Yup, what AWK08 said...
You have to run those plugs longer and harder to get a smoke ring on the bottom.
It takes full throttle and fully warmed up engine to get it down there.
If the engine is warmed up and run hard the oil mixture won't affect it either.
The reason it works is because it is a cool protected area in the engine. Rich mixture produces a sooty flame and the plug insulator base will keep the evidence of that. It takes full throttle to make the cylinder pressures to drive the soot down to the base of the plug. Good for use because it is full throttle we want to know about. Lean mixtures produce a hot sootless flame.
The carbon deposits toward the tip of the plug are more a factor of plug heat range (getting hot enough to burn off deposits) and are only valuable after a very long hard run. There is little reason to change from an NKG "8" series plug.
Once you know what you are looking for you will learn how to find it without cutting plugs, but cutting plugs is the best way to learn and know. Small price for a good education. Small price to save an engine. You can also read the soot on the steel parts of the plug, but is not as clear as the insulator base.
Steve