“Why is it impossible to find some Copic Marker colors?”
A student asked me this recently. She’s been waiting for years on some colors.
Years?
It’s an odd question because while Copic stock varies from store to store, in general, shelves are pretty flush right now; what colors can’t she find?
Then it hit me— her Copic chart doesn’t match her preferred style of markers.
She’s been looking for colors which Copic doesn’t make in her preferred style of marker.
So let’s clear this up, before you get confused too.
How many colors does Copic make?
In your favorite marker style? It may be less than you think.
Copic Makes 358 Ink colors
Copic Inks come in 358 different colors BUT not every color is available in every style of Copic Marker. Copic offers a limited color range in their less popular marker types:
Refill: 358 colors (available in every color)
Sketch: 358 colors (available in every color)
Classic: only 214 colors
Ciao: only 180 colors
Wide: zero colors
Let’s look at the specifics of each Copic Marker style to help you find the colors you want.
Copic Refills
If Copic makes the color, then it’s available as a refill.
Copic makes refill inks for all 358 colors.
Relax, you’ll never get stuck with a marker that can not be refilled.
See the entire 358 color palette chart for Copic Refills at Copic’s official website here.
But I want to warn you about the current state of Copic Refills (March 2020):
From the official Copic website: they are changing both the name and packaging of refill inks.
Refills were once called “Various Inks” and came in 25ml bottles. Various Inks are now only available while supplies last or as used resale from someone selling their collection.
Refills will now be called “Copic Ink Refills”. The new bottles are smaller, 12ml bottles but supposedly have a better design— they should spill less and are more suitable for drip-style alcohol ink artists.
My personal warning: It will take time for the name Various Ink to die out with us old-timers. From now on, please double check the size of the bottle in the description rather than rely on the listing name. You may find products marked Various Ink that are actually the smaller Copic Refill (and vice versa).
What about Colorless Blender?
Colorless Blender solution is available in 2 different sized refill bottles. The economy sized 200ml has not changed but the 25ml Various Ink refill size is also switching over to the new Copic Refill 12ml size.
I recommend owning both the large bottle and a small bottle. The larger bottle is more cost effective over the long run BUT it’s very awkward to pour from.
To limit how often I open the large bottle, I use my small bottle to refill my #0 markers. Then when necessary, I refill the small bottle with the large bottle.
Colorless Blender does not go bad and the bottles are fairly airtight. I know the large bottle seems overkill to a hobby level colorer but I think the cost savings is worth it. I go through one large bottler per year. If it takes you 2-3 years to use your bottle, do not worry. Copic Colorless Blender does not go bad or expire.
Copic Sketch Markers come in 358 colors
It seems like everyone owns at least a couple of Sketch markers. It’s hard to avoid them.
Copic Sketch are the top-selling style. They come in all 358 colors.
That’s 358 including the colorless blender.
The last new colors to be added came in 2012 and Copic has held strong at 358 ever since.
If you’re listening Copic, it’s been almost a decade since you introduced any new colors. I’d kill for a B61 and more complete range of yellows.
See the full Sketch color palette at Copic’s official website here.
Sketch markers with their distinct oval shaped barrel were developed for professional artists. Many hobbyists also choose Sketches, knowing that they can continue to build an entire collection without mixing marker styles.
Read more about Copic Sketch markers in our article here:
Copic Classic Markers come in 214 colors
Do you have the original square barrel Copics with a fine nib (bullet) and a broad chisel nib? Then you’re working with a smaller color palette.
Classic Copics come in the original range of 214 colors.
This includes the Colorless Blender.
See the full Classic color palette at Copic’s official website here.
I started with Classics in the 1990s and honestly, I never felt at a loss for colors (well, except for my yellow issue… can I please get some Y50s?). Overall, 214 is a very workable collection. There’s a good selection from every color family plus all the grays from all four groups.
But remember, Classic Copics were not designed for blending.
I know this sounds strange to beginners who think Copic was, is, and always will be a blending marker; but Classics were developed long before blending became popular. Back in the dinosaur days, we did not blend. The paper we used at the time would never tolerate modern blending.
Copic Classic Markers are a drawing marker, not a coloring marker.
This is why you’ll find some Classic markers with no easy blending partners.
Copic Classic has a good selection of colors but if you’re a fan of marker blending, avoid collecting Classic Copic Markers.
Read more about the Copic Classic Marker in our article here:
Copic Ciao Markers
Most Copic beginners have Ciao Markers.
Ciao Copics are value priced, so you get more Ciao markers for your money. But economy has a hidden inconvenience.
Ciao Copics come in a very limited range of 180 colors.
That’s 180 including the Colorless Blender.
See the entire Ciao color palette at Copic’s official website here.
I could never work with Ciao markers alone. There are too many gaps in the color palette.
A few years back, I was asked to teach for a store that carried Ciao exclusively. It was incredibly frustrating; Ciao is missing many of my most frequently used colors. The store finally added Sketch markers to their inventory because it was so hard to run classes without so many essential colors.
Colors I use a lot which are not available in Ciao style: R24, R89, YR24, YR27, Y13, YG01, G24, G40, G43, BG11, BG53, BG57, B21, B34, BV01, BV20… and that’s just off the top of my head.
