Brush Inks for Comic Artists & Illustrators: Reviews
Оригинал взят у lilrivkah в Brush Inks for Comic Artists & Illustrators: Reviews
BRUSH INKS FOR COMIC ARTISTS & ILLUSTRATORS: REVIEWS
As I've been expanding my inking repertoire from pen to brush, I've been made aware of the incredible diversity of inks available to black and white media artists . . . and how little information is readily available on the differences between brands.
Through my explorations of different inks and the search to find the ink that was most suitable for me, questions began to arise, like: "Is this ink good for line work or laying down flats?" "Will it ruin my brushes?" "Can I use watercolors on top?" "Why is it grey instead of black?"
Etc. Etc. Etc.
Out of my frustration with appropriated sharing of information, I decided to compile my own cache of reviews for future artists to take advantage of. In this list, you'll find the traits and qualities unique to each individual ink I tested in order to match them best to the traits you most desire in their own work. There are no superior or inferior brands. There is only whether you can't stand glossy ink, whether you don't want to have to wait a long time for it to condense, whether you intend to use it more for line work or flats, whether it needs to be waterproof or if you want it to be able to bleed for effect.
Etc. etc. Etc.
There are some very basic rules to using inks that I've come to realize that a huge majority of artists aren't even remotely aware of--hey, even people like me who've been doing this for a few years at least. Like the fact that most india inks are GRAY out of the bottle. Well? Does that mean it's a bad ink?
No. It means you need to take the bottle cap off and let it dry out for a few days. A few inks are decent from the bottle. But the majority of inks need to be allowed to condense. Some take longer than others. Some need to be let dried out almost half way before they're even a decent opaque consistency. Still others hardly need any drying at all.
When I use the term "out of bottle", I am referring to the ink AS IS. No drying. No adding water. Just taking off the cap and dipping the brush in. When I use the term "condensed", I am referring to ink that has been allowed to dry. And when I use the term "reconstituted", I am referring to ink that has had water added.
Something else that needs to be studied before delving into reviews is the issue of proper erasing. Most inks WILL fade if you aren't erasing properly. Please read this Comic Tools post before reading further if you don't know at least the basics already. I will reference back to it throughout the reviews just to make sure you have. ^_~
In testing these inks, I used for each the same method as you'll see outlined in the pictures below: I first tested them "out of bottle" on very basic, beginning artists plate bristol paper (Strathmore 300, which just SOAKS UP the ink . . . and not in a good way, because it lightens and diffuses it) by writing out the names and then making gradually widening strokes until I'd pushed the brush and ink as far as it would go. Then, at the upper left, on that same paper, I attempted to create a wash in two different styles: first with broad, overlapping strokes, second with thin, quick strokes. In the middle top, you'll see where I transfered over to what was recommended to me as a better, yet still easily available paper: Canson's 2-ply plate bristol. You can see immediately that the out of bottle ink sits more darkly and evenly on a higher quality paper. On the upper right, I took small samples of each ink, let them sit out for half a day, and tested the condensed results. In many, the difference is drastic. In some, not so much. Each reviews measures those qualities.
While, I'll be testing out the inks I choose for myself on other papers in the future (meaning potential paper reviews!), this is all I have for now. Easily accessible, student grade plate bristol papers.
Also, when I refer to "waterfastness", I mean how the ink holds up to water abuse. I took strips of paper, covered them in different inks, and let them sit in water for fifteen seconds then set them out to dry. In the color example, I drew a line of ink and went to work scrubbing that line out with a layer of watercolor and a crappy old brush. Most of them held up fine, but a few of them just fell apart.
It took a lot of time testing each individual ink (soooooooo much cleaning in-between to prevent contamination between dips of the brush), writing the reviews in a manner that was easily understood, and putting this in a decent layout. I sincerely hope that the results are worth and that you manage to find the ink (or inks) that are perfect for you.
If you have an ink you would like me to test (or leftover Copics because those are freakin' expensive and quite a few people asked me to include a test for alcohol based markers), please feel free to donate by contacting me at thegirl -(at)- rivkah -(d0t)- com and I'll send either my mailing address or my paypal account for art supply funds, and I'll let you know what inks I buy when you do.
Inks not included in this post that I would particularly like to test would be any of the Deleter inks 1-6, the Windsor & Newton Waterproof India Ink, and Dr. Ph. Martin's HiCarb Waterproof India Ink. I'll be updating this page as I add more reviews.
Oh! And please feel free to add your own thoughts in the comments section in order to add to the depth and breadth of these reviews!!
Otherwise . . . Enjoy!
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1) HIGGINS BLACK MAGIC - WATERPROOF INK
Price: $3.52 retail
Accessibility: Found at even the cheapest student art supply stores and practically every online art supply outlet.
Drying time: 23-30 seconds
Erasing: Out of bottle, this is one of the inks that holds up worst to erasing, not only erasing the ink almost completely, but also smudging and streaking over the paper. However, condensing the ink helps with this problem for light erasing over light and semi-light pencils. Heavier pencils and moderate to heavy erasing, however, immediately start to lift the ink away from the paper.
Reflective Properties: Possibly the darkest, densest, most magically matte ink on the market.
General Qualities: Higgins Black Magic is a densely opaque yet pleasantly fluid ink, even straight out of the bottle. In fact, the intensity of this black is so shockingly dark it’s almost incomparable beside any other brand. It leaves crisp, clean edges against the paper that are perfect for fine detail and thin lines and for people who prefer a sharp scan with the minimum amount of cleanup necessary.
Highlights: This ink practically absorbs light. There is no reflection off of this ink, not even the tiniest glare, making it an ink excellent for display in even the most varied of lighting conditions. The only ink I would recommend for use directly out of the bottle. Gets a pretty nifty drybrushing effect.
Potential Drawbacks: Thickens quickly so it’s easy to accidentally overdry. Erases too easily, even well condensed. Does not reconstitute.
Waterfastness: Dries relatively quickly and is as waterfast as they say it is, dried artwork surviving dunking in water and scrubbing with watercolor without even the tiniest bit of bleeding or fading. Attempts to add water to semi-dried ink or reconstitute completely dried ink failed miserably.
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2) HIGGINGS BLACK INDIA - WATERPROOF INK
Price: $2.67 retail
Accessibility: Found at even the cheapest student art supply stores and practically every online art supply outlet.
Drying Time: 1:40 seconds (fooooooooooooooreeeeeeveeerrrrrrr)
Erasing: A terrible eraser, rubbing away almost instantly under pressure, even well condensed, though it isn’t as prone to smudging as it’s darker counterpart, Higgins Black Magic. Recommend for VERY light erasing only and blue line pencillers.
