Drawing is one of the best hobbies you can choose for yourself. Not only does it encourage your creative skills and personal development, but you’ll also get to express your feelings and emotions by making your own masterpieces.
But when it comes to drawing, many artists just adore the intense and colour saturated texture of art inks. And even though as a beginner in the world of art inks may sound terrifying to you, with a little bit of practice, enthusiasm, and the right art supplies ink will become your favourite medium to draw the perfect thick or thin lines and get beautiful compositions. This is why we put together a couple of tips to help you choose the right artist ink supplies and make the drawing process less “fuzzy”.
Choosing Drawing Inks
Before you decide to get a couple of art supplies ink colours, it’s important to get to know the different types and what are they most commonly used for.
Alcohol-based Inks
Starting from alcohol-based artists inks, they’re preferred by many artists since they produce very vibrant colours and tend to very dry fast. They’re also acid-free which means that you’ll get to create art pieces without worrying that the paper’s structure will weaken over time. Aside from this, alcohol-based inks are perfect if you want to achieve a vibrant marble effect on many different surfaces such as paper, glass or metals.
Acrylic Inks
Acrylic inks are also very popular among artists due to their various capabilities. In fact, acrylic inks are derived from liquid plastic, which allows the pigment to lay out flat on the surface once the water and the solvents evaporate in the air. The colour and the plastic are molecularly bonded, making acrylic inks impossible to fade. Acrylic inks are also waterproof, acid-free and pH-neutral as well as also suitable for various surfaces.
Pigment-based inks
Pigment-based drawing inks are one of the most opaque options, and this is why artists also adore them. Once you apply them to your drawing surface, these inks will lay on top and form a film that stays trapped on the surface’s fibres. In fact, what makes them stick to the surface instead of soaking in is the binding agent, a substance that acts as a kind of “adhesive” for inks and drawing surfaces. This is why pigment-based inks are considered the best supply for calligraphy and drawing with fountain pens.
Choosing Dip Pens
From the sharpened bird feathers and reeds to the various modern ink pens- as an aspiring artist, you're probably familiar with how the classic dip pen changed and evolved through history. And even though nowadays there’re many different types of technical pens and the ones with ink reservoirs inside, there’s nothing that can replace the “old-fashioned” dip pen for inks.
Handles
When it comes to dip pens, it’s important to pay attention to their handle. For this purpose, you can choose between wooden or plastic ones. And even though this is mostly a matter of personal preference, have in mind that wooden handles tend to absorb colour and show stains, while plastic ones can be wiped clean very easily.
The handle’s shape also plays a big role in your drawing experience, and this is why we can make a difference between straight and oblique handles. Talking about straight handles, they can come in many different widths and lengths. Have in mind that the wider and the longer the handle, the better grip it offers and the easier it is to get a paintbrush-alike feel.
On the other hand, oblique handles feature a convenient attachment to their top, making these handles great if you want to achieve different angles that are hard to capture. This makes oblique handles perfect for calligraphy as well as many creative script styles.
Nibs
Nibs also come in many different shapes, materials and have different features. Starting from the material, nibs are typically made of metal or more specifically steel. But since steel tends to rust easily, make sure you choose nibs that are coated in titanium and gold which will protect the nib from rusting and therefore add some more durability.
When it comes to the shape, you can choose between italic and pointed nibs. Italic nibs are shaped like a rectangle, which means they’re blunt and not that flexible. But this doesn’t mean that they aren’t versatile, since you can still get the perfect broad stroke with their longer horizontal side as well as finer strokes with the shorter vertical side.
On the other hand, pointed nibs are rounded and they feature two lines that come to a point at the top. The more separate these lines, the wider lines you’ll be able to draw, which makes point nibs a very versatile type every artist needs.
Finally, don’t forget about the nib’s flexibility- the ability of the tine to spread. This means that the more flexible the nib, the more various lines you’ll get to draw. But at the same time, a flexible nib can be more difficult to control, and the more pressure you apply, the faster the tines will separate and result in coarse lines. So, make sure you experiment and see what kind of flexibility works best for you.
Choosing the Drawing Surface
Choosing the right inks and the perfect nib and handle would completely be in vain if you don’t choose the right drawing surface. And even though we already mentioned that artist’s inks are applicable to many different surfaces, the truth is that some of them are better than others.
For this purpose, know that the smoother the surface, the easier it is to get more precise lines. This is due to smooth surfaces featuring weaker textures that reduce the chances of paper filaments from being lifted or scarred. This also means that the lines will be more consistent, and bleeding is less likely to happen. For instance, Bristol paper makes a great surface for inks, since the paper is heavy and ideally smooth, and provides a great texture for precise lines.
On the other hand, this doesn’t mean that you can’t get a great composition on sturdier surfaces. For instance, cold press papers feature a coarser texture but still make a good surface for line work. But this is not the case with hot press papers, since even though they provide consistent lines, they tend to show brush strokes, especially when combined with watercolour.
But don’t hesitate to experiment with different surfaces, as well as dip pens, colours and art ink supplies. Once you get out of your comfort zone and start experimenting, you’ll learn what supplies work best for you and start creating real masterpieces.