Even worse, there are no neutral gray Ciaos (ack!). Of the grays they do have? I don’t understand why there are no 4s, 6s, or double-zeros which I use regularly. And they don’t go darker than a 7 which is problematic for me since I don’t use black in my artwork.
As an entry-point marker and for beginners, I strongly recommend Ciao Copics.
BUT I always warn students that you will not be able to stay inside the Ciao ecosystem very long.
Ciao limits you to half a collection. The 180 colors are all useful colors. I don’t see any dead weight in the Ciao palette, but I also can’t un-see the big gaping holes.
Read more about Copic Ciao Markers in our article here:
Copic Wide Markers
Copic Wide was once 35 colors plus a Colorless Blender. Not anymore.
Copic Wide comes in ZERO colors! Today’s Wides are do-it-yourself markers.
If you spot any colored wides in a store, it’s is an old marker which has been sitting around on the shelf for a long time. It may be expired.
If you want a Copic Wide now, you must buy the empty marker (called a “blank”) and fill it yourself with a Copic Ink Refill bottle.
Do-it-yourself isn’t a bad thing! I never liked the available color selection for Wides, so I’ve been buying blanks for years, creating the colors I need instead of settling for the colors they made.
The downside to DIYing a Wide is that you’ll never have a color coordinated cap. I’ve had to label the side of the marker with a nasty piece of tape which feels terrible as I use the marker.
Grrrr. I really wish they would come up with a better way to indicate DIY colors. They’re not cheap but the tape-on-the-side method sure makes them look cheap!
Black Edition?
Ever seen a black body Copic? They’re rare but they do exist.
Black 25th Anniversary Sets were a limited edition release 2017.
Limited Edition Copics came in 36 total colors released as one box or in smaller sets of 12.
The Black Anniversary series looks like a Sketch marker but the nibs are different. Normal Sketches carry a Super Brush nib on one end and the Broad chisel nib on the other. The Black Anniversary style is a Super Brush plus a Fine Nib bullet.
The Black Anniversary did not contain any new colors.
You can see a photo of the Anniversary 36 on Debbie Olson’s site here.
I sold my Classic style markers to get away from the bullet nib so I never bought the Black Anniversary.
Wait, what’s a C30?
Don’t be silly! There’s no such thing as a Cool Gray 30!
Ahhh, grasshopper. Yes, there is.
30th Anniversary Classic Sets were a PRIVATE gift release in 2017. Most people don’t realize they exist!
Here’s a photo at Copic in the Craftroom on Facebook. Michelle Houghton who runs the Copic in the Craftroom channel at YouTube (and blogs at Scrapweaver.com) was one of the lucky ducks to receive a 30th set when she attended the anniversary event in Japan.
As you can see in the photo, most of these colors are just figments of your imagination. There are no refills for them, so they’re the exception to the every-marker-has-a-refill rule. The 30s are beautiful little one-offs.
And that Y30? Oh Copic, pretty, pretty please!!!
Discontinued Colors?
Nope.
Copic has never discontinued individual ink colors.
Have they discontinued products? Yes.
But not ink colors.
You can see the full discontinued product list on their official website here. It’s mostly paper and marker storage but please pause for a solemn moment of silence when you get to my beloved SP Color Multiliners.
Oh dear, (sigh). They were truly beautiful.
Many Stores do not stock all 358 colors
Yes, Copic makes 358 colors but I’ve personally never seen all 358 colors on the shelf in a local store.
First off, to carry the entire Copic line is expensive for stores. Most small shops prefer to special-order a rare color for you instead of buying 6 and letting them rot on the shelf.
But also, there’s always something on backorder from the factory. Always.
Even if your shop is great at stocking shelves with just the right products, sometimes they can’t get the colors they want because the supplier doesn’t have any.
Here’s the other issue you may not realize when you begin buying Copics:
Many chain stores will NEVER carry all 358 Copic colors.
Big-box retailers (Jo-Michael’s Lobby Mart) create their own “exclusive” palette based on tiny shelf displays. Several chains do not carry the extra colors on their website either. If you’re using the 50% off coupon method to collect markers, you’ll run out of markers to buy long before you have a medium sized collection.
How many colors does Copic make?
It depends upon what you’re buying.
Copic Ink comes in 358 different colors. Colors are available across three different styles of markers BUT not every color is available in every style.
And that’s the catch!
Before you beat your head against the wall looking for a BG11 Ciao or a Classic V01, do some checking. The color may be listed on your handy-dandy color chart but it might not be available in your preferred style or at your favorite retailer.
Happy hunting!
Amy Shulke is a professional illustrator who has used Copic Markers since 1990. She teaches artistic coloring classes online at VanillaArts.com and locally in south-eastern Michigan.
Marker Novice is Amy’s completely free resource devoted to beginner marker education. For intermediate/advanced artistic coloring articles, see her Studio Journal here.
Quack, quack!
This little duck is bubbly fun.
Beginners can color this duckie small scale and simple. Or you can step it up a notch using the photo reference and the methods I offered in this challenge article.
Amy Shulke’s "Rubber Duck"
Sample shown uses Copic Markers and Prismacolor colored pencils.
Package includes PNG digital stamp with easy print PDF option plus recipe, full color sample, photo reference, and grayscale guide.
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