Purchasing Copic Markers: Selecting Colors That Blend Well

 

When  just starting out it feels like there are “rules” to pick colors that  go naturally together and blend well. In a way there is, but they are  NOT set in stone in any way. So instead of calling them rules – I call  them the blending basics

Blending basics:

1. Match the color letter(s) keeping the color family the same

2. Match the color saturation number – keeping the tone the same (the first number)

3. Pick color brightness numbers within 2-3 digits from each other. Example B21, B24, B26

Natural blending groups

In  each larger color family, you can break down the colors into smaller  sequences, such as B20- B29. These colors are called a Natural Blending  Group, these colors that naturally go well together. There is no  saturation variation, only brightness variation. When you blend these  colors together you know that the colors will perfectly coordinate.

For  blends to look more natural, pick colors from the same blending group.  In general, keep a 2- 4 digit difference between the last numbers and  keep the letter and first number the same. As you find combinations you  like add them to your example book. Remember, these rules are simply guidelines, and are not set in stone. Any color can blend into another color, so try lots of different combinations.

Now  that we have talked about the basics, here is something that may or may  not be a little more advanced. For blends across color families, try to  choose colors that have similar numbers but different letters. It helps  if these are color families near each other on the color wheel (like B,  BG or G) it is hard to get even blends between intense colors that are  very different color families when you use pale colors.