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Lesson 1: Different Calligraphy Inks
As an intermediate calligrapher, it's important to know the tools that are available to you in order to achieve a certain effect. In this lesson, we'll examine several different calligraphy inks. We'll also talk about topics related to inks, like waterproofing and dilution.
1. Gouache (as Ink)
Gouache (rhymes with “squash”) is basically super opaque watercolor. You can use it to mix custom colors. Use light tones of gouache to write on dark papers for a stunning effect! If you want to make a large batch of gouache for future use, simply mix up gouache and water in a jar, then you can dip your pen directly into it. Be sure to tightly seal the jar after every use! (I just made a small batch of gouache for this video.)
Gouache inspiration:
2. India Ink
India inks are vibrant and lightfast. I love to use colored India inks for projects where I need my colors to “pop”!
India ink inspiration:
3. Iron Gall Ink
Iron gall ink is delightfully thin, allowing you to achieve incredible stroke contrast!
Iron gall ink inspiration:
4. Metallic Watercolor (as Ink)
I prefer to use metallic watercolors in lieu of metallic inks. That way, no pesky ink separation occurs (it’s the worst when pieces of glitter sink to the bottom of your ink jar, never to incorporate back in), and you can control the opacity.
Metallic watercolor inspiration:
5. Sumi Ink
Sumi ink is my go-to if I’m making something to scan … or if I just want to make a project with a nice, velvety black ink. Note that if water evaporates out of sumi ink, it can be tough to write with! Please feel free to dilute your sumi ink per this article.
Sumi ink inspiration:
6. Walnut Ink
If you’re looking for a beautiful antique-like effect, walnut ink is the way to go!
Walnut ink inspiration:
7. White Ink
Out of all the white inks I’ve tried, Bleed Proof White is my favorite!
White ink inspiration:
8. Watercolor (as Ink)
Using a watercolor palette as ink gives you the ability to take your calligraphy practice anywhere (because dry watercolor palettes are mess-free). Furthermore, you can use or mix practically any color you want, eliminating the need to invest in lots of different colors of calligraphy inks!
Watercolor (as ink) inspiration:
8A. Waterproofing Your Calligraphy
If you’re concerned about moisture damage to your calligraphy, consider applying a fixative!
(You can click here for a link to Jodean Cooper’s Fabulous Floral Flourishes tutorial!)
9. Ziller Ink
Ziller ink is the most waterproof ink that I’ve ever come across! If I’m combining watercolors with my calligraphy or sending an envelope to a wet climate, I always use Ziller inks.
Ziller ink inspiration:
9A. A Quick Tip About Combining Watercolors and Calligraphy
This video is less than a minute long, so definitely worth a watch, but here’s the gist: always write with your Ziller ink first, then apply watercolor.
10. How (and When) to Dilute Ink
A simple concept, ink dilution simply involves adding water to ink. Stirring water into your ink whenever your ink flow starts to feel “off” will help to make your writing experience more pleasant (and your ink will last longer)! If you’re unsure of the water quality where you live, use distilled water, which you can find in most supermarkets.
11. When (+ How) to Use Gum Arabic to Thicken Ink
Here’s a video that lends some clarification on when you might need gum arabic, and how to use it at that point. I’m using powdered gum arabic in the video, but the liquid gum arabic works the exact same way! Just add, stir, and test; add, stir, and test.
I hope that this lesson introduces you to some new inks! As you add to your collection, be sure to fill out the My Ink Collection sheet on page 2 of your course worksheet.
When you’re ready, take the lesson quiz to make sure you understand some core concepts, then move on to Lesson 2. If you have questions, ask in the Lesson Discussion below! I’ll answer within 24 hours.
*Links in this course lead to American merchants. For a list of international merchants, click here. This lesson contains affiliate links to Paper & Ink Arts and Scribblers.
