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Recommendations For Drawing Ink?

Jonny_J

By Jonny_J
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Jonny_J NOS (New Old Stock)

Jonny_J

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Howdy all,

 

I'm looking for a recommendation for a good ink for inking cartoons. Right now I'm using W&N non-waterproof calligraphy ink. There's a lot about it that I like, but it just doesn't flow enough to keep up with the pace of my frenetic inking style. The desired properties are:

 

-- very free-flowing

-- PH neutral (so irongall inks are out)

-- fade resistant

-- not too expensive because I go through a lot of the stuff

-- black color, but it doesn't have to be super black because I can fix that digitally after I scan the art

 

Ironically, an ink that satisfies all of the above except the last one, is Higgins non-waterproof sepia, except it's not black. But it flows so nicely, I'm actually tempted to ink all my cartoons in sepia & digitally convert to black after scanning! That would make the original art look a bit strange, like it was drawn in the 17th century, but maybe that's not so bad. The bad thing would be having to mentally translate everything to black while I'm drawing, to try to imagine what it will look like.

 

Addendum; adding some water and liquid soap really gets it flowing. I may just do that as a last resort, but if I can find an ink I don't have to monkey with, that would be better.

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Tweel Collectors Item

Tweel

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Have you tried Higgins Fountain Pen India? It's a non-waterproof carbon ink that seems to have a fair amount of surfactant in it, so it flows freely. Same for Pelikan Fount India. Just make sure to flush your pen well when you clean it, so the pigment doesn't start to build up.

fpn_1375035941__postcard_swap.png * * * "Don't neglect to write me several times from different places when you may."
-- John Purdue (1863)

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kronos77 Rare

kronos77

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Go with Aurora Black. It is free flowing for sure and can keep up with my fast drawing style even in a dry Pilot 78g. The ink's fade resistance is decent from what I remember, but not like Noodlers Black. there have been some tests done by people here and I think I remember it holding up well. I don't think it is ph neutral but I am not too sure.

 

Noodlers Black might work as well.

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Abner C. Kemp Vintage

Abner C. Kemp

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Noodler's Black and X-Feather seem to be very popular among artists. SBREBrown did a few youtube videos on black inks that you might find useful as well.

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ac12 Donor Pen

ac12

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Waterman black works for me.

It is a wet ink (flows well) and it is BLACK when written with a Lamy XF nib.

San Francisco Pen Show - August 28-30, 2020 - Redwood City, California

www.SFPenShow.com

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amberleadavis Pen Dust

amberleadavis

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Johnny, I'm a huge fan of comics and cartoons. I'll trade you series of samples of blacks in my stash for a Johnny original. Just send me a PM with your address. I'll send you various companies and you can get a feel for what you like and what works best for you. I don't have traditional drawing inks, just those ones that are safe for fountain pens.

Fountain pens are my preferred COLOR DELIVERY SYSTEM (in part because crayons melt in Las Vegas).

Create a Ghostly Avatar and I'll send you a letter. Check out some Ink comparisons: The Great PPS Comparison 

Don't know where to start?  Look at the Inky Topics O'day.  Then, see inks sorted by color: Blue Purple Brown Red Green Dark Green Orange Black Pinks Yellows Blue-Blacks Grey/Gray UVInks Turquoise/Teal MURKY

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Jonny_J NOS (New Old Stock)

Jonny_J

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Amber, I just PMed you. Anyway, one last question for you all: is it possible to improve flow by adding just liquid soap without water? I added soap and water to the W&N Calligraphy ink and now it flows like a river, which I really like, but since I added about 1/3 water, I've diluted the color quite a bit. I would prefer not to do that.

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WirsPlm Collectors Item

WirsPlm

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Amber, I just PMed you. Anyway, one last question for you all: is it possible to improve flow by adding just liquid soap without water? I added soap and water to the W&N Calligraphy ink and now it flows like a river, which I really like, but since I added about 1/3 water, I've diluted the color quite a bit. I would prefer not to do that.

Don't use soap, that's got lots of things in it that you don't want in ink, use a purer solution like Kodak PhotoFlo (check Amazon and Ebay, it costs about $15 for more than you'll use in a lifetime unless you're manufacturing ink), and there's no need to add water unless you want to dilute it (every ink is different, but I've found no general need for added water).

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Jonny_J NOS (New Old Stock)

Jonny_J

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Ah, Photoflo. I'll keep that in mind. So far the ink that I've soaped seems to be working fine but of course the soap has fragrances and colors and who knows what else. A pure surfictant would have to be better.

