Art By Karen E. Haley Frequently Asked Questions

As you guys probably know, I'm Karen from the youtube channel ArtByKarenEHaley.
I've been getting more and more great questions lately and unfortunately less and less time to reply. I do apologize for this because it does seem a little impersonal, but I feel it must be done to save everyone's time, if nothing else. This way your question will likely be answered before you ever need to ask me

EDIT: I AM IN THE PROCESS OF ANSWERING SOME OF THESE, Some may be unanswered. Be patient!

These aren't in any particular order but I tried to list the most common ones first. Sorry if this list is CRAZY long!

Q: How do I commission you/what are your commission prices/what are your commission policies/do you have commission slots open??
A: To commission me, please review the links below. If you are satisfied with my prices and policies and I have a slot open, please send me a private note. Please be aware that commissions are temporarily closed and will open again by the middle of July, 2013.
My commission prices are here: fav.me/d5ca0l7
My commission Policies are here: fav.me/d5ca11g
My commission slot tracker is here: fav.me/d6634fd

Q: Will you ship to my country?
A: Yes, I can and will ship anywhere. You may have to pay more for shipping.

Q: Where can I buy a print from you?
A: If there is a picture of mine that you want a print of, please note me! I don't sell prints very often, so I currently don't have a stock of them on hand. If there's something you really want, I can get it printed for you. Price depends on the size you want, and the largest size I will print is 8 1/2" by 11".

Q: Do you do art trades?
A: Not right now. I will trade artwork in exchange for art supplies if you have something I might be interested in. More trade information can be found here: fav.me/d5caaed

Q: Can I commission a tutorial from you?
A: I no longer accept tutorial commissions. The amount of work that goes in to a tutorial is so large, I don't feel comfortable charging people the amount it would cost for me to do them. Even at the minimum hourly wage! They take almost 10 hours to complete- from the coloring and filming, to the scripting and audio recording, to the video editing- it is very time consuming. If you were to offer a decent pay, say 12$ per hour, I might consider.

Q: How old are you?
A: I was born in 1990. You can do the math. I don't want to update this every time my b-day comes around lol

Q: When did you start drawing/how long have you been drawing?
A: Ever since I could remember I've loved to draw. I became serious about being an artist around the age of 13 or 14.

Q: Which set of Copics do you use/ which set should I buy?
A: I don't use a big set. Besides the Copic Originals Basic set and the EX-3, which I got from my Dad for Christmas one year, I just picked markers out that I felt I would need. I have never tried an actual set; but the ciao 36 B set seems to me to be the best balance of colors for a starter because it has a decent amount of skin tones and a light and mid tone of most colors.

Q: How many copic markers do you have?
A: as of right now, 102. 32 or 35 are dried up though, so I only use around 67 to 70 markers at the moment.

Q: How long have you been using the copic markers?
A: Since August 2007. I'm writing this in 2012, so it will have been just under 5 years.

Q: What's that white pen you're always using in your art to add highlights?
A: Gelly Roll white gel pen. I get mine at jo-ann fabrics for $1.50-ish.

Q: Where do you get your art supplies from?
A: I always buy my stuff at the Merri Artist. www.merriartist.com/

Q: What kind of artist's tablet do you use?
A:I use a Wacom Bamboo Pen and Touch, but my model has been discontinued.

Q: What digital program do you use?
A: I use GIMP 2.6, it is a free program you can find online. GIMP is fine if you have a lot of patience but the quality isn't nearly as good as a program you'd be paying for. I would recommend paint tool SAI if you were going to purchase a program; it is available online as well. It is around 65 to 70 dollars once you convert the yen price in to USD.
LINKS TO BOTH THESE PROGRAMS
GIMP 2.8 is now out! www.gimp.org/
Paint Tool SAI www.systemax.jp/en/sai/

Q:What video editing software do you use/how do you speed up your real-time footage to make a "speedpaint" or "timelapse"?

