Copic Creations Pleats or Folds Challenge

My new Colors of Copics class this month at the Scrappers Cove in Milltown, NJ, focuses on filling images of things that are black.  When I saw the Copic Creations Challenge to use pleats or folds in clothing, I knew I wanted to elaborate on using the Copic toner gray color family for filling images of black cloth.

Stamping Scrapping is sponsoring this Copic Creations challenge and two random winners will receive either a Magnolia Tilda or Edwin stamp.  Find out more about the challenge and Stamping Scrapping here.

I have printed this Dover Digital Image of the grim reaper on Neenah Classic Crest Solar White using my Epson Stylus Photo R1800 printer.  As you can see in this pic of the image, the artist added very few lines to convey folds in the flowing cloth of the robe.  I think I need more folds to meet this challenge.  I began by filling the image smoothly using T0.

I added more folds to the cloth by first deliberately streaking a medium T6 as I attempted to follow the lines of the image.  I added some deeper shadows to those folds by streaking a darker T9 next to and touching the medium strokes. Find more about deliberate streaking here.

Leaving very narrow areas along the edges of the robe untouched for highlights, it's necessary to fill the robe using the medium shade as a base color.  This also helps to soften the edges of the streaks in the folds.  I added some dark shading with T9 at the bottom of the robe as well as above and beneath the staff.

I used T0 and the colorless blender to add more highlights by using short, quick, very light, overlapping strokes in places along the edges of the robe.  A great way to accentuate the highlight and control its length and width is to outline the highlight mark with the medium color.

This pic shows use of all four Copic Gray color families!  Toner Grays (T0, T6, T9) fill the robe; Cool Grays (C1, C3, C5) fill the Scythe; Warm Grays (W1, W3, W5) fill the gravestones; Neutral Grays (N1, N3, N5) fill the wisps of fog above the gravestones.  I love that I can see how different these Grays are and show why a Copic user must have all four Gray families to get the needed look!  LOL!!!

Using a 1" circle punch and mask for the grim reaper, I used W3 and W5 to airbrush a spooky sky around the image.  I airbrushed a little G85 around the base of the grassy area in my attempts to soften the transition there.  I removed the masks and airbrushed a bit of YR07 in the center of the moon with a little Y13 at its edges.  I laughed a little at the irony of using a ticket punch for the corners, then the more that I looked at it, the more uneasy I started to feel.  I gave myself the creeps!  Guess that's realistic enough for me!  LOL!!!  I better just add a sentiment and a bow and call it done.

Here's the completed card that shows how folds can be added to images of cloth using Copic markers.

Use this Copic Toner Gray combination to fill your images of a witch's black hat, a vampire's cape, scaredy-cats, hunting bats, etc.  Add the Black 100 or Special Black 110 only if you want to add a very narrow area to your deepest, darkest shadows.