BV00 Mauve Shadow Copic Marker. We swatch and test Copic colors- layering, staining, lift, value, lightfastness, saturation, and cap accuracy. | MarkerNovice.com | #copicmarker #howtocolor #swatch

BV00 Mauve Shadow is a diluted blue-based violet Copic Marker reminiscent of Cobalt Violet watercolor. This is a great starter marker, useful for backgrounds, florals, and general coloring. BV00 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.

BV00 Mauve Shadow

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

Please note: This marker ink is very close to non-photo blue and does not photograph or scan accurately. The swatch above shows the actual shatter and staining tests but the other samples have been digitally altered to better reflect the colors we see in the real life sample.

Temperature: A cool blue based purple

Resemblance: Mauve Shadow resembles diluted Cobalt Violet watercolor.

Actual Value: N2.5. Please note how wrong the value is on this marker. It claims to be sub zero and is actually more of a match to N2 or 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: Close. The plastic end of a Sketch Marker matches the color of 2 coats of BV00 ink.

Buildup: Despite not its low colorant levels, BV00 started to create oily patches on the second layer. This was surprising. However, by layer three, the oily color was much smoother and looks fairly pleasing.

Shattering: BV00 does not shatter, at least not that we were able to see.

Chromatography testing shows this ink’s behavior when it comes in contact with #0 Colorless Blender (solvent). High shattering colors may leak unexpected colors 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: This is a slight bit of paper staining but we think this might disappear with further applications of colorless blender.

Lift: BV00 lifts very easily/

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: Not lightfast. The fade was severe (at least 60%) and turned oddly pink.

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: BV00 is at the low end of the BV-Zero family. Be careful because 00, 000, and even 0000 are darker than expected.

Family Members BV08, BV04, BV02, BV01, BV00, BV000, BV0000

We include this information because many Copic users never think deeper than the letter groupings (R, BV, G, etc.). Every ink has it’s 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 warm pale green like YG11 would work well.

Underpaint: We suggest W1 underneath BV00.

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

Pushing Pencil: We suggest Prismacolor 1007 Imperial Violet with a very light pressure over BV00.

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.