Y26 Mustard. We swatch and test Copic Marker colors- layering, staining, lift, value, lightfastness, saturation, and cap accuracy. | MarkerNovice.com | #copicmarker #howtocolor #swatch

Y26 Mustard is a warm, neutralized yellow Copic Marker reminiscent of Naples Yellow watercolor. This natural, organic marker color is useful for botanicals, landscapes, animals, and portraiture. Y26 is only available in Copic Sketch. It does not come in Ciao or 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.

Y26 mustard

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

Temperature: A warm neutralized golden yellow

Resemblance: Moderately diluted Naples Yellow watercolor.

Actual Value: N4

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: No. The cap end on this Sketch marker is notorious for being ugly and unfortunately discourages people from using it. The cap is dark and dingier while the ink is actually a cheerful golden yellow. A very poor marketing decision by Copic!

Buildup: Y26 is a medium value but it doesn’t have the higher colorant load you’d expect. With its generous level of solvent, this is an easy layering color.

Shattering: Does not shatter at all.

Y26 Mustard. We swatch and test Copic Markers- layering, staining, lift, value, lightfastness, saturation, and cap accuracy. | MarkerNovice.com | How to color with alcohol markers.

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: Y26 does not stain the paper.

Lift: Easily liftable.

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: Minimal fading but we would expect this color to be badly damaged if we doubled the test time.

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: Y26 is a slightly diluted of Y28 but the mother ink which forms both markers is likely far more golden brown than anything Copic currently produces. Y21 is the palest dilution available in this family and we wish Copic would produce a sub-zero series for this family as the current Y00’s feel too greenish.

Family Members: Y28, Y26, Y23, Y21

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: A pale blue violet, perhaps BV32 (which Copic does not currently make).

Underpaint: We suggest V01. Anything too blue starts to look green underneath the Y20 family.

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

Pushing Pencil: Prismacolor 956 Lilac is very pretty if used lightly.

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.