B32 Pale Blue Copic Marker. We swatch and test Copic colors- layering, staining, lift, value, lightfastness, saturation, and cap accuracy. | MarkerNovice.com | #copicmarker #howtocolor #swatch

B32 Pale Blue is a green-shade blue Copic Marker which looks like diluted Phthalo Blue watercolor. This mild marker color is useful for sunny skies, clothing, and makes an excellent underpaint. B32 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.

B32 Pale Blue

Let’s take a closer look at this Copic Marker and it’s ink characteristics.

Temperature: A balanced blue that looks a bit green-shade, but not much.

Resemblance: Diluted Phthalo Blue watercolor.

Actual Value: N3.5 (darker than N3 but lighter than N4)

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 cap is a close match to B32. The plastic is just a bit cooler than the ink though which can lead to some confusion when you don’t get the cool blue expected.

Buildup: B32 has a low level of colorant and high level of solvent in the formula. This color layers beautifully.

Shattering: No shattering.

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: B32 like most blues, is not staining color.

Lift: Very easy lifting and could be considered “erasable”.

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: Terrible lightfastness. This color faded in the first week of testing and disappeared before the end of the testing period.

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: B32 is a very diluted version of B39, a dark Prussian Blue.

Family Members: B39, B37, B34, B32

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 light orange. We suggest YR12

Underpaint: We suggest V22

This is simply one suggestion. Many possible colors exist. Test to find a color that pleases you.

Pushing Pencil: Prismacolor 901 Indigo Blue works beautifully over B32. It doesn’t feel clever or revolutionary but it works.

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.