A:I use Windows Live Movie Maker (let's call it WLMM). The program came free with my computer. It's not very high end, but it does it's job.
-To use this program to fast forward video, import your video file to WLMM. (If you filmed in HD, it will have to prep the file for a few minutes. Give it time, it can take a while.)
-Once the file is prepped, go to the top of the page and click "Edit" under "Video Tools". This has a speed option.
-I usually enter 10x. 10x means the video is sped up to ten times faster.
-When you do this, hit play.
-Let the whole clip play through, and you will notice the end appears to be cut off and/or the video looks choppy. Don't worry; it's only a preview. (This worried me the first time I used the program.) The entire video will be there once you save the final copy, and it will look nice and smooth.
Saving will take FOREVER. Just a fair warning. Be sure you won't need your computer for the next 15 to 60 minutes.
Note: You can make it faster if you want, but it can be hard for viewers to watch something too fast. Hope this helps!

Q:Where else on the internet can I find you?
A: Here's a complete list of all the places you can find me online:

Youtube www.youtube.com/user/ArtByKare…

Etsy www.etsy.com/shop/ArtByKarenEH…

deviantART www.karookachoo.deviantART.com

Livestream www.livestream.com/artbykarene…

Facebook www.facebook.com/pages/Art-by-…

Twitter twitter.com/#!/ArtByKarenE

CopicColor www.copiccolor.com/ArtByKarenE…

Spore www.spore.com/view/myspore/art…

Tumblr  artbykarenehaley.tumblr.com/

Threadless www.threadless.com/profile/188…

ImageKind www.imagekind.com/MemberProfil…


Q: What are your top 24 copic colors?
A: Tough question! Um... Here they are with my opinions and reasons. Some of these are going to be combos so there are actually more than 24 here...  These are just my opinions, not undisputed facts. Copics look different on different types of paper so if you use different paper than me, our colors will probably behave differently.

Note~I don't feel you could make a balanced set out of these colors but it would come pretty close (there aren't any purples- I've never been a fan of them... also most colors I listed are pastels because I layer heavily and use only a few darker colors for shading). I hope this is helpful for you when you choose your Copics- I do have a decent amount of experience with them and love to help. Keep in mind I haven't used all the Copic colors out there, so these are color picks from my personal collection. Please enjoy my obsessive list!

1--------- B41, Powder Blue. I love this color. It's perfect for skies, water, shading, and blends nicely with greens and greenish blues. It is my most used color in my Copic collection.

2--------- E13, Light Suntan. I also use this color quite a lot. It's a decent midtone brown with a reddish hue. I use it for darker skintones and it's a very useful marker for wood and hair.

3--------- E0000, Floral White. I use this color in all my drawings, it has just a touch of peach to it and looks great when used to blend light colors together for a more natural look. This color is a good pale skin tone too! I use it as a blender much more than my actual Colorless Blender XDD

4--------- Y21, Buttercup Yellow. Have you seen "the Princess Bride"? "And do yooo, Pwincess Buhuhcwup..." ;D but in all seriousness, this warm yellow is so common in my artwork it's almost strange for me NOT to use it. Y21 is perfect for lighting in sunset and firelit scenes and is a gorgeous accent as an overlay in natural hair colors. It's color family, Y26 and Y28, are awesome. I haven't tried Y23 yet but it looks really close to Y21...

5--------- YG03, Yellow Green. Yellow greens are few and far between in my collection because this color is so versatile. Blend it with blues, greens, or yellows and you can get a huge range out of it. It's great for grass, trees, crazy bright hair, and eyes with this color added really pop.

6--------- E51, Milky White. Most Copic artists, myself included, use this for skin tones. It blends so beautifully with pale pinks and lends a lot of range in shade when layered repeatedly.

7--------- BV00, Mauve Shadow. I like to use this color for shading. It's actually quite pale so I tend to layer it a lot. I plan on getting myself a color just a touch darker than this one for shading in the future but for now this one will do just fine.

8--------- BG11, Moon White. If you draw a lot of daytime scenes, I recommend this color. it's strengths include shading skin, illustrating the lightest part of the sky close to the horizon, shading clouds, and adding a touch of color to splashing water. Moon White also is great for cool lighting, for instance moonlight or artificial light at night. It makes a stellar light toned hair color for anime characters and looks particularly nice with BG45 to blend. It contrasts really great with oranges.

