Experimenting with Copics: The Copic Marker Color System

In the last post, I showed you a stamped image with notations next to it. Here it is again:

So what’s the deal with all those letters and numbers? What do they mean? They are the keys to getting the best coloring and blending from your Copic Markers.

Understanding the Copic Color System

There are 334 colors in the Copic Color System, and each color has its own classification within the system.

Color Type
These are the letters you see on the markers’ caps.

R – Red
YR – Yellow Red
Y – Yellow
YG – Yellow Green
G – Green
BG – Blue Green
B – Blue
BV – Blue Violet
V – Violet
RV – Red Violet
E – Earth
W – Warm Gray
T – Toner Gray
N – Neutral Gray
C – Cool Gray
100 – Black
110 – Special Black

Color Tone
This is the first number on the marker cap. On a gray scale, numbers 0-4 tend to be lighter and 5-9 tend to be darker within that color type.

Color Brightness
Brightness is how much light is reflected from a color. This is indicated by the last number on the marker cap. On a gray scale, numbers 0-4 are brighter and 5-9 are darker (reflecting less light) within that color type.

For example, here’s marker B45.

Color Type – B = Blue
Color Tone – 4. This means that this is a medium light-toned Blue.
Color Brightness – 5. This means that this marker is medium bright.

Here’s another example, B00.

Color Type – B = Blue
Color Tone – 0, a very light-toned blue.
Color Brightness – 0, very bright.

Markers also have Color Names like Smoky Blue and Frost Blue, but they have no real relevance to the system, except that the names are cool.

So how does this translate to coloring?

Picking Blending Colors

I’ll defer to Marianne Walker, the Copic Guru. I started writing it all down and I realized I can’t explain it any better than she can. Here’s her explanation of Natural Blending Families.

You can use as many colors in your blending as you want.  Using more colors gives you a smoother gradient blend.

I’ve heard where people have digressed from these blending rules of thumb. They are also expert colorists. I suggest you follow the “Natural Blending Families” formula until you get the hang of the color system.  Then experiment.

What Copic Markers I Picked and Why

When I initially purchased my Copic markers, I bought a set of 36 from JoAnn’s based on how many of the colors matched with Close To My Heart’s color palette. Once I read up on the Copic Color System and Marianne’s “Natural Blending Families” post, I realized that I didn’t have enough markers to effectively execute blending.

(Here’s where you get to see how persnickety I am). So I printed out this blank chart from the Copic site and colored in what I already had. Using the guideline of picking colors that are about two or three digits apart, I came up with possible Natural Blending Families for each Color Type in my current stash.

Next, I visited iCopic.com to check out colors and see if I liked my choices.  Then I made adjustments. I also looked at color selections from other Copic dealers/users (Ellen Hutson, Papertrey Ink, Debbie Olsen) to verify that my choices made sense. After a bit of tweaking, I ordered from iCopic.

At the end of the day, I really just picked colors that I liked and would use most often.

What Else?

Download the Copic Marker Color Chart so you can keep track of all the markers you own. I also put a list on my iPhone so when I’m out shopping, I don’t purchase what I already have. You can also download the Copic Color Wheel to see how the colors align in the Copic universe.

The other thing I’ve learned is that it’s a good idea to keep a sketch book of your coloring. It’s a great way to practice techniques.  Be sure to write down the colors you’re using on your images so you can refer to them later on when you want to replicate a particular blend.

In the next post, I’ll talk about what cardstock and stamping ink to use with Copic markers.

View other posts in the Experimenting with Copics series.