118 responses
Hello Lindsey, I am still loving the challenge and joy of learning new skills and techniques. Today I tried my first envelope in white ink. I don’t know if I diluted the ink enough or possibly too much. I needed to re-dip the pen quite a bit. I also needed to “jump start” the ink by “kissing” the nib to the surface of water. Many times I dipped the pen several times in a row over a period of time in the water not the ink to get the ink to flow. Does this mean the ink is still too thick? I’m basically pleased with how the envelope turned out, but it took twice as long to do the white ink than it normally would if I had been using black sumi ink. Thank you for your help! Anne
It sounds like the ink needed a tad more water! If you were able to write with it but experienced that many difficulties, it was just on the cusp of being blissfully usable. The writing should go almost as quickly as writing with sumi does! Next time, add a bit more water until the ink feels good to write with. 🙂
Is there an ink that you can use on top of a gouache painting that won’t bleed?
I know you suggest using Ziller ink UNDER watercolor. But I want to paint shapes with opaque gouache and add ink flourishes on top of the shapes. Should I buy gum arabic and add it to ink, or is there an ink that would work right from the bottle? I have not yet purchased the Ziller because I didn’t know if it would be good for this. I don’t want to add a fixative on top of the painted shapes.
Thanks for any tips.Hi Julianne!
If there’s a good ink for that, I’m not aware of it, unfortunately. I think your best bet would be trying to write with gouache on top of gouache, but the thing with a surface that’s been painted on with gouache (or watercolor) is that it alters the tooth and absorbency of any paper. Most inks should be able to write on top of gouache, but you won’t be able to have a lot of control — especially on upstrokes. I think you’ll find that the strokes end up being thicker and less consistent than what you are wanting! But, like with anything, this is definitely worth some experimentation! I’d try adding gum arabic to your sumi (or whatever you have) first, and go from there!
Hi Lindsey,
I’ve waited way too long to take this course, but now I’m enjoying it immensely! I had the strangest thing happen when I printed the download for this course. The “ink collection” page shows up looking like it should on the preview, but the actual print looks weird, like it’s not finished. I tried just printing that page (2) again, but the same thing happened. I just screen dumped that particular page and printed a picture of it which fixed the problem. I’m wondering whether there is a bug in the pdf? It’s like there is a secret filter making it look a little bit weird (like your freebies where you don’t give everything away). There is a square in the upper left corner instead of the ink stains that you actually see. All the white glass jars have a black line running through them and the black jars are simply black squares with lids. I can e-mail the picture if my descriptions don’t make sense…
Hi Monica!
It sounds like the PDF reader that your computer is using to view the files isn’t up to date, which can cause issues when you are trying to print some PDF files. 🙂 Please try doing the following, and let me know if that fixes the problem!
1. Download the latest version of Adobe Reader here (https://get.adobe.com/reader/) — it’s free!
2. Open the file using Adobe Reader.
3. Try printing the file from Adobe Reader.If that doesn’t work, check your ink levels. Sometimes, low ink levels (color and/or black) will lead to wonky printing!
Sorry for the trouble!
No trouble at all! Sorry for having to be a tech wiz. You were absolutely right! I changed my opening preferences when I stopped paying for Photoshop (man, that is an expensive everlasting monthly payment) and didn’t know that this could happen. Everything worked like a charm now! While at it I must say that I am so impressed by your teaching skills. Now off to some nib scratching…
The PDF issue happens to sooo many people — it is definitely frustrating! Don’t worry about it at all. 🙂 And thank you! I am so glad that you are enjoying the course. Let me know if any more questions pop up, either re: analog or digital issues!
Hi Lindsey,
Loving the course thus far. I know you love Finetec Gold, I am a silver girl myself though. Do you have any reccomendations for a beautiful shimmery silver ink?
Thanks!
I can respect a silver gal! 😉 There’s actually a fabulous silver in the Finetec Golds palette.
I would be surprised if not! Here are all of the Canadian retailers that I know of (https://thepostmansknock.com/calligraphy-supplies/#canada). I’m not sure which ones sell Finetec, but there just has to be at least one!
Thank you!
Hi Lindsey,
I’ve been loving the course so far and learning lots, thank you for making this!
