B21 Baby Blue is a light red-blue Copic Marker which mimics highly diluted Ultramarine Blue watercolor. This is an easy-blending ink, perfect for underpainting or everyday coloring. B21 is only available in Copic Sketch 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.
B21 Baby Blue
Let’s take a closer look at this Copic Marker and its ink characteristics.
Temperature: A slightly reddish blue.
Resemblance: Diluted Ultramarine Blue watercolor.
Actual Value: N3
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: The plastic on a Sketch marker is darker and more neutralized than B21 ink.
Buildup: B21 begins to look oily at more than 2 layers. The ink reaches maximum color at 3-4 layers.
Shattering: Mild shattering into blue with a pale pink leakage on the edge.
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: B21 stains the paper with a slightly yellow cast.
Lift: This color lifts because it’s fairly light to begin with.
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: Faded by about 5%.
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: B21 is at the light end of the B-Twenty family. This is a popular marker family and a good investment for your first blue blends.
Family Members: B21, B23, B24, B26, B28, B29
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 soft orange. We suggest YR01
Underpaint: We suggest N1
This is simply one suggestion. Many possible colors exist. Test to find a color that pleases you.
Pushing Pencil: Prismacolor 1025 Periwinkle pushes this color nicely with a pleasant cool temperature.
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 B21:
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.
Vanilla Arts Digi Stamps using B21:
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 digi stamps.
Color palettes and swatches using B21:
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)