Reflective Properties: Condensed, it is generally matte with some reflective glare at side angles. Matte and translucent out of bottle.
General Qualities: Out of the bottle, Higgins Black India ink appears dark, but it's actually rather translucent with slight pooling (darkening of excess ink) occurring wherever the brush lifts or crosses another brush line’s path. For purposes of scanning, this variation in tone is unacceptable as it also means the edges of any lines--especially thicker ones--will appear grayish and more susceptible to image degradation. However, a small sample left out to dry for several hours produced a dark, opaque, and solid ink with crisply defined edges, comparable in tone to the Higgins Black Magic ink.
Highlights: Possibly the easiest ink to find. High control over density of ink, from a dark grey to intense black with a number of easily controlled possibilities in-between.
Potential Drawbacks Not condensed enough, this ink is prone to streaking, pooling, and overlap.
Waterfastness:Dunked in water and scrubbed with a brush, this brand stands up to its claims of waterfastness. This is also one of the longest inks to redry, as well. Water just sort of sits on top of the ink and just . . . sits . . . and never really dries back out.
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3) DR. PH. MARTIN’S BOMBAY BLACK INDIA INK
Price: $3.50 retail
Accessibility: Found at even the cheapest student art supply stores and practically every online art supply outlet.
Drying Time: 15-30 seconds dependent upon density
Erasing: Relatively unaffected by light erasing, but if you’re a real digger with your pencils (I mean, really JAM those pencils into the paper) and like to abuse your paper with non-gum erasers, then this might not be the ink for you. For everybody else who pencils and erases with decent, moderate pressure, it’ll hold up to the majority of your erasing needs. Now go read this Comic Tools post to learn how to erase decently.
Reflective Properties: Out of the bottle, this brand is a dark, grayish, but consistent wash with a well defined edge. Condensed, it's dark, silky, and smooth with a slight reflective quality that adds a richness and density to the final art that almost makes the black glow with a particular vibrancy peculiar to this brand.
General Qualities:Like most of the other inks, the Dr. Ph. Martin's Bombay India Ink needs to be allowed to dry out and condense before use. However, this ink dries far more quickly and consistently, not only on the page, but in the bottle as well, and yet takes longer to overdry. While excellent for line art, there is an appearance of very slight overlapping when laid down flat. Nothing notable in scanning, but to eye, the denser, overlapping lines have a shinier quality to them. Recommended for line art and moderate flats.
Highlights: A very evenly toned ink that is easily to find. High control over density. Well condensed, minor streaking is imperceptible to a scanner. Highly resistant to even the heaviest erasing. Unique finish.
Potential Drawbacks Noticeable pooling when used out of bottle. Slightly inconsistent finish if not condensed enough.
Waterfastness: Completely waterproof and one of the inks most resistant to watercolor wash being laid over it. The line stays relatively dark and smooth even under a layer of wash and heavy scrubbing.
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4) SENNELIER INDIAN INK - "A LA PAGODE"
Price: $10.30 retail
Accessibility: Easily found and ordered at some of the larger online stores, but I’ve never seen it in a local retail art supply store.
Drying Time: 12-15 seconds
Erasing: Out of all the inks in this bunch, this was the ink most IMPOSSIBLE to erase. No matter how much I dug and dug into the paper, I could absolutely NOT get this to erase, even marginally at the edges. Highly recommended for heavy pencillers who abuse their paper with crappy erasers.
Reflective Properties: Highly glossy.
General Qualities:While one of my least favorite of the bunch, Sennelier's "Indian" Ink is still passable in a pinch. Quite darkish straight out of the bottle, it's nonetheless still prone to darkening and overlapping even as a wash. Condensed, it is appropriately dense, but it lightens slightly where the brush lifts, and it's got a wretchedly reflective surface that makes it almost impossible to see under direct light. It also dries out incredibly fast, but attempts to drybrush with the gooey results creates a disgusting, clumpy mess that’s difficult to work with. However, as compensation perhaps, it can be decently reconstituted with a bit of water added back in and it cleans up relatively well.
Highlights: Almost impossible to erase. Easy to find online in large quantities. Maintains it intensity well with watercolor.
Potential Drawbacks Ridiculously expensive. Overly glossy. Has a tendency to soak up and expand into the brush. This is also one of the more horrifically smelling inks, similar in odor to wet charcoal and a dog that’s just swum in the lake. While the bottle is appealing from the outside, it’s almost impossible to open without pliers when the ink inside cakes and dries because the inside liner keeps coming unglued and sticking to the lip of the glass, therefore needing prying off every time you try to use it . . . not mention a spray of ink all over you, your art, and your desk, when you do.
Waterfastness: Out of all the inks I tested, this retained the smoothest, darkest line under watercolor wash. Unfortunately, also pray you never accidentally dump your finished art in a pool of water, because it'll take forever to dry back out and the paper will ripple and bend horribly. It’s a strange property of the ink I didn’t notice as much in any other.
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5) DELETER BLACK #5
Price: $4.72 retail
Accessibility: Practically impossible to find anywhere except a limited list of online retailers.
Drying Time: 25 seconds
Erasing: Holds up extremely well under light to moderate pencils and light to heavy erasing, but for the pencil diggers leaving grooves in the paper, this one does start to pick up. Recommended for those moderate pencillers out there who don’t care too much what kind of eraser they’re using or how they’re using it. If you pencil and erase properly, however, there should be any problems with this one.
Reflective Properties: Matte and silky smooth out of the bottle. Slightly reflective when condensed but with a nice, even tone.
General Qualities: Straight out of the bottle, Deleter Black #5 is a dark grey that easily creates one of the smoothest, most seamlessly sexy washes you've ever borne witness to. It's like freakin' magic, it's that smooth, though you do have to make sure there isn’t too much water on the brush in order to keep it from pooling. I also found that creating hair width lines was infinitely easier with this ink than any other--perhaps because it's also one of the most liquidly thin yet stretchable inks I tested--creating clear, precise, clean lines that should be easily scanned. Condensed, it creates a highly opaque, slightly reflective line that is a little prone to some very slight lightening where the tip of the brush lifts up. Condense a little more, and this problem disappears.
Highlights: A little goes a long way! One dip of the brush can go forever, and ever, and ever, and ever, so don't think you'll be running out of this one anytime soon. And excellent multipurpose ink for both flats and line work. Something else I noticed when working with it is that the tip of the brush seemed to spring back to a point when I lift more readily than any of the other inks, no matter how hard I pressed. I could get the same with other inks, but I didn’t have to be so conscious about it.
