Hello Copic readers! To kick off the new year, our Copic educational blogs are going back to basics and turning the focus on what makes our markers, inks, and entire brand unique: our range of 358 high quality, consistent colors. In the past, we have discussed the modern-day color wheel (below left) and how the range of Copic markers can fit into it. Today, we are going to take a different point of view to show off a product some of you may have never heard of before: the Copic Color Swatch Cards (below right). This small product is more powerful than you think, and by the end of this blog, you’ll be wanting to add this to your Copic toolkit too!

To get started introducing the capabilities of this product, we want to point out 3 key features:

1. Portability - the slick envelope packaging of the Copic Color Swatch Cards measure 8 x 4.25 inches. This makes it super easy to put in a backpack, satchel, or any other bag suitable to put art supplies in while on-the-go.

2. Comprehensive - all 358 colors are included, and conveniently divided into their respective color groups starting with BV, then V, RV, R, and so on.

3. Easy to Keep Track of Your Marker Colors - all of the swatches are blank when you open the product so you can swatch the colors that you have! This makes it very easy to see which colors you own and which ones you’ll want to buy the next time you’re shopping for art supplies!

With these 3 key features in mind, you can see why the Color Swatch Cards are enticing for anybody who owns more than a few Copic markers and is looking to expand or keep track of their growing collection!

Another feature that makes the Copic Color Swatch Cards so helpful when illustrating with your markers is the layering capability. Each of the 358 colors are designated a rectangle divided into thirds. This is intended to show the artist how to fully utilize a Copic marker: by layering the color inside the rectangle 3 times. Although it is tempting to use a darker color when blending, the same color layered multiple times can give a richer, darker effect.

With all this talk of layering, it’s important that we also take a moment to discuss paper. The paper used for the Copic Color Swatch Cards is our Premium Bond Marker Paper, a light-to-mid weight paper - the same paper that is used in all of our Copic Sketchbooks (157 gsm, or 50 lb.)

The above illustration was drawn by @shannonbroukart using the Small Copic Sketchbook.
Fun Fact: the cover of these sketchbooks can be customized with a permanent marker (seen below)!

Depending on the type of paper you’re using in your drawing, more or less layers of marker ink are capable. For example, if you’re coloring with a lighter-weight paper (30 to 45 lb.), then 2 layers of marker ink is probably all that the paper can soak in. On the other hand, if you’re using a very thick sheet of paper (120 lb. to 150 lb., as well as cold-press watercolor papers), then 4 to 5 marker layers may be possible. It all depends on how much the paper can absorb the alcohol ink.

The video below shows 3 different paper weights put to the Copic marker layering test! The first paper is a thin 20 lb. paper, the second is a 67 lb. bright white cardstock paper, and the third is a heavy 120 lb. cream hot press watercolor paper. Each of these papers works very well with Copic markers, but the varying looks of each of these will help artists choose which paper works best for them!

And with that, we wrap up today’s blog on the capabilities of the Copic Color Swatch Cards and how this product can significantly help you in your Copic coloring process. We highly recommend this for any avid Copic marker user, hobbyist, beginner, student, or anyone who just wants to collect them all. The Copic Color Swatch Cards are the perfect addition to your marker collection, and recommend this very helpful tool for your studio and/or workspace!

Stay tuned for our blog next month, where we’ll discuss cool versus warm colors and how the 358 Copic colors are divided among these two groups.

Until then, don’t forget to follow us across our social media channels, and sign up for exclusive discounts and prizes by joining the Copic Club! One last thing - use #copicwithus or tag us @copic_official_us for a chance to have your drawings featured on our Copic US social media channels and the homepage on our website!

Thank you so much for reading and enjoying Copic markers as much as we do! 😀