9--------- Y13, Lemon Yellow. If you want a "true primary yellow", this is your color. Copic named Y06 'Yellow', HOWEVER if you are a print artist I would recommend Y13 over Y06. It retains its actual color when reproduced while Y06 turns dark and muddy. It lays down the most even color out of any other marker I have owned, and pops with dark colors in a pleasing way.

10------- B24, Sky. I adore this color. It can be layered a lot, so it can go from a fairly light color to a dark one. It's a great color for blue eyes. Use this color with B26 for waves similar to the ones in my zkittyz contest entry piece.

11-------  YG63 Pea Green/YG67, Moss. Can you say the PERFECT combo for Link's tunic?! These two are always around me because I love to illustrate plants and these two are such a dynamic duo for that purpose. Trees, grass, bushes, moss, vines, you name the foliage, you know these will do the job.

12------- G21, Lime Green. This is a great natural looking green I use all the time. It can be used lightly, and then you can layer it a lot for something much darker. If you get this color be sure to get G20 too!

13------- BG72, Ice Ocean. This color is an awesome one for stormy oceans, dark skies, and darker shadows. I highly recommend it!

14------- RV00, Water Lily. What a perfect color for blush and skin accent. I really don't use it for much else but I still really like it. Try it in clouds for a sunset or morning scene. AWESOME. Looking for a more useful blush? Try R21, Sardonyx. It's darker but works well for lips and cheeks, and makes a great color for sunburns haha ^////^

15------- E43, Dull Ivory. This color is one of my go-to markers for wood, hair, shading on olive skin, dry soil, wet sand, and just about anything else brown. I use it a lot, especially with E42 and E49.

16------- E74, Cocoa Brown. This is so close to my own hair color when blended with E43. I use it to shade brown objects and sometimes skin in super high contrast. This color lends itself well as a detailer of tree bark too.

17------- BG78, Bronze. This color is perfect as a shader of anything green or greenish blue. I recommend it for shading any type of green because it blends really well and adds that blue cast shadows usually have. Try it for distant forests too, it does a great job. It is a must have for oceans, rivers, lakes, ect.

18-------  RV69 Peony. This color is so rich and gorgeous, not to mention it layers with itself very well. It's a deep wine color. It pairs well with R39 and RV19. I don't really get many opportunities to use it but I rank it pretty high anyways.

19------- R24, Prawn. This is a pretty basic red. It's a little on the light side, but you can layer it so well. Shade this color with greenish blues, it looks really interesting. Plus, it's named after a tasty ocean critter!

20------- YR12, Loquat/YR14 Caramel/ YR18 Sanguine. I really enjoy orange but most of them are super intensely bright when it comes to copics. I prefer toned down colors and this bunch fits the bill. This combo looks great with Y17 too if you want to brighten it up, and contrasts against BG45 like magic.

21------- BG45, Nile Blue. This color is gorgeous! It looks awesome when used in a sky filled with fluffy clouds. If you draw Pokemon this color is perfect for many, including Totodile, Oshawott, Misdreavus and others. Pair it next to mid to darker reds and BAM! You've got yourself one great color combo.

22------- G20, Wax White. This color is excellent for adding a little color to white objects in sunlight without being too bold. It is very pale and is great for illustrating bright light on green objects. Use it as a blender for something fading from white to green. I know it's a specific color but its one I use a lot.

23------- V95, Light Grape. This color has a TON of uses. It shades oranges well, and if you blend it with the colorless blender it changes color a little bit- which makes it perfect for flowers like irises. You can use it as a tree bark color for an interesting twist, and it is so responsive to the blender(like I mentioned before) that you can make interesting effects with it too. Play around with this one if you own it. I neglected it for a long time and one day I decided to experiment with it. I use it all the time now!

24------- Y26, Mustard. This yellow lives up to its name; it's one of those colors you either love or hate. personally I view it as irreplaceable! I use this color for many things, mainly as a companion to Y21. It's biggest strength is as a shader for all yellows, but I also use it a lot for hair and animal fur. It looks really good in contrast to bright blues like B02, and is one of the best choices for gold if used with Y28. Hey, just don't knock it til you try it!


