Today’s blog post will benefit you if you’re looking for a no-fuss sparkling calligraphy ink (Dr. Ph. Martin’s Iridescent) or a widely available, stunning “ink” (Pearl Ex powdered pigments)! You’ll become more acquainted with both inks — pros and cons — in this post. If you missed Part I of this series, you can read it here in order to develop a clear idea of which metallic ink is right for you!
Dr. Ph. Martin’s Iridescent Calligraphy Ink
Dr. Ph. Martin’s is a well-known, widely-distributed brand of art supplies. They mostly specialize in watercolors and inks, and I have to say that I have enjoyed all of the Dr. Ph. Martin’s inks that I have tried. Their line of Iridescent inks is especially impressive; the colors are beautiful and … well … sparkly, as one would imagine.
I think my favorite thing about the Iridescent inks is they are fuss-free. Out of the four types of metallic inks outlined between Parts I and II of this sparkling inks series of posts, I would say that Dr. Ph. Martin’s Iridescent is by far the most convenient to use! Really, all you need to do before use is give the ink a vigorous shake to mix everything together, dip your pen in (no need to brush the color on!), and you’ll be rewarded with a splendid, luxe color as shown in the Amy Style envelope below.
While I do favor Finetec for most of my metallic/sparkling calligraphy, you can’t beat the variety/selection of the Iridescent calligraphy inks. I am particularly in love with the “Black Sparkle” tone; it dries matte, and yet there’s an undeniable glitter to it! It elevates the roses and swirls envelope art pictured below to a new level of elegance!
Again, the really nice thing about Iridescent inks is the fact that you can simply dip your nib in, and you’re good to go — which is rare in a metallic ink. There’s (usually) no need to dilute, and the color flows brilliantly. However, I do find that the Copperplate Gold is a little bit dull when compared to Finetec. I don’t think that anyone you pulled off the street could tell a difference, but you as the artistic/calligrapher will probably be able to. Also, all of the Dr. Ph. Martin’s inks come in those odd bottles with the eye dropper, which means that you must transfer the calligraphy ink to another container before use. That’s sort of a hassle! Still, though, if I don’t feel like messing with dilution or mixing, Iridescent ink is my go-to.
You can find Dr. Ph. Martin’s Iridescent inks at Paper and Ink Arts in the US. In the UK, I think your best bet is probably to purchase on eBay. I’m having trouble finding them in other countries, so if you know where to find some locally, please comment!
PearlEx Powdered Pigments
Like Lumiere (detailed in Part I), PearlEx powdered pigments are made by the Jacquard company; they were developed as a way to add sparkle to anything they’re mixed in to. The Jacquard website suggests them for everyone from watercolor painters to auto detailers, and lately they’ve been getting a lot of buzz among calligraphers. I believe this is due in large part to Joi Hunt of Bien Fait Calligraphy, who uses PearlEx pigments often and well! She has a great article/video over how to mix PearlEx pigments into a calligraphy-friendly ink, which I definitely recommend that you check out. The recipe basically requires taking some pigment (Joi recommends one teaspoon)…
And adding one part gum arabic (1/4 teaspoon) and some water (1 teaspoon).
Use a stir stick to mix it all together, and the result will be a positively luminous ink!
You can add a little more water if the mixture is too viscous for your taste; I almost always add a few drops more! It’s all about what works for you and your preferences. Once you make your calligraphy ink, you can use it on dark papers and light papers alike! It’s delightfully sparkly and opaque.
Probably my favorite thing about PearlEx is, like its Lumiere sibling, it changes colors depending on the angle you’re viewing it at. It also comes in several gorgeous tones, and it’s widely available.
Though I appreciate the color of the PearlEx pigments, I have to admit that I often have difficulty getting the upstrokes/hairlines to show up. That’s probably because I add a little too much water to my mixture, but it’s still worth noting. I also find myself lazy to measure out all the ratios of powder:gum arabic:water; the need to mix/concoct often deters me from using my Pearl Ex pigments. That said, once you do mix everything up, as long as you keep it in an airtight container, the ink should last you for a while!
PearlEx pigments are available in several countries! You can purchase them in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, and several other places (check here for local availability). Just make sure you also purchase some gum arabic to mix in!
Ink Giveaway
In Part I of this post, a giveaway was started for a set of sparkling calligraphy ink including one bottle of Lumiere paint/ink, one bottle of Iridescent ink, and one large container of PearlEx powdered pigment, all in the colors of your choosing. Additionally, the giveaway includes a Finetec Golds palette! The total value of the prize is $42.45 plus shipping cost, and I’m glad to ship anywhere! You may enter the giveaway by visiting the Calligraphy Ink Recommendations: Sparkling Delights (Part I) post.
Thanks very much for reading this series of ink-centric posts; in the next TPK blog post, we’ll take a break from the ink discussion to make a fun creative project! In the next few weeks, though, I’ll return to the topic of ink to share some fantastic black inks, colored inks, and white inks.
Have a great weekend!
Warmly,
I guess all reasons can be tailored to me.
But i am not sure that i can apply new skills into my life. I mean if you earn money doing some calligraphy you should be professional enough or have bright brand or some cool reason why people are attracted by your work.
I have a dream that Lindsey writes a book on calligraphy and i will translate it :3
Maybe that way i will start my career in some publushing house haha
sorry, wrong link. It was comment for the-top-6-reasons-people-decide-to-learn-calligraphy that it doesn’t work by the way 🙂
Thanks for your review!! I find myself coming to your blog each time before I step into the art shop 😂😍. Your review really helps!!
Thanks for sharing! I need to try these inks!
