HOW TO READ YOUR MARKERS  https://copic.jp/en/

  • The letter on the marker represents the color family, i.e., B is for blue, BV – blue violet, V – violet, RV – red violet, R – red, YR – yellow red, Y – yellow, YG – yellow green, G – green, BG – blue green, T – toner gray, N – neutral gray, c – cool gray, E – earth and W – warm gray.
  •  The first number following the letter represents the color saturation or intensity.  Vibrant colors are generally 0’s, 1’s and 2’s.  The larger the number the more de-saturated (or less intense) a color becomes.
  • The last number represents the brightness of the color.  The last number shows how light or bright the color is, i.e., the smaller the last digit the lighter the color will be.

Example:  G02 stands for Green color family; 0 a vibrant color; and 2 a light color.  G02 = a light vibrant green.

Application to your images:  If you are coloring vintage pictures or woodland images choose colors that are less saturated, i.e., colors in the 7’s, 8’s or 9’s.  If you are coloring images that are bright such as flowers, toys, balloons etc. choose colors in the 0’s, 1’s or 2’s.

GRAYS – THE BASICS

  • There are 46 shades of gray available in 4 different color families – Cool, Warm, Neutral, and Toner
  • Cool grays add a touch of blue, warm grays a touch of brown, neutral grays are truly neutral, and toner grays are halfway between warm and neutral

Choosing a Gray Family

  • To make something feel cold in your image i.e., shadow on snow, metallics, etc., choose cool grays
  • To make something feel warm i.e., earthy, woodsy etc., choose warm grays
  • The other two grays (neutral and toner) can be used for everything else (shadow on white clothing, etc.)

Layering Grays Over Colors

  • Green and blue are cool colors, therefore, cool grays can be used to dull down the brightness.  Cool gray over a bright cool color will make it less vibrant.  When using a bright/light color pick a gray that has the same last number or one number lighter than the one you are using.
  • Reds, browns, oranges and yellows are warm colors, therefore warm grays can be used to tone down and decrease their saturation.  When using a bright/light color pick a gray that has the same last number or one number lighter than the one you are using.
  • When using dark colors, choose a gray that has the same last digit or one digit darker to ensure the gray shows up.