Q: What colors do you recommend for skin/grass/water ect.?
A: I will be happy to answer recommended color questions personally. There are so many color combos for so many things- It would be easier to do them one at a time rather than writing an entire book for you

Q: What do you use for line art?
A: I use Zig Millenium inking pens for the preliminary inking and Copic Multiliner SPs or Dip pens for details. The Zigs resist erasing better than the multiliners, and resist smearing better than the dip ink, so I ink the basics with Zigs first and retouch with other tools afterwards. here's my list of inking tools:
------- Zig Millenium ink pens in 01 and 05
------- Copic Multiliner SP pens in 0.03, 0.1, 0.5 and BS (small brush)
------- Orange Copic Multiliner SP for flames in BS
------- India Ink in Black, Sepia, and Grey
------- Crow Quills size 102 and 103
------- Green Stabillo 88 for foliage
------- .5 Mechanical pencil for "lineless" artwork.
------- Japanese brush pen by Pentel for distant details like trees.

Q: What paper do you recommend?
A: I use three papers on a regular basis. XPress-IT cardstock, Ivory Cardstock with a Canvas texture (brand unknown), and Aquabee Pen Sketcher's Paper.

Q: Do you get artist block? If you do, how do you overcome it?
A: I do get artist's block in the sense that if a project I'm working on really does not inspire me, I just can't seem to get it right. If you experience something like this I suggest you take a break from it. Here are some things I suggest:  

1) Watch sketchbook videos. Sketchbooks are where the artist solves their creative problems, experiment, and have fun doodling. Taking a look at other people's sketchbooks is like seeing things through their eyes and it gives you a great new perspective.
I usually watch the sketchbook videos from this youtube channel: www.youtube.com/user/matthew39… it's run by a teacher at an art school that gets permission from his students to post video of their sketchbooks.

2) Get inspired, don't get down. Read how to draw books, watch tutorial videos, go to a museum. Expose yourself to incredible artwork and look at the pieces with an "i want to learn how to do that" attitude. You can't allow yourself to view great art and come away feeling sorry for yourself though, because that is counterproductive.

3) Try something new. Make a sculpture, bake some cookies, plan your next cosplay, whatever. I know first hand that doing too much of your favorite thing can make it hard to enjoy. If you can't get yourself going on what you love, then try your hand at something else for a change.

4) Vacation. Sometimes its good to just take a "day off" and do something not related to your artwork at all, like a trip to the park or the beach. Sometimes you need to let yourself sit back and enjoy a few hours of video game time. Sometimes, you just need to know when you should relax.

Q: Why don't you draw (random character/series/ect)
A: Either I simply haven't posted a drawing containing that character or whatever, or I'm not a fan of them and just don't do artwork of them because i don't follow the series for whatever reason. I get a lot of Kingdom Hearts questions- to tell you the truth I know nothing about the series at all. Diddly squat. Sorry guys; I don't have a lot of time to play video games any more either so there's a good chance i won't be trying it out until I CAN find time...

Q: Why don't you put your husband in your videos?
A: He's just camera shy. I'm not going to be pushy and force him in to it.

Q: When will you make such and such tutorial?
A: Whenever I find the time, which may be months from now. Understand that I am not normally paid to make them and I have VERY limited time-frame as it is. Tutorials are not very easy and they take a lot of planning, especially for people with jobs and a house and a life outside of the internet. I'd make them all the time if I could but unfortunately I am MUCH to busy to manage anything more than one or two a month IF that. Sorry guys, you'll get your tutorials but it will take a while.

Q: Can I commission a tutorial from you if I don't want to wait?
A: I no longer accept tutorial commissions. The amount of work that goes in to a tutorial is so large, I don't feel comfortable charging people the amount it would cost for me to do them at the minimum hourly wage! They take almost 10 hours to complete- from the coloring and filming, to the scripting and audio recording, to the video editing- it is very time consuming.

These are all I can think of so far. Please let me know if you have a question I can put up here!