Potential Drawbacks This ink smells a bit like somebody put out a year's worth of leaves and compost to dry, set them on fire with gasoline, and then gathered the ashes. Also, difficult to find. I’ve never seen ANY of the Deleter products available at a retail store. And beware of fingerprints! Deleter Black #5 positively rejects any oils present on the surface of the paper. So keep that paper clean or use something else. Not being waterfast is also a drawback for artists who plan on using a wash afterwards and those who neglect to apply a fixative. But I plan on testing out their waterfast version as well. I have high hopes!
Waterfastness: This ink is most definitely NOT waterproof. There are waterproof versions available (I will eagerly be testing those, as well), but this ink positively LEAKS if so much as a drop of water falls on it, so don't even think of applying a wash, marker, or stain over your finished work. However, being water soluble, there is also a huge plus: for you nib users out there, consider this an easy cleanup. You could leave this ink on your nib to dry for days, and it’ll still clean up. Plus, you can always apply fixative to your art to keep it from bleeding. If you have a problem with ink drying out and caking on your nibs, I would highly, highly, highly recommend this ink.
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6) SPEEDBALL SUPER BLACK INDIA INK
Price: $3.39 retail
Availability: Another ubiquitous ink, I’ve even found this ink in calligraphy and stationary stores whom are typically known for selling crappy paper and crappy inks. Except this one, apparently. Easily found online, as well.
Drying time: 30 seconds
Erasing: Properly condensed, this holds up well to both light and heavy erasing no matter how light or heavy the pencils beneath. There is a slight fade under extremely heavy erasing, but as long as you’re erasing properly (go see this post), your inks will be fine.
Reflective Properties: A semi-glossy ink that gains opacity and glossiness as it thickens and matte as a dark grey wash.
General Qualities:Speedball Super Black India Ink is fairly decent out of bottle by being consistent (it isn't overly prone to pooling, though it does overlap quite a bit), but it seems to works best slightly condensed, producing a generally opaque, fairly glossy finish. The ink itself also isn't as dark or dense as I might like. Even though single lines are fairly solid, not matter how thick, there is a minor but noticeable amount of overlapping, and pulling the brush up creates either pooling or lighter lines, even after condensing.
Highlights: One of the best things going for this brand is its bottle: Wide mouth, wide base that's IMPOSSIBLE to tip (unless you knock it off a desk), and the label comes easily off if you want to be able to see the level of ink in the bottle from the outside. This makes dipping your brush a lot easier than any of the other bottles. It’s a decent ink that’s easy to find and never too expensive for the amount that’s in even the smallest bottle (twice the amount of most small bottles!).
Potential Drawbacks There's no liner in the cap, so drying out might be a problem. Just make sure to open the cap with a paper towel wrapped around it, because it does seem slightly prone to splatter upon opening.
Waterfastness: As the brand claims, it is perfectly waterproof, though under a watercolor wash, it does tend to fade a bit and recede beneath the color of the wash.
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7) WINDSOR & NEWTON LIQUID INDIAN INK - NON WATERPROOF
Price: $8.20 retail
Availability: One of those sporadically available inks.
Drying time: 35-40 seconds
Erasing: Holds up incredibly well under light to moderately heavy erasing. In fact, at it’s densest, it’s almost impossible to erase. Recommended for those paper killers out there who dig in with heavy pencils and crappy erasers.
Reflective Properties: Completely matte, no matter how dense.
General Qualities: This is, quite possibly, the worst ink I have EVER tried. Why do people use this crap? Out of the bottle, Windsor & Newton Liquid "Indian" Ink is light grey, prone to pooling and streaking, and even laid down as a wash, you can actually see the sediment at the bottom of the wash. If you like crazy textures, that's fine, but if you like your washes smooth and even, stay FAR FAR AWAY.
When I set a sample of the Windsor & Newton aside to condense, however, it was the first to start to dry out. A third in volume as it was when it started, the W&N turned out a surprisingly dark, matte, black, still bluish grey around the edges, but surprisingly dense in the middle, comparable to the Higgins Black Magic. Sort of. The fuzzy grey edges make this an ink that would be almost impossible to work with as a line art ink and still hope to get a decent scan. However, to lay down flats, if you have it at hand, it's . . . doable.
The real problem I have with this ink, however, is the sediment. Visible sediment in the ink shows to me a lack of quality and care in the grinding of the pigment and a certain lack of attention to a proper vehicle to hold that pigment consistently throughout the medium. Inks should not . . . settle. They should be properly made so that you can just dip your brush in and expect them to give you a smooth, dark line, no mixing or stirring involved. Otherwise, you're getting something watered down and cheap. Windsor & Newton were cutting corners with this ink, and it shows.
Highlights: Ridiculously easy cleanup (I’d suggest just throwing it all away preferably). And it’s dark when condensed to about a third of its volume? That’s about it.
Potential Drawbacks I'll be testing the waterproof version of this ink sometime, but if it's ANYTHING like this was, I'm still going to feel like throwing it across the room and letting it sink into a pool of bile and vomit to never reappear again. I. LOATHE. THIS. INK. Especially since it’s ridiculously expensive.
Waterfastness: This is an ink that is easily reconstituted with water should it dry out to even the driest caked sediment at the bottom of your bottle. Just add water and stir. As a reconstituted wash, it does an interesting effect of pooling at only the edges and creating a sort of dark border you could possibly get some interesting effects from. Oddly, for all that's so easily reconstituted, it's also surprisingly resistant to water and watercolor wash. It's not the best by ANY stretch of the imagination, but straight water dunking left it unharmed, and watercolor washing only bled it marginally at the edges. However, it did lighten considerably.
Please don’t ever buy this ink, even if you’re a hopelessly desperate newb. ESPECIALLY if you’re a newb. A seasoned professional might be able to get something out of this at least. Some cool effects or . . . whatever. Ew.
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8) PELIKAN DRAWING INK A
Price: $6.70 retail
Attainability: I’ve never seen this ink in any typical art supply stores, but it appears relatively easy to find online, both in small and large sizes.
Drying Time: Now, I have to note something real quick. Every ink that I tested in this batch had a visible drying time I could watch and count in seconds. But Pelikan drawing ink? INSTANTANEOUS. This ink freakin’ dries before your brush has even left the paper. In fact, you can see it drying AS your brush is drawing the line down the paper. Perfect, perfect, perfect for people who work quickly and like to rest their hands, arms, and elbows all over their finished art.
Erasing: Holds up well to erasing, though it will fade under heavy eraser pressure. Recommended that you proper erasing for this one (as you should with ALL inks) and make sure you don’t do too much rubbing. Thankfully, it at least does a smooth erase, so where it DOES fade if you’ve rubbed too hard, it’s hardly noticeable from the darker ink around it and still dense enough it should scan without notice.
