Can You Use India Ink For Calligraphy
When starting out pointed pen and dip pen calligraphy you always start wondering what supplies that you can use. When I started I had many questions specifically on what type of ink that I can use for calligraphy.
One of the main questions that I get about ink is can you use India ink for calligraphy and is India ink good for lettering. Well, that is what I am going to be talking about today.
Since you might be in a hurry here is the quick and short answer to your question:
You can totally use India ink for calligraphy. Black India ink is great for getting waterproof and permanent calligraphy writing and illustrations.
A lot of beginners think that there is a specific type of ink that is called calligraphy ink, but as you can tell now that isn’t the case. There are tons of different types of ink, not just India ink.
Now that we have gone over that here is a summary of today’s article:
- How India Ink Is Good For Calligraphy
- Best Type of India Ink For Calligraphy
- Other Options other than India Ink
- Final Thoughts
How India Ink Is Good For Calligraphy
So, why you should you use India ink for pointed pen calligraphy, and any of you dip pen projects?
Well for one, if you are used to using a lot of different mediums with your calligraphy, India ink is waterproof.
This means that you can put watercolor over it or any other type of art medium would be totally fine to use when doing calligraphy.
Not only is India ink waterproof but it is also permanent. Just going to want to be careful with any other surfaces around you while using this ink.
India ink is also known for being odorless.
Another fun thing about India ink is that it is water-soluble, when it is not dry. This just means that you can dilute your India ink with water. Diluted India ink can be great for water brush lettering and a cool technique that you can add to your calligraphy.
Best Type Of India Ink For Calligraphy
Now if you are interested in using India ink for calligraphy I am just going to be going over a few recommendations of India ink that I would recommend if you are a beginner.
Let us first talk about
SPEEDBALL SUPER BLACK INDIA INK
This is one of the most well known India inks and for a reason.
Here are the…
POSITIVES
- Through my experience and many other calligraphers, the ink writes very smoothly
- When the ink dries it is still smooth
- Doesn’t fade as fast (compared to other inks it has the best lightfastness)
NEGATIVES
- Through my experience can at times not be that waterproof
- Might have to dilute with water, since it is really thick ink
- Price is somewhat affordable, but there are still more affordable options
Now let me go over another option for calligraphers…
POSITIVES
- Has great lightfastness
- Extremely waterproof, compared to the speedball ink
- Ink flow for a dip pen is great
- Dries fast (either a positive or negative, depending on what you are using it for)
NEGATIVES
- It is just a bit more expensive than the Speedball ink for 1 ounce
- Ink dries fast on dip pen so you have to redip a lot
Other Options If You Are Not Using India Ink
If you are not interested in using India ink I am going to be going over 2 other options that you can use instead for calligraphy.
POSITIVES
- Cheaper and comes in bigger sizes, compared to a lot of other inks
- Dries Fast
- Water Soluble
- Permanent (Positive or negative)
NEGATIVE
- Might be too runny for some nibs
Now we have
This is different than India ink because it is instead acrylic ink, which is something that you can keep in mind. This is also one of my own types of inks that I like to use for final projects.
POSITIVES
- Dries smoothly
- Perfect consistency
- Very much affordable
- Comes in a nice sample pack if you are just wanting to try it out
- Waterproof
NEGATIVES
- Containers might not be the best
- Some color inks are not that opaque
Final Thoughts
As you can tell there are all sorts of different inks that you can use for calligraphy, including India ink. You also shouldn’t think that you need to use a specific type of ink.
Above you can tell that there are some very affordable options. If you are having any more questions feel free to comment.