Top Tips To Prevent Fountain Pen Inks Fading!

[NickiStew]

Like watercolour paints, fountain pen inks fade too. But don’t let this put you off. This is what I do to enhance and preserve my fountain pen ink artworks:

Paper: Use heavy paper stocks of good quality (Bockingford, Arches, Waterford Saunders). The thicker the better. The paper will absorb the inks deeper into the fibres. Thin papers fade faster.

Varnish: When an artwork is finished I spray with a waterbased varnish. Don’t go mad with it! Very gently apply the varnish with the artwork a good 50cms from the can. Allow a small fine spray to settle and let dry. Repeat this process 5-7 times. Build up the varnish slowly and never saturate the art! Otherwise the ink can go back into solution and start to run. Matt and gloss varnishes are available. The big picture shows a test sample created in 2012. The area on the left has been varnished. The area on the right has been left unvarnished and shows signs of fading. (Pic taken today). A good friend of mine who lives in tropical Queensland, uses a 2 pack epoxy varnish on her watercolours, as the heat and humidity of the tropical environment can destroy a decent artwork in a matter of months!

Light: Don’t ever leave artworks in direct sunlight. Hang your artwork sensibly on walls where direct light will never fall on the picture.

I have tried all sorts of things over the years but the the 3 tips mentioned work best and serve me well. Hope this helps.

Check out the website at: https://quinkandbleach.wordpress.com

Edited April 29, 2016 by NickiStew

[amberleadavis]

Thank you for the tips.

[SeeksAdvice]

#1 - Use Carbon Black inks

​#2 - When in doubt, see #1

[fiberdrunk]

Like watercolour paints, fountain pen inks fade too. But don’t let this put you off. This is what I do to enhance and preserve my fountain pen ink artworks:

Paper: Use heavy paper stocks of good quality (Bockingford, Arches, Waterford Saunders). The thicker the better. The paper will absorb the inks deeper into the fibres. Thin papers fade faster.

Varnish: When an artwork is finished I spray with a waterbased varnish. Don’t go mad with it! Very gently apply the varnish with the artwork a good 50cms from the can. Allow a small fine spray to settle and let dry. Repeat this process 5-7 times. Build up the varnish slowly and never saturate the art! Otherwise the ink can go back into solution and start to run. Matt and gloss varnishes are available. The big picture shows a test sample created in 2012. The area on the left has been varnished. The area on the right has been left unvarnished and shows signs of fading. (Pic taken today). A good friend of mine who lives in tropical Queensland, uses a 2 pack epoxy varnish on her watercolours, as the heat and humidity of the tropical environment can destroy a decent artwork in a matter of months!

Light: Don’t ever leave artworks in direct sunlight. Hang your artwork sensibly on walls where direct light will never fall on the picture.

I have tried all sorts of things over the years but the the 3 tips mentioned work best and serve me well. Hope this helps.

Check out the website at: https://quinkandbleach.wordpress.com

 

 

It's hard to tell in a photograph, but is the section on the right really fading, or is it that the varnish is yellowing on the left? I'm also curious to know if the varnish is acidic and what it may do to paper/ink over time.

 

Thanks for the post! Definitely food for thought!

[MathurinKerbouchard]

Thanks for the post. Great tips!

[NickiStew]

 

 

It's hard to tell in a photograph, but is the section on the right really fading, or is it that the varnish is yellowing on the left? I'm also curious to know if the varnish is acidic and what it may do to paper/ink over time.

 

Thanks for the post! Definitely food for thought!

 

It could be my awful photography but the right hand section has definitely faded after exposure to sunlight. Regarding the longterm effects of varnish on paper, we'll have to see. Thanks for commenting. N

Edited August 30, 2016 by NickiStew