Reflective Properties: Marginally reflective when highly condensed.
General Qualities: Honestly, this isn't as dark an ink as some people might like, but I found it to sit incredibly well on the brush, creating ordered, liquid, precise lines that could be either hair thin or medium large. It's difficult to describe, but being a very textural person, it actually "felt" good drawing it across the paper. Smooth and liquid yet responsive to the texture of the paper. A dark grey wash first out of the bottle, prone to both minor overlapping and very slight pooling, Pelikan Drawing Ink A condenses to a pleasantly opaque, dark drawing ink, good for both broad flats and thin lines. As far as a multipurpose ink goes, this was one of my favorites. Crisp dark drawing lines with well defined edges (except for occasional lightening as the brush lifts away, so you'll have to make sure to condense it far enough so that doesn't happen) and yet also smooth, even flats. I wouldn't use this as a grey wash, but for straight black and white art where I have to choose only one ink to multipurpose, this would be my first pick, hands down.
Highlights: One of my weirdly favorite things about this ink is its peculiar smell: it smells like . . . well, like smoking mesquite. It's a weirdly delicious scent that makes me want to eat it more than draw with it (or smoke a thanksgiving turkey). I also like the small bottle shape: easy to open, easy to dip, and not prone to splattering. The ink sits nicely at the lip and doesn't spill over. And the bottle screws on in such a way that I don't feel like I have to worry about accidental spillage while traveling. Plus, it's easy to clean up afterwards! For all that’s it’s a fast dryer.
Potential Drawbacks Not as dark and dense as some other inks. Difficult to find anywhere but online. Slightly expensive.
Waterfastness: Completely waterfast. Fades a bit under watercolors.
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) FW ARTISTS ACRYLIC INK - BLACK INDIA
Price: $6.20 retail
Attainability: One of those inks you can find just about anywhere, any place, any time, both online and in even the most bare bones of student art supply stores.
Drying Time: 30 seconds
Erasing: Like the Sennelier, this was another one freaking IMPOSSIBLE to erase. I scrubbed and scrubbed and scrubbed over even the heaviest of pencil lines and could not get this one to lift except for some very minor lightening where it looked like it had rubbed away finite, miniscule grains of ink when the ink wasn’t condensed enough. Highly recommended for those heavy pencillers who do a heck load of heavy erasing.
Reflective Properties: Matte, exceptionally smooth mid grey wash out of bottle, a dark, semi-glossy black when condensed.
General Qualities: FW Artist's Acrylic Ink seems better suited for washes and flats than for actual drawing. Out of all the inks other than Windsor & Newton, this one had the fuzziest edges. Even condensed, upon lifting the brush from the paper, there is a lightening to grey which could cause all sorts of potential scanning problems.
Highlights: Lays down exceptionally smooth flats and washes. Smooth enough in fact to surpass the Deleter Black #5. Readily available.
Potential Drawbacks Far too much variation in glossiness according to density and overlapping of brush strokes that is unnoticeable when scanned in but obvious under natural lighting. There is a slight problem of pooling, which could either create some neat textures or be a royal pain in the butt down the road. Just make sure not to load the brush too much in order to prevent this. Relatively expensive for its size. Requires … shaking before use. WTF?
Waterfastness: Completely waterproof (though a slow dryer) and retains a surprisingly dark line when gone over by watercolor wash.
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10) RAPIDOGRAPH BLACK INDIA INK - ULTRADRAW 3085-F - WATERPROOF
Price: $5.10 retail
Availability: One of those inks you can find just about anywhere, any place, any time, both online and in even the most bare of student art supply stores.
Drying Time: Looks dry at fifteen seconds, but it continues to smudge up until 30, so let fully dry.
Erasing: Holds up well under light penciling and light erasing, but drastically fades under heavy penciling and heavy erasing, and even does a little unpleasant streaking. Recommended for light pencillers and people who know how to erase.
Reflective Properties: Dark grey, matte wash out of bottle. Let it sit for a bit and condense, and you'll end up with a seamlessly flat black wash that can be either almost matte or almost glossy depending on exactly how much you’ve condensed it.
General Qualities: More commonly used in those infernally impossible to clean Rapidograph technical pens, this appropriately opaque ink turned out to be quite the pleasant surprise for brush work. Out of bottle, it creates a pleasantly flat, smooth, ultra dark grey wash that was practically seamless at overlapping edges. There was slight pooling as a flat or wash which is easily solved by not overloading the brush. Lines are solid and even and crisp at the edges. Even if this isn't as dark as some of the other inks, the evenness in tone should prove it still excellent for scanning. A very thin ink, it sits lightly on the brush and doesn't clog or clump up bristles.
Highlights: It’s high availability. The smoothness of its finish. Like the Deleter Black #5, this is one of those inks that just goes on, and on, and on, and on.
Potential Drawbacks: If you plan on using either brush or nib, you WILL need to rebottle this ink. Thankfully, at least, the bottle it comes in is easy to pour into whatever container to decide to use it in. Slightly expensive for being smaller in amount compared to most other small bottles (in spite of its deceptive height).
Waterfastness: Dipped in water, there is no bleeding, but the paper around it takes on a strange sort of brown tinge that barely perceptible and probably easily scanned out. Resistant to scrubbing, it does however fade a bit beneath watercolor wash. Also, oddly, if you find your ink has dried out too much, the leftovers can be reusable as a light wash after water is added. Does some interesting effects at the edges where the ink collects and dries.
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11) MYSTERY "MANGA INK"
Price: $???
Availability: ???
Drying Time: 25 seconds
Erasing: Holds up well to light erasing and even moderately heavy erasing, but begins to fade once you really start to rub that eraser in.
Reflective Properties: Semi-glossy.
General Qualities:Just for "grins" and giggles, I tried out this mystery ink that was sent to me. I have no clue who the manufacturer is, but I'm guessing it's a basic India ink. Dark grey out of the bottle, it condenses to a pleasantly semi-glossy finish that if dried too far is prone to clumping, and left too wet, prone to greying at the edges. It's a decently passable ink, but considering I have no clue where to get it, best left shrouded in the mystery it came in for better, cheaper inks that are more easily accessible.
Highlights: Nice, flat wash.
Potential Drawbacks Like the Deleter Black #5, has a tendency to show fingerprints and oils on the paper. I somehow doubt being able to actually FIND it.
Waterfastness: Completely waterproof, though like Rapidograph ink, it tinges the paper brown when accidentally made wet, but even more perceptively so.