 

Good suggestions, all. @Tweel I use Speedball India with my dip pens & brushes, but am reluctant to use anything pigmented in a pen or brush-pen. I have a feeling that fountain pen India inks are really intended for pens like the Rotring Art Pen, which is designed to be broken down & cleaned after each use. My pens are all traditional pens with friction-fit feeds.

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Tweel Collectors Item

Tweel

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I think the potential "danger" of carbon inks is often overestimated, at least in my experience. I've used them for over 30 years in everything from cheap calligraphy pens to a Waterman 455, and haven't had a clogged pen yet.

fpn_1375035941__postcard_swap.png * * * "Don't neglect to write me several times from different places when you may."
-- John Purdue (1863)

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64alex NOS (New Old Stock)

64alex

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Another + for carbon inks (Platinum or Sailor). They are true black with no color casting, are waterproof and fade resistant. I have the platinum one and it has a very good flow.

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amberleadavis Pen Dust

amberleadavis

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http://sheismylawyer.com/She_Thinks_In_Ink/Tests/Fade/2012/First_Tests/2012-Exp1/slides/2012-07-06_03.jpg

 

http://sheismylawyer.com/She_Thinks_In_Ink/Tests/Fade/2012/First_Tests/2012-Exp2/slides/2012-07-06-exp2_01.jpg

Fountain pens are my preferred COLOR DELIVERY SYSTEM (in part because crayons melt in Las Vegas).

Create a Ghostly Avatar and I'll send you a letter. Check out some Ink comparisons: The Great PPS Comparison 

Don't know where to start?  Look at the Inky Topics O'day.  Then, see inks sorted by color: Blue Purple Brown Red Green Dark Green Orange Black Pinks Yellows Blue-Blacks Grey/Gray UVInks Turquoise/Teal MURKY

 

 

 

 

 

 

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amberleadavis Pen Dust

amberleadavis

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Here are some of the 2012 Fade Test Results.

 

http://sheismylawyer.com/She_Thinks_In_Ink/Tests/Fade/2012/Subjects/slides/07-2012_10_29.jpg

 

http://sheismylawyer.com/She_Thinks_In_Ink/Tests/Fade/2012/Subjects/slides/08-2012_10_29.jpg

Fountain pens are my preferred COLOR DELIVERY SYSTEM (in part because crayons melt in Las Vegas).

Create a Ghostly Avatar and I'll send you a letter. Check out some Ink comparisons: The Great PPS Comparison 

Don't know where to start?  Look at the Inky Topics O'day.  Then, see inks sorted by color: Blue Purple Brown Red Green Dark Green Orange Black Pinks Yellows Blue-Blacks Grey/Gray UVInks Turquoise/Teal MURKY

 

 

 

 

 

 

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amberleadavis Pen Dust

amberleadavis

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http://sheismylawyer.com/She_Thinks_In_Ink/Tests/Fade/2012/Subjects/slides/10-2012-10-14_001.jpg

 

http://sheismylawyer.com/She_Thinks_In_Ink/Tests/Fade/2012/Subjects/slides/47.jpg

Fountain pens are my preferred COLOR DELIVERY SYSTEM (in part because crayons melt in Las Vegas).

Create a Ghostly Avatar and I'll send you a letter. Check out some Ink comparisons: The Great PPS Comparison 

Don't know where to start?  Look at the Inky Topics O'day.  Then, see inks sorted by color: Blue Purple Brown Red Green Dark Green Orange Black Pinks Yellows Blue-Blacks Grey/Gray UVInks Turquoise/Teal MURKY

 

 

 

 

 

 

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amberleadavis Pen Dust

amberleadavis

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http://sheismylawyer.com/She_Thinks_In_Ink/Tests/Fade/2012/Subjects/slides/14-2012-10-14_001.jpg

 

Anyway, you can get inks that wash are are still fade resistant.

Fountain pens are my preferred COLOR DELIVERY SYSTEM (in part because crayons melt in Las Vegas).

Create a Ghostly Avatar and I'll send you a letter. Check out some Ink comparisons: The Great PPS Comparison 

Don't know where to start?  Look at the Inky Topics O'day.  Then, see inks sorted by color: Blue Purple Brown Red Green Dark Green Orange Black Pinks Yellows Blue-Blacks Grey/Gray UVInks Turquoise/Teal MURKY

 

 

 

 

 

 

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kidde Extremely Rare

kidde

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I haven't checked for fade, but I mention this because you said you use a lot of ink. My wife bought me a bottle of Pilot black, a 350ml or @ 12oz bottle. I use it in F & EF nibs and find it makes a good black line. I believe she paid $30 shipped from Japan.

Just a thought.

 

Paul

"Nothing is impossible, even the word says 'I'm Possible!'" Audrey Hepburn

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