Filling Copic Wide Markers
Earlier this week, I showed you guys how to use Copic Wide markers to create a wash of color similar to what you can achieve with watercolors. Unfortunately, Copic's range of available Copic Wide colors is pretty small, weighing in at only 36 different markers (38 if you're counting Colorless Blender and blank Copic Wides), but there's no reason to limit yourself to what's currently available in stores. If you have access to blank Copic Wides (sold at most art supply stores with the regular Copic and Copic Wides) and Various Ink in your color of choice, you can make a Copic Wide version of any color you please.
Various Ink
Optional:
Eyedropper or syringe
Here you see our basic ingredients- the Copic Wide and my Various Ink. Since Copic doesn't make Copic Wide in most of the 'blending' (or lighter) colors, I find that I have to fill my own. Fortunately, I use a lot of the Sketch blending colors, and tend to have those colors in Various Inks. For this demonstration, I'm filling my Copic Wide with E0000, a very light earth/skintone.
Although the Copic Wide is fantastic for applying large fields of color, I sometimes find it hard to get an even application. To mitigate this problem, I will saturate my paper with Colorless Blender first, then go over it with my color of choice, and smooth it out with another saturation of Colorless Blender. This will lighten your color wash substantially, so keep that in mind when choosing colors. You can always reapply your wash.
Like all Copic markers, the nib removes easily, either for replacement or for refilling. When working with an empty Copic, I'll pull the nib out with my fingers carefully, but when refilling ink, I'll use my little tweezers to gently pull the nib out.
Filling a Copic Wide is easy! You can use the Various Ink bottle itself (since it has a dropper nozzle) or you can fill an eyedropper or syringe with the Various Ink. I find that Copic Wides take around 4 mL worth of ink. If you overfill, you may have issues with your nib becoming oversaturated and leaking a little within the cap. This isn't a huge issue, but it can be a little messy.
When you first fill a blank Copic Wide, the nib won't immediately suck up ink if it's upright. If you store it horizontally, the ink will soon make its way to the nib.
I use a piece of blue painter's tape to label my Copic Wides by color. If I had some blank labels, I'd use a snip of that with a streak of the ink on the cap to denote which color is in the marker.
After laying horizontal for only a few minutes, the ink has saturated the nib. Now you have a Copic Wide in your choice of color!
Copic Wides are open for a wee bit more customization, as you can also change out the nibs. This is useful if the nib you've been using has become too mushy, but it's also useful if you dislike the shape. Copic Wide nibs come in two shapes.
Extra Broad Nib:
Calligraphic Nib:
The Calligraphic Nib may actually be easier to use than the extra broad nib, as it would allow you to hold your marker perpendicular to the paper when applying the ink, which may make for a more even application.
Below is an Amazon carousel designed to help you get started with your own custom Copic Wide markers, including recommended Copic Ink refills.
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Materials:
Blank Copic WidesVarious Ink
Optional:
Eyedropper or syringe
Process:
Although the Copic Wide is fantastic for applying large fields of color, I sometimes find it hard to get an even application. To mitigate this problem, I will saturate my paper with Colorless Blender first, then go over it with my color of choice, and smooth it out with another saturation of Colorless Blender. This will lighten your color wash substantially, so keep that in mind when choosing colors. You can always reapply your wash.
Filling a Copic Wide is easy! You can use the Various Ink bottle itself (since it has a dropper nozzle) or you can fill an eyedropper or syringe with the Various Ink. I find that Copic Wides take around 4 mL worth of ink. If you overfill, you may have issues with your nib becoming oversaturated and leaking a little within the cap. This isn't a huge issue, but it can be a little messy.
When you first fill a blank Copic Wide, the nib won't immediately suck up ink if it's upright. If you store it horizontally, the ink will soon make its way to the nib.
I use a piece of blue painter's tape to label my Copic Wides by color. If I had some blank labels, I'd use a snip of that with a streak of the ink on the cap to denote which color is in the marker.
After laying horizontal for only a few minutes, the ink has saturated the nib. Now you have a Copic Wide in your choice of color!
Copic Wides are open for a wee bit more customization, as you can also change out the nibs. This is useful if the nib you've been using has become too mushy, but it's also useful if you dislike the shape. Copic Wide nibs come in two shapes.
Extra Broad Nib:
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| Image Source |
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| Image Source |
The Calligraphic Nib may actually be easier to use than the extra broad nib, as it would allow you to hold your marker perpendicular to the paper when applying the ink, which may make for a more even application.
Below is an Amazon carousel designed to help you get started with your own custom Copic Wide markers, including recommended Copic Ink refills.
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