B23 Phthalo Blue is a medium reddish blue Copic Marker which mimics Ultramarine Blue watercolor. This is an all purpose blue, easy to blend, and makes a beautiful underpaint. B23 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.
B23 Phthalo 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.
Name: The name of this marker is misleading. This is not a Phthalo Blue.
Actual Value: N5
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 close to 1 coat of B23 but looks warmer than the actual ink.
Buildup: B23 begins to look oily at more than 2 layers.
Shattering: Does not shatter.
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: B23 stains the paper slightly.
Lift: This color lifts fairly well with just a bit of blue stain left behind.
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 25%.
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: B23 is at the lighter end of the B-Twenty family. It is slightly darker than B24, so there’s something wrong with the numbering in this family.
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 yellow orange. We suggest YR04
Underpaint: We suggest N3
This is simply one suggestion. Many possible colors exist. Test to find a color that pleases you.
Pushing Pencil: Prismacolor 1007 Imperial Violet 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 B23:
Sleigh Bell: explore the difference between highlights and reflections, a process that’s essential to capturing the look of shiny metal objects which look touchably real. Find more info here.
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 B23:
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 digital stamps.
Color palettes and swatches using B23:
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)
