Swatching Copic Markers

I have a different post to share today. I’ve recently been spending time on colour swatching my supplies and wanted to share my copic combo swatch book.

Copic markers are my favourite colouring medium. I don’t have the entire collection and I’m not sure that’s even necessary. I definitely have my favourite colour combos so wanted to branch out to make sure I was using all of the markers I own and find some new combos in the process.

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Stamped Image

For my blend swatches, I wanted a stamp that I also owned the coordinating die for. The reason being is I only want to put combos in my swatch book that I like, so this allows me to experiment with colours but only die cut out the ones I want to keep.

I found the perfect stamp for my swatches in the Pretty Pink Posh Sea Friends stamp set. This cute starfish image has a lot of space to colour blend and it’s the perfect size. It also looks lovely in all the different colour combos.

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Swatch Book

For my swatch book, I’m using an A5 presentation display book. It has 20 clear pockets and I’m using both sides so there’s room for 40 sheets of swatches. I’m sure that’s many more than I’ll actually need!

I’m using a page per copic colour family. As my swatch book grows, I can add new pages for each colour family and arrange them in order.

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Swatch Page

My swatch pages are A5 in size, to fit in the display book. I drew my own grid with a pencil and t-square ruler. I have room for 4 swatches across and a space underneath each swatch to write the copic colours I used. On one A5 sheet, I can fit 16 starfish.

The measurements I’ve used are as follows, but bear in mind that this is to fit the stamp I’m using. If you’re using a different image or different sized card, you’ll need to adjust the measurements:

Horizontal measurements: 37mm, 74mm, 111mm
Vertical measurements: 42.5mm, 52.5mm, 95mm, 105mm, 147.5mm, 157.5mm, 200mm

Colour Combos

When swatching, it’s best to use the same card that you usually use for copic colouring. I keep all my off-cuts of card which are perfect for this.

I’m in no way an expert on copic marker blends and am still learning lots. Having an understanding of the copic numbering system definitely helps to get better blends, though.

Most of my blends are 3-4 markers. Choose a colour family, then look at the last digit of each marker and increase the value from light to dark in your blends. For example, B91, B52, B34. In this combo, the last digit goes from 1-2-4, lightest to darkest, which gives a lovely blend.

Colour families can be mixed up too. Try a Y with a YR, a B with a BV etc. Some blends may not work out but that’s the fun of experimenting. Be brave and try out new combos, then keep the swatches you love for your swatch book.

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I’ve already found my copic swatch book to be a great help. Seeing those blends before I begin to colour has helped me easily choose markers. I’m looking forward to trying more blend swatches and filling the book with lots of colourful starfish!

Scroll down to find images of all my copic combo swatches and an image to pin on Pinterest, in case you’d like to save this post.

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Supplies

Affiliate links used where available

Sea Friends Shop at: PPP	Sea Friends coordinating dies Shop at: PPP	Presentation Display Book Shop at: UK

Disclaimer: Affiliate links used where available, at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting my blog.
Pretty Pink Posh products kindly provided to me as part of my design team work. All opinions expressed are my own.

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My Colour Combo Swatches

Here are photos of my swatches so far. If you have any favourite copic combos, do share them in the comments!

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