#

 Neenah Solar White 110#

 Cougar White Heavy 160#

Overall, I thought they all did pretty well. I have grown to love the Neenah Solar White and I'm really used to how it handles the Copic ink. I was impressed with the Cougar too. With the heavy 160# Cougar, I felt it used a lot more ink and I did have a little feathering outside the line, but there is no sign of bleeding through, so I would consider using this for a single layer card.

Since I had all these lovely leaves colored, I thought I might as well make a little card to share too! And best yet, I have a coupon to share with you. Because I love working with Copics and the Neenah Solar White cardstock so much, we are offering a 15% off coupon for the next few days so you can stock up! Just enter coupon code COPIC at checkout to receive this special discount, valid October 27 - October 31.

For the card, I kept it pretty simple. After I fussy cut the leaves out, I went over the edges with a black marker to give them a more finished look. And then, to add a little bling, I brushed some Wink of Stella across the tops of the leaves. I didn't have any thread the color I wanted, so I simply colored it with the Copic marker.  You can do this on buttons, sequins and of course ribbon!

CutCardStock products used in this project: