Find out more about BG18 Teal Blue Copic Marker. We swatch and test Copic colors- layering, staining, lift, value, lightfastness, saturation, and cap accuracy. | MarkerNovice.com | #copicmarker #howtocolor #swatch

BG18 Teal Blue is a diluted teal Copic Marker which resembles Cobalt Turquoise watercolor. This is a mature, desaturated color, ideal for natural and realistic coloring. BG18 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.

BG18 Teal Blue

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

Temperature: A warm teal.

Resemblance: Moderately diluted Cobalt Turquoise watercolor.

Actual Value: N5 (note this is much lighter than the 8 in “BG18” indicates)

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: NO! The plastic on a Sketch marker is incredibly misleading. Not only is the plastic too dark but it’s also too blue. This really bothers me because I love this ink but I don’t use it much because I forget how wrong the cap is.

Buildup: BG18 layers beautifully.

Shattering: Shatters into viridian and cyan with faint hints of yellow on the outer 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: BG18 stains slightly.

Lift: A moderate lifting color. It’s not erasable but you can soften some mistakes.

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: The fade was slight on this marker, less than 10%.

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: BG18 should be a darker version of the other markers in this family. This doesn’t seem to be true. BG13 and BG15 are glowing colors, so BG18 should be glowing and dark, yet it’s a mild color with a bit of murkiness to it.

Family Members: BG18, BG15, BG13, BG11, BG10

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 medium standard pink like RV13.

Underpaint: We suggest underpainting with medium gray like N5

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

Pushing Pencil: Prismacolor Indigo Blue 901 is perfect for pushing BG18.

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.