E04 Lipstick natural is an earthy rose Copic Marker which resembles Caput Mortuum watercolor. Popular for lips or blush in portraits, unfortunately this color may not blend fully because it’s not directly related to the other E-Zero markers. E04 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.
E04 Lipstick Natural
Let’s take a closer look at this Copic Marker and its ink characteristics.
For the asterisk, please see the Natural Ink Family section below.
Temperature: A cool earthy rose, a very fleshy color
Resemblance: Caput Mortuum watercolor
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 cap matches two coats of E04 ink.
Buildup: E04 starts to look oily on the first layer. It reaches maximum value at 3 layers.
Shattering: E04 shatters slightly into pink with gray violet leakage along the margins.
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: E04 is mildly staining
Lift: E04 lifts a bit but the paper remains faintly pink
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: E04 faded about 5% during 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: E04 is in the middle of the very large E-Zero family.
Family members: E0000, E000, E00, E01, E02, E04, E07, E08, E09
Based upon the shattering test, it’s safe to say E04 has been sandwiched into a convenient marker family but it does not share the same source dye as the other E-Zero markers. E04 shatters while the other members of this family do not. To the eye, E04 is noticeably pinkish and slightly cool while the other members of the family are warmer and oranger. When blending E04 with lighter members of the E-Zero family, expect the blending to be a little harder and the E subzero (00, 000, 0000) markers may shatter E04.
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: Brown is not a hue on the color wheel and does not have a complement.
Underpaint: C1 will neutralize one layer of this color well. For several layers, try C3.
This is simply one suggestion. Many possible colors exist. Test to find a color that pleases you.
Pushing Pencil: Prismacolor 1031 Henna 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 light brown:
Doughnut Stack: Learn to underpaint for photorealism. Includes Amy’s exclusive glaze technique. More info here.
Vanilla Arts Digi Stamps using light brown:
Color palettes and swatches using light brown:
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)
