YR14 Caramel. We swatch and test Copic Marker colors- layering, staining, lift, value, lightfastness, saturation, and cap accuracy. | MarkerNovice.com | #copicmarker #howtocolor #swatch

YR14 Caramel is a warm golden orange Copic Marker which resembles Cadmium Orange watercolor. This mellow color is useful for food illustration, florals, and natural pops of color. YR14 is only available in Copic 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.

YR14 Caramel

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

Temperature: A warm golden orange.

Resemblance: Cadmium Orange watercolor.

Actual Value: N5

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: WARNING! This is one of the most deceptive marker caps Copic makes. I have the old version of YG14 and my cap is a deep golden brown, about 4 times darker than the ink color. Copic changed the plastic they use but the new cap is more yellow than the ink color.

I suspect the “Caramel” name was bestowed based on the old brown caps, the ink is definitely not caramel colored.

Buildup: YR14 layers well.

Shattering: Shatters into a warm reddish orange with golden leakage around the puddle margins.

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: This color is very staining.

Lift: Stubborn. The ink can be moved a bit with colorless blender but it can only be lightened, not erased.

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.

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: YR14 is in the middle of the YR-teen family with YR12 on the light end and YR18 on the darker end. We suspect the mother ink is much darker than YR18.

WARNING, the caps on this entire family are wildly wrong on older marker sets.

Family Members: YR12, YR14, YR15, YR16, YR18

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: We suggest a medium blue marker like B32 or B34

Underpaint: B21neutralizes this color beautifully.

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

Pushing Pencil: Prismacolor 1008 Parma Violet is beautiful with YR14.

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.