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Got some extra inks lying around you would like me to test? Please feel free to donate by contacting me at thegirl -(at)- rivkah -(d0t)- com and I'll send my mailing address to test 'em out.
http://lilrivkah.livejournal.com/
BRUSH INKS FOR COMIC ARTISTS & ILLUSTRATORS: REVIEWS
As I've been expanding my inking repertoire from pen to brush, I've been made aware of the incredible diversity of inks available to black and white media artists . . . and how little information is readily available on the differences between brands.
Through my explorations of different inks and the search to find the ink that was most suitable for me, questions began to arise, like: "Is this ink good for line work or laying down flats?" "Will it ruin my brushes?" "Can I use watercolors on top?" "Why is it grey instead of black?"
Etc. Etc. Etc.
Out of my frustration with appropriated sharing of information, I decided to compile my own cache of reviews for future artists to take advantage of. In this list, you'll find the traits and qualities unique to each individual ink I tested in order to match them best to the traits you most desire in their own work. There are no superior or inferior brands. There is only whether you can't stand glossy ink, whether you don't want to have to wait a long time for it to condense, whether you intend to use it more for line work or flats, whether it needs to be waterproof or if you want it to be able to bleed for effect.
Etc. etc. Etc.
There are some very basic rules to using inks that I've come to realize that a huge majority of artists aren't even remotely aware of--hey, even people like me who've been doing this for a few years at least. Like the fact that most india inks are GRAY out of the bottle. Well? Does that mean it's a bad ink?
No. It means you need to take the bottle cap off and let it dry out for a few days. A few inks are decent from the bottle. But the majority of inks need to be allowed to condense. Some take longer than others. Some need to be let dried out almost half way before they're even a decent opaque consistency. Still others hardly need any drying at all.
When I use the term "out of bottle", I am referring to the ink AS IS. No drying. No adding water. Just taking off the cap and dipping the brush in. When I use the term "condensed", I am referring to ink that has been allowed to dry. And when I use the term "reconstituted", I am referring to ink that has had water added.
Something else that needs to be studied before delving into reviews is the issue of proper erasing. Most inks WILL fade if you aren't erasing properly. Please read this Comic Tools post before reading further if you don't know at least the basics already. I will reference back to it throughout the reviews just to make sure you have. ^_~
In testing these inks, I used for each the same method as you'll see outlined in the pictures below: I first tested them "out of bottle" on very basic, beginning artists plate bristol paper (Strathmore 300, which just SOAKS UP the ink . . . and not in a good way, because it lightens and diffuses it) by writing out the names and then making gradually widening strokes until I'd pushed the brush and ink as far as it would go. Then, at the upper left, on that same paper, I attempted to create a wash in two different styles: first with broad, overlapping strokes, second with thin, quick strokes. In the middle top, you'll see where I transfered over to what was recommended to me as a better, yet still easily available paper: Canson's 2-ply plate bristol. You can see immediately that the out of bottle ink sits more darkly and evenly on a higher quality paper. On the upper right, I took small samples of each ink, let them sit out for half a day, and tested the condensed results. In many, the difference is drastic. In some, not so much. Each reviews measures those qualities.
While, I'll be testing out the inks I choose for myself on other papers in the future (meaning potential paper reviews!), this is all I have for now. Easily accessible, student grade plate bristol papers.
Also, when I refer to "waterfastness", I mean how the ink holds up to water abuse. I took strips of paper, covered them in different inks, and let them sit in water for fifteen seconds then set them out to dry. In the color example, I drew a line of ink and went to work scrubbing that line out with a layer of watercolor and a crappy old brush. Most of them held up fine, but a few of them just fell apart.
It took a lot of time testing each individual ink (soooooooo much cleaning in-between to prevent contamination between dips of the brush), writing the reviews in a manner that was easily understood, and putting this in a decent layout. I sincerely hope that the results are worth and that you manage to find the ink (or inks) that are perfect for you.
If you have an ink you would like me to test (or leftover Copics because those are freakin' expensive and quite a few people asked me to include a test for alcohol based markers), please feel free to donate by contacting me at thegirl -(at)- rivkah -(d0t)- com and I'll send either my mailing address or my paypal account for art supply funds, and I'll let you know what inks I buy when you do.
Inks not included in this post that I would particularly like to test would be any of the Deleter inks 1-6, the Windsor & Newton Waterproof India Ink, and Dr. Ph. Martin's HiCarb Waterproof India Ink. I'll be updating this page as I add more reviews.
Oh! And please feel free to add your own thoughts in the comments section in order to add to the depth and breadth of these reviews!!
Otherwise . . . Enjoy!
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1) HIGGINS BLACK MAGIC - WATERPROOF INK
Price: $3.52 retail
Accessibility: Found at even the cheapest student art supply stores and practically every online art supply outlet.
Drying time: 23-30 seconds
Erasing: Out of bottle, this is one of the inks that holds up worst to erasing, not only erasing the ink almost completely, but also smudging and streaking over the paper. However, condensing the ink helps with this problem for light erasing over light and semi-light pencils. Heavier pencils and moderate to heavy erasing, however, immediately start to lift the ink away from the paper.
Reflective Properties: Possibly the darkest, densest, most magically matte ink on the market.
General Qualities: Higgins Black Magic is a densely opaque yet pleasantly fluid ink, even straight out of the bottle. In fact, the intensity of this black is so shockingly dark it’s almost incomparable beside any other brand. It leaves crisp, clean edges against the paper that are perfect for fine detail and thin lines and for people who prefer a sharp scan with the minimum amount of cleanup necessary.
Highlights: This ink practically absorbs light. There is no reflection off of this ink, not even the tiniest glare, making it an ink excellent for display in even the most varied of lighting conditions. The only ink I would recommend for use directly out of the bottle. Gets a pretty nifty drybrushing effect.
Potential Drawbacks: Thickens quickly so it’s easy to accidentally overdry. Erases too easily, even well condensed. Does not reconstitute.
Waterfastness: Dries relatively quickly and is as waterfast as they say it is, dried artwork surviving dunking in water and scrubbing with watercolor without even the tiniest bit of bleeding or fading. Attempts to add water to semi-dried ink or reconstitute completely dried ink failed miserably.
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2) HIGGINGS BLACK INDIA - WATERPROOF INK
Price: $2.67 retail
Accessibility: Found at even the cheapest student art supply stores and practically every online art supply outlet.
Drying Time: 1:40 seconds (fooooooooooooooreeeeeeveeerrrrrrr)
Erasing: A terrible eraser, rubbing away almost instantly under pressure, even well condensed, though it isn’t as prone to smudging as it’s darker counterpart, Higgins Black Magic. Recommend for VERY light erasing only and blue line pencillers.
Reflective Properties: Condensed, it is generally matte with some reflective glare at side angles. Matte and translucent out of bottle.
