BG15 Aqua: Copics Uncapped (Marker Swatch, Ink Testing)

BG15 Aqua is a diluted teal Copic Marker which mimics Cobalt Turquoise watercolor. This is a youthful color, ideal for spring images and celebratory scenes. BG15 is available in Copic Sketch, Ciao, and Classic marker styles.

Every Copic Marker has unique characteristics based on its unique ink formula.

Knowing how a color behaves will help you blend effectively and make art with confidence.

BG15 Aqua

Let’s take a closer look at this Copic Marker and its ink characteristics.

Temperature: A warm teal.

Resemblance: Moderately diluted Cobalt Turquoise watercolor.

Actual Value: N4 (see the Natural Ink Family section below for a blending warning)

All Copics are measured on a Neutral Gray value scale. The last number on the cap is supposed to indicate value but we’ve found discrepancies where the actual ink value is different than cap designation.

Cap Accuracy: Yes. The colored plastic on the Sketch cap closely resembles this ink color.

Buildup: BG15 layers easily but exercise caution with more than 2 coats.

Shattering: Shatters into viridian green and cyan with hints of yellow on the outer edge. The yellow may not appear until the final stages of drying.

Chromatography testing shows this ink’s behavior when it comes in contact with #0 Colorless Blender (solvent). High shattering colors may leak unexpected color when you make corrections or attempt to blend with any color that has a high solvent to colorant ratio. Shattering is not bad, it’s just something to be aware of.

Staining: BG15 stains slightly.

Lift: A moderate lifting color. It’s not erasable but you can significantly lighten mistakes.

See staining swatch. Sample was given 6 stripes of #0 Colorless Blender, drying between each stripe. Results indicate how much lifting you can expect.

Lightfast: ODD RESULTS. This color didn’t fade so much as turn blue. We suspect the green in the ink mixture faded significantly but the cyan did not.

Samples were swatched on X-Press It Blending Card. 1 layer of ink was exposed to windowsill sunlight for 21 days. Approximately 10 hours of sun per day based on weather conditions. Note: we do not recommend displaying original Copic art under these conditions.

Natural Ink Family: BG15 is an extreme dilution of BG18 but we suspect the mother ink for this family is significantly darker than BG18.

WARNING: In keeping with our theory that the BG-Teens are only semi-related, please notice that both BG13 and BG15 measure a value of 4. If BG13 was truly a dilution of BG15, they would not measure as the same value. This causes a lot of confusion when users try to color blending combinations such as BG11-BG13-BG15 or BG13-BG15-BG18, only to find that they do not create the expected light-medium-dark effect. It’s not your eyes, these markers are misnumbered and not related!

Family Members: BG18, BG15, BG13, BG11, BG10

We include this information because many Copic users never think deeper than the letter groupings (R, BV, G, etc.). Every ink has its own temperature variations and underlying flavors. Understanding what an ink looks like in its different dilutions helps when creating your own blending combinations.

Complement: A medium standard pink like RV13

Underpaint: We suggest underpainting with medium gray like N4

This is simply one suggestion. Many possible colors exist. Test to find a color that pleases you.

Pushing Pencil: Prismacolor 1027 Peacock Blue is a nice pushing color for BG15 but many other colors will work.

VanillaArts.com (our sister site) teaches a Push & Pull technique for dimensional coloring. This is simply one suggestion. Many possible colors exist. Test to find a color that pleases you.

Vanilla Arts Classes using BG15:

Spring Rain: a challenge level lesson which forces you out of your comfort zone.  Celebrate the shape instead of the object with an introduction to negative painting. Find more info here.

We continue to create new content and classes and we will update here as more become available.

Visit the workshop resource page at our sister site VanillaArts.com for a wide variety of Copic classes.

Vanilla Arts Digi Stamps using BG15:

We continue to create new content and stamps and we will update here as more become available.

Visit the stamp shop page at our sister site VanillaArts.com for a wide variety of Copic classes.

Color palettes and swatches using BG15:

We are building our palette and swatch collection a little more each week and will update here as more become available.

Visit the color resource page at our sister site VanillaArts.com for a wide variety of Copic palettes and swatches.

Looking for beautiful color palettes?

We absolutely love The Color Catalog 1 & 2 from Sarah Renae Clark. It puts hundreds of Copic friendly color palettes at your fingertips.

