E11 Barley Beige. We swatch and test Copic Marker colors- layering, staining, lift, value, lightfastness, saturation, and cap accuracy. | MarkerNovice.com | Improve your coloring by testing alcohol inks like artist grade supplies.

E11 Barley Beige is a warm brown Copic Marker which resembles diluted Raw Sienna watercolor. It is popular for skin tones but it’s not a realistic skin color. Good for general illustration. E11 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.

E11 Barley Beige

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

WARNING: This marker is incredibly popular for coloring skin tones. We DO NOT RECOMMEND coloring anyone’s skin with E11. One coat of E11 does look a bit like some caucasian skin but when was the last time you colored skin with only one coat of one marker? Look at how unnaturally orange E11 looks with two or more coats. Nobody has skin this color!

Temperature: A warm brown.

Resemblance: Resembles diluted Raw Sienna watercolor (one of the redder Raw Siennas, many are more yellowish).

Actual Value: 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: The plastic indicator on a Sketch marker matches 1 coat of E11 ink.

Buildup: E11 can turn oily looking with just 2 layers. This is another negative issue when coloring skin tones because people tend to blend skin a lot more, trying to get a super-smooth finish. E11 simply gets too dark, too orange, and too oily to be a good skin color.

Shattering: Does not shatter.

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: Slightly staining. Typical of an ink with red in the formula.

Lift: Stubborn. The ink can be lightened but the paper remains pinkish brown.

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: Just a hint of fading, less than 5%.

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: E11 sits at the light end of the E-Teen family which runs from E11 to E19 on the far end. Beware of the marker caps, many caps in this family are extremely misleading.

Family Members: E11, E13, E15. E17, E18, E19

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 colorwheel and does not have a complement.

Underpaint: B60 neutralizes this color well.

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

Pushing Pencil: Prismacolor 943 Burnt Ochre is very pretty over E11 but keep the pressure soft and the color light.

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.