W5 Warm Gray #5 is a warm light gray Copic Marker which resembles Davy’s Gray watercolor. This color is useful for underpainting, general shading, fur, natural landscapes, and grayscale illustration. W5 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.
W5 Warm Gray No.5
Let’s take a closer look at this Copic Marker and its ink characteristics.
Temperature: A warm gray.
Resemblance: Davy’s Gray watercolor.
Actual Value: W5
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 cap on a Sketch marker matches 1 coats of W5.
Buildup: W5 layers beautifully.
Shattering: Slight shattering into a cool gray with hints of soft brown along the outside of the puddle ring.
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: No. Copic grays are not generally staining.
Lift: Lifts easily. This color isn’t fully erasable but it’s close.
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: Slight fading was detected, perhaps about 10%.
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: W5 is a diluted version of W10.
Family Members: W10, W9, W8, W7, W6, W5, W4, W3, W2, W1, W0, W00
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 1074 70% French Grey with a very soft touch.
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 W5:
We continue to create new content and classes and we will update here as more become available.
Visit the workshop resource page at our sister site VanillaArts.com for a wide variety of Copic classes.
Vanilla Arts Digi Stamps using W5:
Color palettes and swatches using W5:
We are building our palette and swatch collection a little more each week and will update here as more become available.
Visit the color resource page at our sister site VanillaArts.com for a wide variety of Copic palettes and swatches.
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)