(note: affiliate link)

BG10 Cool Shadow: Copics Uncapped (Marker Swatch, Ink Testing)

BG10 Cool Shadow is a warm, barely-there teal Copic Marker reminiscent of highly diluted Cobalt Turquoise watercolor. This pale marker color makes beautiful backgrounds and shading delicate white florals. BG10 is available in Copic Sketch, Ciao, and Classic marker styles.

Every Copic Marker has unique characteristics based on its unique ink formula.

Knowing how a color behaves will help you blend effectively and make art with confidence.

BG10 Cool Shadow

Let’s take a closer look at this Copic Marker and its ink characteristics.

WARNING: This color falls into the non-photo blue/green family. We were unable to capture the real life look of this color in photographs or scans. The chromatography (shattering) sample above is a scan of the actual test swatch. The staining/lift sample is a photograph, darkened slightly to show the lift stripe. All other swatches above were computer generated to replicate the real life look of this difficult-to-capture color.

This should tell you something important about BG10. If you create projects with the intention of distributing them either digitally or printed, use of BG10 may be problematic.

Temperature: A barely-there warm teal

Resemblance: highly diluted Cobalt Turquoise watercolor.

Actual Value: N1

All Copics are measured on a Neutral Gray value scale. The last number on the cap is supposed to indicate value but we’ve found discrepancies where the actual ink value is different than cap designation.

Cap Accuracy: Yes. The colored plastic on the Sketch cap closely resembles this ink color.

Buildup: BG10 has almost no colorant in the formula which allows you to layer this color over itself many times without worry. But be advised, because of the high solvent content, this color can be destructive if layered over other Copic inks.

Shattering: This color is pale to begin with and dilutes even more on contact with solvent. We were unable to see any shattering… in fact, we were barely able to see the test patch.

Chromatography testing shows this ink’s behavior when it comes in contact with #0 Colorless Blender (solvent). High shattering colors may leak unexpected color when you make corrections or attempt to blend with any color that has a high solvent to colorant ratio. Shattering is not bad, it’s just something to be aware of.

Staining: BG10 does not stain.

Lift: Easy. This color can be considered “erasable”.

See staining swatch. Sample was given 6 stripes of #0 Colorless Blender, drying between each stripe. Results indicate how much lifting you can expect.

Lightfast: Slight fading. We expected this faint color to disappear during testing. To the contrary, you have to really hunt for the fade on the test swatch.

Samples were swatched on X-Press It Blending Card. 1 layer of ink was exposed to windowsill sunlight for 21 days. Approximately 10 hours of sun per day based on weather conditions. Note: we do not recommend displaying original Copic art under these conditions.

Natural Ink Family: BG10 is an extreme dilution of BG18 but we suspect the mother ink for this family is significantly darker than BG18.

Family Members: BG18, BG15, BG13, BG11, BG10

We include this information because many Copic users never think deeper than the letter groupings (R, BV, G, etc.). Every ink has its own temperature variations and underlying flavors. Understanding what an ink looks like in its different dilutions helps when creating your own blending combinations.

Complement: A pale magenta leaning red. Copic does not currently make a good complement, R00 is too warm and RV00 is too saccharine pink.

Underpaint: Honestly, this is a color we’ve never needed to underpaint because it’s so rarely used as a local color. If needed, C00 would be a good choice but always exercise caution when dealing with colors this faint.

This is simply one suggestion. Many possible colors exist. Test to find a color that pleases you.

Pushing Pencil: Prismacolor 1088 Muted Turquoise provides a nicely desaturated push for BG10. Build the pencil layer slowly via light layers rather than using pressure. This ink can be easily overwhelmed.

VanillaArts.com (our sister site) teaches a Push & Pull technique for dimensional coloring. This is simply one suggestion. Many possible colors exist. Test to find a color that pleases you.

Vanilla Arts Digi Stamps using BG10:

Strawberry Tea: looking for a larger scale image to practice color run techniques? Strawberry Tea is the perfect opportunity to use color runs on your high shine food illustrations. Use this color technique to color any berry! Find more info here.

Vanilla Stamp Shop: a wide variety of Amy Shulke’s original, hand drawn digi stamps. Found at our sister site VanillaArts.com. Visit the stamp shop here.

Color palettes and swatches using BG10:

We are building our palette and swatch collection a little more each week and will update here as more become available.

Visit the color resource page at our sister site VanillaArts.com for a wide variety of Copic palettes and swatches.

Looking for beautiful color palettes?