I’ve never tried this but I’m hoping to do so one of this days. Look so lovely
Thank your for the detailed information! I would love to try these inks! I have two different brands of calligraphy ink and are still looking for my favorite type/brand.
I always find your projects so inspiring! Thank you.
On the Pearl-ex, you can mix it up and simply put it in an empty watercolor half pan and let it dry. Then just rewet as you do with any other watercolor paint. One long day of mixing and I turned all 32 of the colors I had from polymer clay work into paints … with 16 half pans left ready for some regular watercolor out of tubes to also put in and let dry.
Hi Lindsey! You just mention that we can dilute any ink with water, but then you recomended gum arabic too… for the dr ph Martins iridescent ink, what do you think works best? I have been shake in it for a long time but stiil doesn’t work well… maybe it’s too old
Hi Barbara! Definitely water for the Iridescent. The Iridescent has a tendency to be thick because of the mica (or whatever they use to make it sparkly), so I think gum arabic may make it too thick!
My favorite piece is a 5 x 7 piece personalized with my last name and initial with gold leaf hatching. I have it in an antique wooden frame with a gold oval mat. It was given to me as a gift from my calligraphy teacher.
Thanks so much for the info. I tried PearlEx but had a lot of problems when I went to erase my white pencil guidelines. The ink powdered off pretty bad. Any tips for erasing guidelines using pearlex? I was using the white mechanical pencil from John Neal.
Oh no! You know, you might try using a phantom liner … I’ve never used one, but I know that it eliminates the need to draw guidelines on dark papers. You can also try writing very faint white guidelines with the mechanical pencil and just rubbing them off with your finger, but it seems that would perhaps still affect the PearlEx? My third suggestion would be to slowly erase your guidelines using a limited range of motion up and down technique that barely touches the letters themselves, but focuses just on the guidelines. That way, you’d only be making contact with the bottom of the letters.
Hi Leslie!
I forgot to mention that the Dr Martens ink can be purchased on Amazon too.
Hi Lindsey,
I just came across to your blog and I’m glad I found you!
I’m definitely getting your advice on white ink and I’m planning to purchase Ziller.
I’m relatively new to the calligraphy and have been only using Higgins Black ink for my practice and recently purchased Copperplate Gold and noticed that ink seems thick. I didnt have the idea of diluting it but I guess that’s what I supposed to do when ink is thick and when my nib is picking up paper fabric? If so, can I simply add water or do I need to use some special thing?
Hi Ichie! You can just use water to dilute — no need to use any special thing! 🙂 Thanks for the kind words!
Dr Martin’s can be found at Deserres.ca, Deltaart.ca, currys.com, and abovegroundartsupplies,com in Canada. After doing LOTS of research, Delta and Curry‘s both have the koh i noor/general‘s pencil style straight holder, and Kensington Art Supply of Calgary carries Nikko G’s, as far as I know they’re the only ones. One has to call in to order though, as they don’t have ecommerce set up. All of the websites have Yarka watercolours, above ground even has several versions of the large set. Delta is the only one of those listed that carries finetec, but they do not have single pans. They are also *supposed* to be carrying Ziller but it isn’t on their website and I have emailed to find out more.
I almost forgot about quietfiredesign.ca!! They have koh-i-noor straight holders. Nobody carries obliques, not even wonderpens.ca. Canadian’s best bet is to see if any of the Canadian etsy holder sellers have any up or to order from abroad.
quietfire and wonderpens as well as stylo.ca carry brause nibs, everyone else only has speedball/hunt. Amazon has Zebra Gs and the like.
Lastly, for watercolour enthusiasts, the best quality/price is the Cotman Watercolour 24 Half Pan Set #W981 at $55.49 at Deserres. Hopefully all of this helps, or else all my time cruising the web will be pointless.
For what it’s worth, this comment made me fall in love with you, Ellen! Thank you, thank you, thank you for the information! SO helpful!!
The Vancouver Pen Store carries Nikko G and Zebra G nibs. They also carry a variety of other nibs and pen holders. No online store. Not sure if they will be willing to ship purchases.
Thank you!!
I’ve always had issues with ink flow while using these inks. It will either create an ink blob or the ink will not flow altogether. Will adding water help?
Adding water should help! Also, after you add the water, make sure everything is mixed together really well.
Thanks Lindsey, I’ve learnt so much from your calligraphy ink recommendations. 🙃
Yay!! I love the upside down smiley face!
Thank you for the wonderful information.
It’s my pleasure! Thanks for reading, Carol!
Another very interesting post! Thanks to Lorea for the tip about Opus carrying supplies.
I agree — that was an awesome tip! So happy to find more Canadian retailers!
Thanks for sharing Lindsay. Your posts always are informative for a newbie like me. I want to share with my Canadian counterparts that Opus Art Supplies in Vancouver and Curry’s Art Store in Toronto may carry a variety of supplies. For example Opus started carrying Finetec recently. Curry’s has Dr. PH Martin’s Bleed Poof White. Prices are in CAD.
Wow, thanks so much, Lorea!! I was able to modify my latest blog post (which talks about Bleed Proof White) with that information! I always struggle to find Canadian retailers to recommend, so I really appreciate it. 🙂
Thank you, thank you, thank you a 1000 times for sharing such valuable information ! I should stop reading your posts, now my wish list only becomes longer and longer ;-).
I know, I know! There are just so many cool supplies out there … I love using and writing about them. 🙂
This is great information! Thank you for being so generous with your experience and knowledge.
It is my unequivocal pleasure! Thank you, Mary! 🙂
I have a quick question, how are they on dark paper? I was debating on purchasing them at Hobby Lobby…
Thanks,
-Katie
Hi Katie!
All of the sparkling inks work well on dark paper. 🙂 Give them a try!