B39 Prussian Blue is a green-shade blue Copic Marker reminiscent of Phthalo Blue watercolor. This intense marker color is useful for night skies, denim, and makes a beautiful underpaint. B39 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.
B39 Prussian Blue
Let’s take a closer look at this Copic Marker and its ink characteristics.
Temperature: A green-shade blue.
Resemblance: Phthalo Blue watercolor.
Actual Value: N9
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: Absolutely not! The cap is very misleading as the plastic on a Sketch marker is twice as dark as the actual ink.
Buildup: B39 has a moderate level of colorant. Exercise caution with more than 3 layers.
Shattering: Easily shatters into blue and magenta.
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: B39 like most blues, is not staining color but it is a bit clingier than expected.
Lift: Lifts with some effort. It’s not “erasable” but you should be able to push the color out of the way when making corrections.
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: Moderate lightfastness. The test sample did not change much but based on the B34 results, we know this color will fade during an extended test.
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: B39 is the darkest marker in the B30 family but the parent ink is certainly a much darker blue, similar to what you see in blue ballpoint pens. B32 is the most diluted version that Copic currently makes. B30 would be a very welcome addition to the family.
I see a weird temperature discrepancy between B39 and the other B30s. Maybe it’s just my eyes. The other B30s feel like Phthalo Blue Green Shade watercolor. B39 should feel the greenest of them all, especially given the name Prussian Blue. And yet it doesn’t lean as green as I expected.
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 traditional orange. We suggest YR07 or YR16.
Underpaint: We suggest V09.
This is simply one suggestion. Many possible colors exist. Test to find a color that pleases you.
Pushing Pencil: Prismacolor 1067 90% Cool Grey pushes this color nicely.
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 B39:
Copperbanded Butterflyfish: Amy explores the difference between pattern and texture. Find more info here.
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 Copic classes.
Vanilla Arts Digi Stamps using B39:
Penny Candy: an incredibly flexible image- the color options are completely up to you! Use my sample color palette or make substitutions to match your favorite colors. Find more info here.
Vanilla Stamp Shop: a wide variety of Amy Shulke’s original, hand drawn digi stamps. Found at our sister site VanillaArts.com. Visit the stamp shop here.
Color palettes and swatches using B39:
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)