General Qualities: Out of the bottle, Higgins Black India ink appears dark, but it's actually rather translucent with slight pooling (darkening of excess ink) occurring wherever the brush lifts or crosses another brush line’s path. For purposes of scanning, this variation in tone is unacceptable as it also means the edges of any lines--especially thicker ones--will appear grayish and more susceptible to image degradation. However, a small sample left out to dry for several hours produced a dark, opaque, and solid ink with crisply defined edges, comparable in tone to the Higgins Black Magic ink.
Highlights: Possibly the easiest ink to find. High control over density of ink, from a dark grey to intense black with a number of easily controlled possibilities in-between.
Potential Drawbacks Not condensed enough, this ink is prone to streaking, pooling, and overlap.
Waterfastness:Dunked in water and scrubbed with a brush, this brand stands up to its claims of waterfastness. This is also one of the longest inks to redry, as well. Water just sort of sits on top of the ink and just . . . sits . . . and never really dries back out.
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3) DR. PH. MARTIN’S BOMBAY BLACK INDIA INK
Price: $3.50 retail
Accessibility: Found at even the cheapest student art supply stores and practically every online art supply outlet.
Drying Time: 15-30 seconds dependent upon density
Erasing: Relatively unaffected by light erasing, but if you’re a real digger with your pencils (I mean, really JAM those pencils into the paper) and like to abuse your paper with non-gum erasers, then this might not be the ink for you. For everybody else who pencils and erases with decent, moderate pressure, it’ll hold up to the majority of your erasing needs. Now go read this Comic Tools post to learn how to erase decently.
Reflective Properties: Out of the bottle, this brand is a dark, grayish, but consistent wash with a well defined edge. Condensed, it's dark, silky, and smooth with a slight reflective quality that adds a richness and density to the final art that almost makes the black glow with a particular vibrancy peculiar to this brand.
General Qualities:Like most of the other inks, the Dr. Ph. Martin's Bombay India Ink needs to be allowed to dry out and condense before use. However, this ink dries far more quickly and consistently, not only on the page, but in the bottle as well, and yet takes longer to overdry. While excellent for line art, there is an appearance of very slight overlapping when laid down flat. Nothing notable in scanning, but to eye, the denser, overlapping lines have a shinier quality to them. Recommended for line art and moderate flats.
Highlights: A very evenly toned ink that is easily to find. High control over density. Well condensed, minor streaking is imperceptible to a scanner. Highly resistant to even the heaviest erasing. Unique finish.
Potential Drawbacks Noticeable pooling when used out of bottle. Slightly inconsistent finish if not condensed enough.
Waterfastness: Completely waterproof and one of the inks most resistant to watercolor wash being laid over it. The line stays relatively dark and smooth even under a layer of wash and heavy scrubbing.
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4) SENNELIER INDIAN INK - "A LA PAGODE"
Price: $10.30 retail
Accessibility: Easily found and ordered at some of the larger online stores, but I’ve never seen it in a local retail art supply store.
Drying Time: 12-15 seconds
Erasing: Out of all the inks in this bunch, this was the ink most IMPOSSIBLE to erase. No matter how much I dug and dug into the paper, I could absolutely NOT get this to erase, even marginally at the edges. Highly recommended for heavy pencillers who abuse their paper with crappy erasers.
Reflective Properties: Highly glossy.
General Qualities:While one of my least favorite of the bunch, Sennelier's "Indian" Ink is still passable in a pinch. Quite darkish straight out of the bottle, it's nonetheless still prone to darkening and overlapping even as a wash. Condensed, it is appropriately dense, but it lightens slightly where the brush lifts, and it's got a wretchedly reflective surface that makes it almost impossible to see under direct light. It also dries out incredibly fast, but attempts to drybrush with the gooey results creates a disgusting, clumpy mess that’s difficult to work with. However, as compensation perhaps, it can be decently reconstituted with a bit of water added back in and it cleans up relatively well.
Highlights: Almost impossible to erase. Easy to find online in large quantities. Maintains it intensity well with watercolor.
Potential Drawbacks Ridiculously expensive. Overly glossy. Has a tendency to soak up and expand into the brush. This is also one of the more horrifically smelling inks, similar in odor to wet charcoal and a dog that’s just swum in the lake. While the bottle is appealing from the outside, it’s almost impossible to open without pliers when the ink inside cakes and dries because the inside liner keeps coming unglued and sticking to the lip of the glass, therefore needing prying off every time you try to use it . . . not mention a spray of ink all over you, your art, and your desk, when you do.
Waterfastness: Out of all the inks I tested, this retained the smoothest, darkest line under watercolor wash. Unfortunately, also pray you never accidentally dump your finished art in a pool of water, because it'll take forever to dry back out and the paper will ripple and bend horribly. It’s a strange property of the ink I didn’t notice as much in any other.
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5) DELETER BLACK #5
Price: $4.72 retail
Accessibility: Practically impossible to find anywhere except a limited list of online retailers.
Drying Time: 25 seconds
Erasing: Holds up extremely well under light to moderate pencils and light to heavy erasing, but for the pencil diggers leaving grooves in the paper, this one does start to pick up. Recommended for those moderate pencillers out there who don’t care too much what kind of eraser they’re using or how they’re using it. If you pencil and erase properly, however, there should be any problems with this one.
Reflective Properties: Matte and silky smooth out of the bottle. Slightly reflective when condensed but with a nice, even tone.
General Qualities: Straight out of the bottle, Deleter Black #5 is a dark grey that easily creates one of the smoothest, most seamlessly sexy washes you've ever borne witness to. It's like freakin' magic, it's that smooth, though you do have to make sure there isn’t too much water on the brush in order to keep it from pooling. I also found that creating hair width lines was infinitely easier with this ink than any other--perhaps because it's also one of the most liquidly thin yet stretchable inks I tested--creating clear, precise, clean lines that should be easily scanned. Condensed, it creates a highly opaque, slightly reflective line that is a little prone to some very slight lightening where the tip of the brush lifts up. Condense a little more, and this problem disappears.
Highlights: A little goes a long way! One dip of the brush can go forever, and ever, and ever, and ever, so don't think you'll be running out of this one anytime soon. And excellent multipurpose ink for both flats and line work. Something else I noticed when working with it is that the tip of the brush seemed to spring back to a point when I lift more readily than any of the other inks, no matter how hard I pressed. I could get the same with other inks, but I didn’t have to be so conscious about it.
