Event Report: Copic Thanks Party

The very first Copic Thanks Party event was held at WATERRAS Common Hall in Ochanomizu, Tokyo throughout Saturday April 14 to Sunday 15 2018.

This event was taken place with the intent to express our gratitude to the Copic users worldwide, and celebrate the 30th anniversary of Copic.
All the beautiful artworks won the COPIC AWARD were exhibited at the event. Also the live drawing sessions and workshops designed to offer some incredible technique on Copic coloring/drawing were carried out.

Here are some pictures from the live drawing sessions by Mr. Oliver Neuland (jury for Art & Design category of COPIC AWARD), Mr. Eisaku Kubonouchi (famous Japanese manga artist/illustrator) and Mr. Philip Tan (leading comic book artist known for his works on Green Lantern, Batman & Robin, etc).

Mr. Oliver Neuland: Philosophy of Rendering in Industrial Design

Mr. Eisaku Kubonouchi: Live Drawing Session

Mr. Philip Tan: "American Comics" Drawing Session

Images that show some scenes of live drawing session by Ms. Kazuya Minekura (Japanese manga artist widely known for the Saiyuki series) will also be uploaded soon.

Although these artists use the same tools (Copic markers), their usage and result would be completely different.
We would like to thank all the guests for generously revealing and sharing their secrets of Copic technique!

On the second day (April 15), card making workshops took place. In these classes, participants explored multiple techniques for designing and making cards and envelopes with Copic.
Both Ms. Michelle Houghton and Ms. Debbie Olson are acclaimed craft/Copic instructors in the US and juries for Hobby & Craft category of COPIC AWARD. They made sure everyone was on the same page regardless of skill level - They were very friendly and helpful, and did a superb job!

Look at this beautiful card! It took only hour and half to complete this.

It's clear from these award-winning artworks, Copic is a very versatile and flexible tool which allows you to get creative and use in various ways.

COPIC AWARD was held last year for the first time. It was an event aimed at providing an opportunity to share the work created with Copic on the internet, connecting Copic fans all over the world by their art, and making their Copic experience more fun.
We have received more than 1,000 artworks from all over the world since we started accepting entries last September. After the rounds of judging of prestigious juries, the COPIC AWARD winners for three categories were finally decided.

Grand Prize for Art & Design Category "Iconic Duo - Ferrari and Fiat Dino" by Mr. Nigel Muller

Grand Prize for Manga & Illustration Category "Invisible" by Mr. Chen Yuming

Grand Prize for Craft Category "Mini Specimen Box" by Ms. Yu-Shan Huang

All three winners were invited to Tokyo and attended the awarding ceremony.

Mr. Muller, a Grand Prize winner of Art & Design category, is only 19 years old. His achievement on this artwork, especially his excellent skills for expressing reflection of light and outstanding realism, were highly evaluated.

Mr. Nigel Muller

Comment from Mr. Eisaku Kubonouchi:
"Seeing each and every entries was fresh and exciting experience for me! There were a lot of surprises and revelations to me - Seeing people use Copic in ways I've never imagined was a great learning opportunity.
As for the grand prize winner of Illustration category, the idea of hiding chameleons into the various different materials was really amazing! I picked this masterpiece as a winner without hesitation"

We hope you will participate the second COPIC AWARD!

Also the 30th anniversary celebration "Shikishi" messages from numerous well-known designers, illustrators and manga artists were displayed near the entrance of the venue (visit "Shikishi page").

Introducing Egaoh, Egaoh Pink and Shikissy!!
They are "super-heroes with excellent skills of caricature". Shikissy is... kinda like a Shikishi drawing board fairy, I guess. They were so popular with many people in all generation, especially the kids!

Of course, it was really amazing to see everyone was so impressed when they saw the original drawings of 30th anniversary illustrations and main image for this event by Mr. Toru Terada.

The participants for 2 days totaled more than 600. So thanks to you, we say the Copic Thanks Party was a huge success!
Thank you so much to all of you for joining us. We hope to have the chance to meet you again in the future!