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Teddy Bear MenagerieHello
I am fairly new but curious about copic airbrushing with markers. I have the prisma pens with a blender... is copic better to use? How is this done? I've tried blending with my prisma pen but made a horrible mess. Is there anyone that can weigh in on this and possibly provide a tutorial? Does the blender pen go on before, or after? I'm so lost. Hoping for help.
Oooh...Copic is a subject for great debate. I don't think it's the best airbrush system. The inks are sticky and not nice to work with. The blender pens are used after you place the colour and it fades it slightly....but I don't think it blends one colour into another well enough.
I use Createx airbrush paints ..and though I have an airbrush I never use it, preferring to hand paint. I use the paints with water and a drop of detergent in the water which does act as a wetting agent and enables the fabric to accept the colour more evenly. It works very well on needle felting ..in fact I have a bar of olive soap which I use along with the paints for that and it works very well. It gives a nice soft shading to fabric and felts.
I do have pens ..I buy all kinds but have found that Faber Castell pens are true to shade and the inks don't separate into the component ink colours like copics do. I have found that Copics can have purplish or greenish undertones which can be clearly seen in the light. I would worry that the browns would become purple or even green over time as they fade.
So the archival types of pen are better to ensure colour fast results.
Teddy Bear MenagerieThanks a lot for the info. I think I'll move into painting too. Just not happy with the markers at all.
Chaska, MinnesotaJenny: a couple of questions: what do you use the olive soap for and how is it used in your painting? Second, what is the ratio of paint:water:soap? Thank for being so generous with your tips.
Well I use the olive soap when I paint needle felting , I use it with hot water and it helps to key the pigment into the wool surface...it's very mild. For painting onto fabric I use jam jar of water with a squeeze of detergent...washing up liquid or shampoo. I use it just like you would use water with paint and I just acts as a wetting agent which allows the fabric to accePt the colour more evenly...works really well for me...
You can buy fabric mediums but all they are very expensive and exactly the same...
Chaska, MinnesotaThank you so much Jenny. 
Chaska, MinnesotaJenny: one more question. Do you have to heat set the paint? If so on what speed and for how long?
No..I don't heat set it. These paints and pens are archive quality...when you read the blurb on the side it says it doesn't need heat setting. But I guess you could do it with a hair dryer.
Chaska, MinnesotaThank you so much Jenny.
