YG97 Spanish Olive Copic Marker. We swatch and test Copic colors so that you can blend them better on landscapes like this.

Every Copic Marker has different characteristics based upon its unique ink formula.

Knowing how a color behaves will help you blend effectively and make art with confidence.

YG97 Spanish Olive

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

Temperature: A warm green

Resemblance: diluted Sap Green watercolor (one that leans a bit yellowish)

Name: “Spanish Olive” is an excellent name for this organic warm green which very much mimics the color of green olives. I do find it interesting that several years ago, Copic changed several color names to remove ethnic names and yet this one remains? Draw your own conclusions.

Copic Styles: YG97 is only available in Sketch and Classic style markers.

Actual Value: N7

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 colored plastic on the Sketch cap matches 3=4 layers of YG97 ink. This can be startling when you first use YG97 as the color is lighter than expected.

Here are the test results for Copic Marker YG97 Spanish Olive. Is it lightfast? How accurate is the cap color? Read the full results here.

Buildup: YG97 reaches maximum color value at 3 layers.

WARNING: This ink is unstable. YG97 can self-shatter, the dyes can separate from the formula leaking gold or brown along the outside edge of the color zone.

Shattering: Shatters into green with golden green seeping out at the margins. See warning above for YG97’s self-shattering behavior.

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: YG97 stains the paper light blue.

Lift: YG97 can be moved but hardly enough to correct a mistake. The paper is permanently stained light blue, the edges of the area exposed to colorless blender can look slightly metallic, a golden green. We do not recommend trying to lift this color due to the damage colorless blender will trigger.

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: YG97 faded by less than 5% 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.

YG97 Spanish Olive. Copic Marker. Does it fade? Stain? Shatter? Read the test results here.

Natural Ink Family: YG97 is at the darker end of the YG-Ninety family.

Family Members: YG91 YG93, YG95, YG97, YG99

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 cool purple blue like BV13

Underpaint: BV11 desaturates YG97 very well.

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

Pushing Pencil: PC1078 Black Cherry provides a nicely desaturated push for YG63.

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.

GREEN WORKSHOP