We absolutely love The Color Catalog 1 & 2 from Sarah Renae Clark. It puts hundreds of Copic friendly color palettes at your fingertips.

(note: affiliate link)

BG09 Blue Green: Copics Uncapped (Marker Swatch, Ink Testing)

BG09 Blue Green is a warm peacock blue Copic Marker reminiscent of Phthalo Turquoise watercolor. This natural sea-blue marker color is useful for landscapes and waterscapes. BG09 is available in Copic Sketch, Ciao, and Classic marker styles.

Every Copic Marker has unique characteristics based on its unique ink formula.

Knowing how a color behaves will help you blend effectively and make art with confidence.

BG09 Blue Green

Let’s take a closer look at this Copic Marker and it’s ink characteristics.

Temperature: A warm peacock blue

Resemblance: Phthalo Turquoise watercolor.

Actual Value: N6. Please note the big discrepancy between the cap number value (9), the actual value (6) and the extremely dark cap color indicator. We are constantly fooled by this marker, selecting it for darkness, only to find it a washed out mid-value.

All Copics are measured on a Neutral Gray value scale. The last number on the cap is supposed to indicate value but we’ve found discrepancies where the actual ink value is different than cap designation.

Cap Accuracy: No. The cap is extremely misleading; several magnitudes darker than the actual ink color.

Buildup: BG09 is a mid-value marker with a generous amount of colorant in the formula. Be careful when adding anything more than 2 layers.

Shattering: Shatters into a staining turquoise plus leaking bits of green and gold.

Chromatography testing shows this ink’s behavior when it comes in contact with #0 Colorless Blender (solvent). High shattering colors may leak unexpected color when you make corrections or attempt to blend with any color that has a high solvent to colorant ratio. Shattering is not bad, it’s just something to be aware of.

Staining: BG09 is a staining color.

Lift: Stubborn. 6 applications of #0 barely budged the ink and led to an unsightly shattering at the borders of the test. Exercise extreme caution when making corrections with this color.

See staining swatch. Sample was given 6 stripes of #0 Colorless Blender, drying between each stripe. Results indicate how much lifting you can expect.

Lightfast: Slight fading. We would expect this color to be badly damaged if we extended the test time by as little as another week.

Samples were swatched on X-Press It Blending Card. 1 layer of ink was exposed to windowsill sunlight for 21 days. Approximately 10 hours of sun per day based on weather conditions. Note: we do not recommend displaying original Copic art under these conditions.

Natural Ink Family: BG09 is supposedly the darkest marker in this number family but given its low actual value, we know the mother ink is significantly darker. We wish Copic would sell this master ink color as a truly deep blue-green would be a welcome addition to every marker collection!

Family Members: BG09, BG07, BG05, BG02, BG01, BG000, BG0000

We include this information because many Copic users never think deeper than the letter groupings (R, BV, G, etc.). Every ink has its own temperature variations and underlying flavors. Understanding what an ink looks like in its different dilutions helps when creating your own blending combinations.

Complement: A traditional red like R27

Underpaint: We suggest V15 for its melting properties. It desaturates BG09 without announcing its presence as a warm color underneath blue.

This is simply one suggestion. Many possible colors exist. Test to find a color that pleases you.

Pushing Pencil: Prismacolor 901 Indigo Blue is one of our most commonly used push colors but this pencil was practically born to work with turquoise. It’s gorgeous!

VanillaArts.com (our sister site) teaches a Push & Pull technique for dimensional coloring. This is simply one suggestion. Many possible colors exist. Test to find a color that pleases you.

Vanilla Arts Classes using BG09:

Point Betsie: Amy introduces you to coloring realistic landscapes. Learn to incorporate real artistry into your coloring projects, one concept at a time. Find more info here.

Big Sable Point: A lesson on coloring realistic landscapes. Find more info here.

Vanilla Arts Digi Stamps using BG09:

We continue to create new content and stamps and we will update here as more become available.

Visit the stamp shop page at our sister site VanillaArts.com for a wide variety of Copic classes.

Color palettes and swatches using BG09:

We are building our palette and swatch collection a little more each week and will update here as more become available.

Visit the color resource page at our sister site VanillaArts.com for a wide variety of Copic palettes and swatches.

Looking for beautiful color palettes?

We absolutely love The Color Catalog 1 & 2 from Sarah Renae Clark. It puts hundreds of Copic friendly color palettes at your fingertips.

(note: affiliate link)