Potential Drawbacks This ink smells a bit like somebody put out a year's worth of leaves and compost to dry, set them on fire with gasoline, and then gathered the ashes. Also, difficult to find. I’ve never seen ANY of the Deleter products available at a retail store. And beware of fingerprints! Deleter Black #5 positively rejects any oils present on the surface of the paper. So keep that paper clean or use something else. Not being waterfast is also a drawback for artists who plan on using a wash afterwards and those who neglect to apply a fixative. But I plan on testing out their waterfast version as well. I have high hopes!
Waterfastness: This ink is most definitely NOT waterproof. There are waterproof versions available (I will eagerly be testing those, as well), but this ink positively LEAKS if so much as a drop of water falls on it, so don't even think of applying a wash, marker, or stain over your finished work. However, being water soluble, there is also a huge plus: for you nib users out there, consider this an easy cleanup. You could leave this ink on your nib to dry for days, and it’ll still clean up. Plus, you can always apply fixative to your art to keep it from bleeding. If you have a problem with ink drying out and caking on your nibs, I would highly, highly, highly recommend this ink.
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6) SPEEDBALL SUPER BLACK INDIA INK
Price: $3.39 retail
Availability: Another ubiquitous ink, I’ve even found this ink in calligraphy and stationary stores whom are typically known for selling crappy paper and crappy inks. Except this one, apparently. Easily found online, as well.
Drying time: 30 seconds
Erasing: Properly condensed, this holds up well to both light and heavy erasing no matter how light or heavy the pencils beneath. There is a slight fade under extremely heavy erasing, but as long as you’re erasing properly (go see this post), your inks will be fine.
Reflective Properties: A semi-glossy ink that gains opacity and glossiness as it thickens and matte as a dark grey wash.
General Qualities:Speedball Super Black India Ink is fairly decent out of bottle by being consistent (it isn't overly prone to pooling, though it does overlap quite a bit), but it seems to works best slightly condensed, producing a generally opaque, fairly glossy finish. The ink itself also isn't as dark or dense as I might like. Even though single lines are fairly solid, not matter how thick, there is a minor but noticeable amount of overlapping, and pulling the brush up creates either pooling or lighter lines, even after condensing.
Highlights: One of the best things going for this brand is its bottle: Wide mouth, wide base that's IMPOSSIBLE to tip (unless you knock it off a desk), and the label comes easily off if you want to be able to see the level of ink in the bottle from the outside. This makes dipping your brush a lot easier than any of the other bottles. It’s a decent ink that’s easy to find and never too expensive for the amount that’s in even the smallest bottle (twice the amount of most small bottles!).
Potential Drawbacks There's no liner in the cap, so drying out might be a problem. Just make sure to open the cap with a paper towel wrapped around it, because it does seem slightly prone to splatter upon opening.
Waterfastness: As the brand claims, it is perfectly waterproof, though under a watercolor wash, it does tend to fade a bit and recede beneath the color of the wash.
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7) WINDSOR & NEWTON LIQUID INDIAN INK - NON WATERPROOF
Price: $8.20 retail
Availability: One of those sporadically available inks.
Drying time: 35-40 seconds
Erasing: Holds up incredibly well under light to moderately heavy erasing. In fact, at it’s densest, it’s almost impossible to erase. Recommended for those paper killers out there who dig in with heavy pencils and crappy erasers.
Reflective Properties: Completely matte, no matter how dense.
General Qualities: This is, quite possibly, the worst ink I have EVER tried. Why do people use this crap? Out of the bottle, Windsor & Newton Liquid "Indian" Ink is light grey, prone to pooling and streaking, and even laid down as a wash, you can actually see the sediment at the bottom of the wash. If you like crazy textures, that's fine, but if you like your washes smooth and even, stay FAR FAR AWAY.
When I set a sample of the Windsor & Newton aside to condense, however, it was the first to start to dry out. A third in volume as it was when it started, the W&N turned out a surprisingly dark, matte, black, still bluish grey around the edges, but surprisingly dense in the middle, comparable to the Higgins Black Magic. Sort of. The fuzzy grey edges make this an ink that would be almost impossible to work with as a line art ink and still hope to get a decent scan. However, to lay down flats, if you have it at hand, it's . . . doable.
The real problem I have with this ink, however, is the sediment. Visible sediment in the ink shows to me a lack of quality and care in the grinding of the pigment and a certain lack of attention to a proper vehicle to hold that pigment consistently throughout the medium. Inks should not . . . settle. They should be properly made so that you can just dip your brush in and expect them to give you a smooth, dark line, no mixing or stirring involved. Otherwise, you're getting something watered down and cheap. Windsor & Newton were cutting corners with this ink, and it shows.
Highlights: Ridiculously easy cleanup (I’d suggest just throwing it all away preferably). And it’s dark when condensed to about a third of its volume? That’s about it.
Potential Drawbacks I'll be testing the waterproof version of this ink sometime, but if it's ANYTHING like this was, I'm still going to feel like throwing it across the room and letting it sink into a pool of bile and vomit to never reappear again. I. LOATHE. THIS. INK. Especially since it’s ridiculously expensive.
Waterfastness: This is an ink that is easily reconstituted with water should it dry out to even the driest caked sediment at the bottom of your bottle. Just add water and stir. As a reconstituted wash, it does an interesting effect of pooling at only the edges and creating a sort of dark border you could possibly get some interesting effects from. Oddly, for all that's so easily reconstituted, it's also surprisingly resistant to water and watercolor wash. It's not the best by ANY stretch of the imagination, but straight water dunking left it unharmed, and watercolor washing only bled it marginally at the edges. However, it did lighten considerably.
Please don’t ever buy this ink, even if you’re a hopelessly desperate newb. ESPECIALLY if you’re a newb. A seasoned professional might be able to get something out of this at least. Some cool effects or . . . whatever. Ew.
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8) PELIKAN DRAWING INK A
Price: $6.70 retail
Attainability: I’ve never seen this ink in any typical art supply stores, but it appears relatively easy to find online, both in small and large sizes.
Drying Time: Now, I have to note something real quick. Every ink that I tested in this batch had a visible drying time I could watch and count in seconds. But Pelikan drawing ink? INSTANTANEOUS. This ink freakin’ dries before your brush has even left the paper. In fact, you can see it drying AS your brush is drawing the line down the paper. Perfect, perfect, perfect for people who work quickly and like to rest their hands, arms, and elbows all over their finished art.
Erasing: Holds up well to erasing, though it will fade under heavy eraser pressure. Recommended that you proper erasing for this one (as you should with ALL inks) and make sure you don’t do too much rubbing. Thankfully, it at least does a smooth erase, so where it DOES fade if you’ve rubbed too hard, it’s hardly noticeable from the darker ink around it and still dense enough it should scan without notice.
Reflective Properties: Marginally reflective when highly condensed.