I ran into an issue using bleed proof white ink that I was hoping you might be able to help with. Sometimes the ink looks normal going down, but about a second after my nib passes over it, the ink almost contracts and balls together instead of filling out the lines. It’s a bit hard to describe, so I took pictures if there is a way to post those or send them to you. I’m wondering if this might be an indication that my ink is either too thick or too thin?
Thanks!
TaylorI’m so glad to hear that you’re loving the course! As far as the ink goes, I strongly suspect that you need to add just a tad more water to encourage it to spread out a little more. But I’d be glad to look at the photos to give an exact diagnosis! Just email them to me at [email protected]. 🙂
I’ve made my first batch of walnut ink! It’s a beautiful color and nice to work with. Would you recommend I keep a separate nib just for that ink or is it ok to move back and forth between such an acidic ink and others?
I’d just use the same nib! Any ink has some level of acidity; some (like walnut and iron gall) are just higher than others. I always use the same nib and toss it once it’s too worn down to comfortably use! To me, it seems like too much of a hassle to switch out nibs when they’ll all wear down eventually anyway. 🙂
I agree with Miriam – I have learned SO much already just in this first lesson! If using Sumi Ink for larger envelope projects – do you recommend using a fixative spray? Or maybe that depends on the climate of the area in which you live? Also, have you found certain brands of fixative better than others? I have only been practicing with Sumi Ink so far and am excited to experiment with other types of ink now that I have more knowledge!
Hi Natalie! I apologize for taking so long to answer this comment … I pride myself on answering course questions within 24 hours, but dropped the ball on this one. 😕 Anyway! It depends on where you live, really. I normally don’t worry about sumi ink because you need to get it pretty damp to start seeing damage. However, if I were doing an envelope job that I really wanted to be waterproof, I would use Ziller ink. It comes in a whole myriad of colors and isn’t bothered by water at all! If you cannot use Ziller ink, I’d try to find a matte permanent fixative (I use Krylon). Any fixative you use is going to affect the texture of your paper somewhat, but that’s to be expected. And if you’re only doing a few envelopes, consider putting Microglaze on them. Again, it changes the texture of your paper, but the paper will be absolutely impervious to any moisture! To answer your question about whether I recommend using one, I’d say “better safe than sorry” — but on a personal level, I rarely use one because I’m sending from (super) dry Colorado. If I lived in, say, Florida or Louisiana, I’d probably be singing a different tune.
Hi Lindsey! Oh absolutely no worries — I appreciate your thoughtful response! Thank you! I live in Minnesota, so it really depends if it’s summer or winter, but it definitely is less humid than southern states! The Microglaze does look pretty cool in your video. It’s crazy how much the water just glides right off the envelope! Thanks again!
I’m glad that helps! I’d only use Microglaze on single envelopes (like, if you made one for a friend). For a big bunch of envelopes (e.g. for an event invitation), I’d do the waterproof ink or Krylon permanent fixative. Just be sure to spray envelopes outside! That stuff has some pretty strong fumes (which is why I like to use waterproof ink instead of having to use spray fixative). 🙂
Wow, just completed first lesson. Learning so much already. I love the back story/history of the different inks. Lindsey, you are my Netflix of calligraphy. I could watch all day!
Hahah! I have been called many things, but “Netflix of calligraphy” is new. I LOVE it! And so glad you are learning a lot about calligraphy. 🙂 Please let me know if you have any questions as you progress through the lessons!
The Leonard Extra Fine is my favourite nib, but it does seem to have a particular irksome quirk to it. Often, when freshly dipped, it will pool/railroad-hybrid on a downstroke, and then move along happily and write very well before doing it again. Is this an issue with the nib or my sumi ink dilution?
I actually have the same issue. It seems to happen with thinner inks, and I’ve been able to fix it by writing with my nib at a closer angle to the paper (i.e. not so upright)!
After watching your video on sumi ink I added distilled water to the 1/2 oz container with the sumi and my upstrokes are much more smoother. Don’t have the skipping and it’s easier to practice flourishing also. Thanks for that tip.
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