N9 Neutral Gray #9 is a balanced gray Copic Marker mimics Lamp Black watercolor. We highly recommend purchasing N grays as your first gray markers because of their usefulness and versatility. N9 is only available in Sketch and Classic Copic 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.
N9 Neutral Gray No. 9
Let’s take a closer look at this Copic Marker and its ink characteristics.
Temperature: A balanced gray, neither warm nor cool
Resemblance: Lamp Black watercolor
Actual Value: N9 (All Copic N grays match their true value. N is the only family where this is true.)
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 end of a Sketch Marker matches 1 coat of N9 ink.
Buildup: N9 reaches maximum color at 4 layers and starts to gather an oily appearance with the first layer.
Shattering: Shatters to a dark gray with red leakage. Because the other N gray markers do not shatter, this tells us the formula for N9 is slightly different and contains a red additive.
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: N9 is staining as are most markers this dark.
Lift: N9 can be not be lifted much. Consider this color un-erasable.
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: We did not notice any fading of N9 during the test 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: N9 is at the dark end of of the Neutral Gray family.
Family Members: N10, N9, N8, N7, N6, N5, N4, N3, N2, N1, N0
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: N/A
Underpaint: N/A
Pushing Pencil: We suggest Prismacolor 935 Black
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 Gray:
Big Sable Point: An introduction to coloring landscapes with marker and pencil. Which details should you include? More info here.
Nevermore Manor: Learn to color in grayscale, an exercise in seeing value rather than color. More info here.
Sleighbell: Learn to reflective, shiny metal with photorealism. Find more info here.
Vanilla Arts Digi Stamps using Gray:
Rejoice & Sing digital stamp. More info or purchase here.
Nesting Basket advanced coloring kit. More info or purchase here.
Smiling Toucan advanced artistic coloring kit. More info or purchase here.
Color palettes and Copic Blends using Gray:
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)
