So you’re excited to get started with inks but feel overwhelmed by all the different varieties of artist ink available. Do not worry—I am here to explain everything about inks and help you succeed with colour!

When it comes to drawing and painting practices, inks create a whole new world or allow you to explore paths such as calligraphy or printmaking. Their free-flowing quality makes them unique from other mediums, enabling you to make continuous lines, lively washes, and strange textures.

But I bet you are confused—there are many types of ink. So how do you know what is best for your art needs and style? This guide will shed some light on that!

The Different Types of Artist Inks

So let’s discuss some categories of inks:

• Acrylic Inks - They are extremely fluid, pigment-filled substances made from acrylic polymers. They can be used in delicate line work as well as bold, expressive images because they are consistent in their characteristics regardless of whether they are wet or dry, thereby making them versatile. Moreover, once they become dry, they form a tough, waterproof film that will last forever.
  
• Watercolor Inks - On the other hand, are very similar to traditional watercolours. With their beautiful transparency, they come in liquid form that is more concentrated than watercolours.
  
• Alcohol Inks - These are special inks that use dyes and work best with media that do not absorb ink, like yupo paper or ceramics, so they do not blur. Watch the amazing patterns and effects produced by the inks as the alcohol in them evaporates!
  
• Drawing inks - They are ultra-fluid inks that breathe life into illustrations, sketches, or comics. You can also use them with dip pens or brushes. Some are made from dyes, and others use lightfast pigments.
  
• Calligraphy inks - They are specifically intended for calligraphy and lettering purposes only. They have a highly saturated, opaque quality that is consistently rich throughout each stroke without clogging the nibs on your pen.
• Printmaking Inks - In contrast, these inks are thicker and stiffer than those used in other methods of printing, such as etching or lithography.

Dye vs Pigment: What is the distinction?

You might notice that these two types are further described as dye-based or pigment-based inks. What does this actually imply?

Dye-based inks use soluble dyes that are very bright in a liquid state. They are known for producing colours extremely saturated.

Contrary to that, pigment-based inks use microscopic coloured particles held in suspension by a carrier liquid instead of being dissolved like dye. This results in colors that will not fade even with long periods of exposure—they become quite lightfast over time. Unlike pigments, which rapidly lose their brilliance after a while (like newspapers do), pigments remain just as vivid decades later.

However, many artists avoid using most dye-based inks for archival purposes since they fade. Pigment inks usually provide higher permanence under the same conditions.

Ink Features To Consider

A few other major characteristics exist besides the basic types of inks.

Transparency vs. Opaqueness

Have you ever considered whether you need vivid colours or washed-out hues when selecting an ink? Watercolor and Dye inks tend toward translucency, whereas Drawing and Calligraphy inks tend toward opacity.

Dye vs. Pigment Longevity

While we’ve already touched on dye versus pigment permanence above, there are inks that are specially made to avoid any forms of water, like spilling drops, which move them once they get dry and can’t be washed away, while some others have this property.

Thickness of the Ink

Some inks are super runny, while others are so thick you might compare them to glue. Therefore, depending on the intended purpose, it is advisable to consider this factor before making your selection.

Alcohol inks can only be used on non-porous surfaces, such as yupo paper or ceramics. However, most ink types are used for paper and can damage certain untreated surfaces. Some inks work better on certain sizes of paper or require unsized papers.

Drying Time

Some inks dry quickly, which makes blending or the wet-on-wet wash technique challenging, while others take longer to dry, facilitating the execution of this method.

Tools for Working with Inks

Variety is part of what makes inks fun: there are so many tools available:

Dipping Pens and Nibs

These allow you to gain total command over the strokes used in calligraphy and other forms of drawing.

Brushes

Watercolour brushes (particularly high-quality ones good for loading) are often the best painting tools when using inks as their medium. Experiment with different types of brushstrokes and textures.

Pipettes and Droppers

For example, various ink bottles come with convenient droppers that let you apply drops of ink one at a time for interesting painting effects

Tools for Printmaking

In case one chooses printmaking ink, there are specific equipment for this art such as brayers etching plates or blocks and barens

Be Creative With Surfaces

Inks are mostly used on paper, and you can use them on different types of paper, ranging from cold-press watercolour paper to printmaking paper. The paper's features, such as textures such as its sizing and absorbency, play a role in determining how the movement and blending of inks occur on it.

In addition to paper, inks may also be applied to various surfaces like wood panels or ceramics et cetera. Another place where alcohol inks work best is clay board and yupo because they are non-porous.

Prior To Submerging

It’s always good practice to test out any new ink before committing it to a final piece of work, so first consider testing:

• How does ink act, blend or dry on your preferred surface
• Can you remove or reposition the ink after it dries
• Whether ink can damage sealers and plastics by staining them
• How transparent or opaque is this ink
• Will the colours run off when they come in contact with water

Therefore, compare multiple surfaces to see some differences that may be hidden from your plain view. Don’t skip any preliminary steps!

Have Fun Mixing It Up

Who says you need to stick to just one type of ink? Part of the fun is combining and layering different inks for unique, multi-media effects.

Use watercolour inks as fluid, vibrant washes under line work done in an opaque drawing ink. Or try lifting out areas of a tinted watercolour ink ground with rubbing alcohol to create patterns to overwork with alcohol inks.

When you start mixing ink types, tools, and surfaces, the possibilities are delightfully endless. Don't be afraid to experiment!

Get Inky!

Feeling excited to take the plunge into artistic inks? That sense of creativity and experimentation is exactly what inks are all about!

Remember to start simple - get familiar with one type of ink and how it behaves before rapidly expanding. Take time to truly understand and master each ink.

Most of all, don't forget to simply enjoy the experience. Inks are fluid, expressive, and filled with happy accidents waiting to happen. Embrace the unique qualities of this medium and you'll be amazed at the colorful artistic journey ahead.

No matter your experience level, Artist Material has all the inks, tools and surfaces you need to get started. Browse our extensive selection online and bring the vibrant world of inks to your practice!