General Qualities: Honestly, this isn't as dark an ink as some people might like, but I found it to sit incredibly well on the brush, creating ordered, liquid, precise lines that could be either hair thin or medium large. It's difficult to describe, but being a very textural person, it actually "felt" good drawing it across the paper. Smooth and liquid yet responsive to the texture of the paper. A dark grey wash first out of the bottle, prone to both minor overlapping and very slight pooling, Pelikan Drawing Ink A condenses to a pleasantly opaque, dark drawing ink, good for both broad flats and thin lines. As far as a multipurpose ink goes, this was one of my favorites. Crisp dark drawing lines with well defined edges (except for occasional lightening as the brush lifts away, so you'll have to make sure to condense it far enough so that doesn't happen) and yet also smooth, even flats. I wouldn't use this as a grey wash, but for straight black and white art where I have to choose only one ink to multipurpose, this would be my first pick, hands down.
Highlights: One of my weirdly favorite things about this ink is its peculiar smell: it smells like . . . well, like smoking mesquite. It's a weirdly delicious scent that makes me want to eat it more than draw with it (or smoke a thanksgiving turkey). I also like the small bottle shape: easy to open, easy to dip, and not prone to splattering. The ink sits nicely at the lip and doesn't spill over. And the bottle screws on in such a way that I don't feel like I have to worry about accidental spillage while traveling. Plus, it's easy to clean up afterwards! For all that’s it’s a fast dryer.
Potential Drawbacks Not as dark and dense as some other inks. Difficult to find anywhere but online. Slightly expensive.
Waterfastness: Completely waterfast. Fades a bit under watercolors.
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) FW ARTISTS ACRYLIC INK - BLACK INDIA
Price: $6.20 retail
Attainability: One of those inks you can find just about anywhere, any place, any time, both online and in even the most bare bones of student art supply stores.
Drying Time: 30 seconds
Erasing: Like the Sennelier, this was another one freaking IMPOSSIBLE to erase. I scrubbed and scrubbed and scrubbed over even the heaviest of pencil lines and could not get this one to lift except for some very minor lightening where it looked like it had rubbed away finite, miniscule grains of ink when the ink wasn’t condensed enough. Highly recommended for those heavy pencillers who do a heck load of heavy erasing.
Reflective Properties: Matte, exceptionally smooth mid grey wash out of bottle, a dark, semi-glossy black when condensed.
General Qualities: FW Artist's Acrylic Ink seems better suited for washes and flats than for actual drawing. Out of all the inks other than Windsor & Newton, this one had the fuzziest edges. Even condensed, upon lifting the brush from the paper, there is a lightening to grey which could cause all sorts of potential scanning problems.
Highlights: Lays down exceptionally smooth flats and washes. Smooth enough in fact to surpass the Deleter Black #5. Readily available.
Potential Drawbacks Far too much variation in glossiness according to density and overlapping of brush strokes that is unnoticeable when scanned in but obvious under natural lighting. There is a slight problem of pooling, which could either create some neat textures or be a royal pain in the butt down the road. Just make sure not to load the brush too much in order to prevent this. Relatively expensive for its size. Requires … shaking before use. WTF?
Waterfastness: Completely waterproof (though a slow dryer) and retains a surprisingly dark line when gone over by watercolor wash.
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10) RAPIDOGRAPH BLACK INDIA INK - ULTRADRAW 3085-F - WATERPROOF
Price: $5.10 retail
Availability: One of those inks you can find just about anywhere, any place, any time, both online and in even the most bare of student art supply stores.
Drying Time: Looks dry at fifteen seconds, but it continues to smudge up until 30, so let fully dry.
Erasing: Holds up well under light penciling and light erasing, but drastically fades under heavy penciling and heavy erasing, and even does a little unpleasant streaking. Recommended for light pencillers and people who know how to erase.
Reflective Properties: Dark grey, matte wash out of bottle. Let it sit for a bit and condense, and you'll end up with a seamlessly flat black wash that can be either almost matte or almost glossy depending on exactly how much you’ve condensed it.
General Qualities: More commonly used in those infernally impossible to clean Rapidograph technical pens, this appropriately opaque ink turned out to be quite the pleasant surprise for brush work. Out of bottle, it creates a pleasantly flat, smooth, ultra dark grey wash that was practically seamless at overlapping edges. There was slight pooling as a flat or wash which is easily solved by not overloading the brush. Lines are solid and even and crisp at the edges. Even if this isn't as dark as some of the other inks, the evenness in tone should prove it still excellent for scanning. A very thin ink, it sits lightly on the brush and doesn't clog or clump up bristles.
Highlights: It’s high availability. The smoothness of its finish. Like the Deleter Black #5, this is one of those inks that just goes on, and on, and on, and on.
Potential Drawbacks: If you plan on using either brush or nib, you WILL need to rebottle this ink. Thankfully, at least, the bottle it comes in is easy to pour into whatever container to decide to use it in. Slightly expensive for being smaller in amount compared to most other small bottles (in spite of its deceptive height).
Waterfastness: Dipped in water, there is no bleeding, but the paper around it takes on a strange sort of brown tinge that barely perceptible and probably easily scanned out. Resistant to scrubbing, it does however fade a bit beneath watercolor wash. Also, oddly, if you find your ink has dried out too much, the leftovers can be reusable as a light wash after water is added. Does some interesting effects at the edges where the ink collects and dries.
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11) MYSTERY "MANGA INK"
Price: $???
Availability: ???
Drying Time: 25 seconds
Erasing: Holds up well to light erasing and even moderately heavy erasing, but begins to fade once you really start to rub that eraser in.
Reflective Properties: Semi-glossy.
General Qualities:Just for "grins" and giggles, I tried out this mystery ink that was sent to me. I have no clue who the manufacturer is, but I'm guessing it's a basic India ink. Dark grey out of the bottle, it condenses to a pleasantly semi-glossy finish that if dried too far is prone to clumping, and left too wet, prone to greying at the edges. It's a decently passable ink, but considering I have no clue where to get it, best left shrouded in the mystery it came in for better, cheaper inks that are more easily accessible.
Highlights: Nice, flat wash.
Potential Drawbacks Like the Deleter Black #5, has a tendency to show fingerprints and oils on the paper. I somehow doubt being able to actually FIND it.
Waterfastness: Completely waterproof, though like Rapidograph ink, it tinges the paper brown when accidentally made wet, but even more perceptively so.
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Got some extra inks lying around you would like me to test? Please feel free to donate by contacting me at thegirl -(at)- rivkah -(d0t)- com and I'll send my mailing address to test 'em out.
http://lilrivkah.livejournal.com/