Lucky Girl!

Here's a little fact that is just unbelievable to me:  When Art Journaling magazine publishes an article, they PAY the artist!  PAY, like with money!  Don't tell the good folks at Stampington, but I totally would have put my journal in their magazine FOR FREE, so this idea of being paid had me more than just a little giddy!  They give you the option of having them cut you a check OR giving you a credit at The Shoppe at Somerset for supplies.  If you choose the later, you get paid a little extra and since I fully intended to spend every dime on art supplies anyway, that was my choice.  In my mind, that's a WIN-WIN!! 
So I turned on the Pitch Perfect station on Pandora, clicked that mouse, and went shopping!
I chose things that I either cannot find in Idaho or that I would have NEVER have kicked down the money for, had I not had a credit, because in my mind, not using "real" money makes it easier to shell out exorbitant amounts for a supply that I have always wanted.  I know, it's a bit delusional, but when it comes to buying art supplies, sometimes it's just best not to think about the net worth of your art supply arsenal.  Plus, you forget all about that kind of thing when the UPS man shows up at your door with a box full of awesome!

That's right!  I bought myself not one, but TWO sets of Copic sketch markers and a set of Copic inking pens.

Here's my test run in my Dylusions Journal (which I pretty much LOVE, by the way.  More about that another day).  By the end of this little experiment, I felt that maybe, just maybe, I could fall in love with Copics.  Then the very next morning, when I went to church, I ran into a friend of mine who is a very talented artist and she opened up her church bag and there, next to her hymn book was a bag of these...

Spectrum Noir markers.  They, like Copics, are alcohol markers with dual tips.  My friend had decided that alcohol markers were not for her and GAVE me all of them.  How cool is that?!!  I used both the Copic and Spectrum Noir markers to make this little doodle.

 I've been really missing the ocean lately.  I'm not sure exactly how or why a ocean loving/needing girl ended up landlocked, but one day, maybe, I'll live near the sea....ahhhh....sorry, sidetracked.  Anyway, as I was saying I used both brands of markers together on this doodle and I learned a couple of things.  1. Spectrum Noir markers are bleeders.  I'm not talking about bleeding through the paper to the other side (all alcohol markers do that).  These bleed out from the point of the pen.  They spread quickly and you have to be VERY careful in detail areas.  2.  Spectrum Noir markers do not play well with others.  When they came into contact with the areas colored with the Copic pens, they caused the normally clean Copics to bleed into them.  The Copics, however, did not do that.  It could have the potential to be a fun effect to work with but it is NOT fun when your crisp black doodle starts running into the other colors.  Not fun at all.
After all my experimenting, I came to the conclusion that I like the Copic markers a little better.  That's not to say that the Spectrum Noir pens will sit idly on my desk, I think that with a bit more experimenting, I can avoid some of their obstacles and I'm ALWAYS happy to have a reason to play with new art supplies.  I am a LUCKY girl!