G21 Lime Green is a cool green Copic Marker which resembles highly diluted Hooker’s Green watercolor. This pretty ink is highly unstable and should be treated with caution. G21 is available in Copic Ciao, 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.
G21 Lime Green
Let’s take a closer look at this Copic Marker and its ink characteristics.
Temperature: A slightly warm green but the darker markers in the G20 series look cool.
Resemblance: Diluted Hooker’s Green watercolor.
Actual Value: N3 (note, this was unexpectedly dark)
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: Yes. The colored plastic on the Sketch cap is close to the color of one layer of G21 ink.
Buildup: Exercise caution! G21 looks patchy and oily with just one coat.
Shattering: Shatters into green with strong golden yellow ink at the margins.
Be careful! This color is very unstable. It shatters incredibly easy, even with itself! In the layering test above, look at the right edge of 4 layers. This golden color seeps out into the margins whenever we used more than one coat, you can see hints of the same gold in every test layer.
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: G21 is a staining color and left the paper with a definite blue tint.
Lift: This color is stubborn and does not lift well. This is very odd for such a light color.
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: G21 was surprisingly lightfast, a very unexpected result. We were unable to see any fading in the 3 week 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: G21 sits at the lighter end of the G-Twenty family. The markers in this family are all quite pretty but each one has odd characteristics and idiosyncrasies.
Family Members: G29, G28, G24, G21, G20
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: Pale pinks like RV02 or RV52
Underpaint: We suggest RV02
This is simply one suggestion. Many possible colors exist. Test to find a color that pleases you.
Pushing Pencil: Prismacolor 956 Lilac works well.
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 G21:
Vanilla Arts Digi Stamps using G21:
Fair Isle Stocking: life is full of texture. The first step to adding realism to your images is to admit that smooth blending is not appropriate for every single stamp image you color. Real life is full of lumpy, bumpy, and craggy surfaces. Find more info here.
Color palettes and swatches using G21:
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.
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