Author Topic: Colored ink suggestions?  (Read 5886 times)

Offline Ergative

  • Senior Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 288
  • Karma: 19
    • View Profile
Re: Colored ink suggestions?
« Reply #15 on: November 25, 2016, 11:17:36 AM »
@ericp!  Have you ever tried adding gum Arabic to your gouache?  That adds a nice shine...although, it can extend the drying time (in my experience).
Yes I am aware of the GA trick, thanks for mentioning that.  I agree that the shine does make a difference.

I've also found that GA helps with smudging once it does dry. Somehow I couldn't avoid smudging the gouache when I erased lines until I started adding GA.
Clara

Offline jeanwilson

  • Super Hero Member
  • ******
  • Posts: 1094
  • Karma: 167
    • View Profile
    • Pushing the Envelopes
Re: Colored ink suggestions?
« Reply #16 on: November 25, 2016, 03:32:44 PM »

Watercolor:  yes!   Not very popular among the FF community, but I am just a huge fan!  (In fact if you search for watercolor here, you're bound to see a rant of mine somewhere.   ::) )  I use pretty much any nib.  Awesome range of colors.  Doesn't matter the brand, but go for tube and not cake sets.  It's so much easier to fill a dinky and dip your nib than to brush-load the nib.

/quote]

I have some of the Dr Martin watercolors that come in little bottles with droppers and they are very nice with nibs.
Available from John Neal Bookseller  - johnnealbooks.com

I105-HALF. Hydrus Fine Art Watercolor 1/2 oz Sets

Offline ericp

  • Senior Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 405
  • Karma: 16
    • View Profile
Re: Colored ink suggestions?
« Reply #17 on: November 28, 2016, 10:48:14 AM »

Watercolor:  yes!   Not very popular among the FF community, but I am just a huge fan!  (In fact if you search for watercolor here, you're bound to see a rant of mine somewhere.   ::) )  I use pretty much any nib.  Awesome range of colors.  Doesn't matter the brand, but go for tube and not cake sets.  It's so much easier to fill a dinky and dip your nib than to brush-load the nib.


I have some of the Dr Martin watercolors that come in little bottles with droppers and they are very nice with nibs.
Available from John Neal Bookseller  - johnnealbooks.com

I105-HALF. Hydrus Fine Art Watercolor 1/2 oz Sets
The Ecoline series is quite nice as well.  The colors are lovely and very saturated however they apparently aren't lightfast (if we're talking about calligraphy that is meant to be exposed to light then this should be a concern).

Offline ericp

  • Senior Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 405
  • Karma: 16
    • View Profile
Re: Colored ink suggestions?
« Reply #18 on: November 28, 2016, 10:55:51 AM »
@ericp!  Have you ever tried adding gum Arabic to your gouache?  That adds a nice shine...although, it can extend the drying time (in my experience).
Yes I am aware of the GA trick, thanks for mentioning that.  I agree that the shine does make a difference.

I've also found that GA helps with smudging once it does dry. Somehow I couldn't avoid smudging the gouache when I erased lines until I started adding GA.

Another thing I forgot to mention about gouache (having tried it again this weekend about a long, dry spell) is that it does smudge as you write (not just during drying as you rightly point out), which is, frankly, quite annoying when you cross T's or X's or any simple flourish for that matter.  (I don't know if GA would alleviate this.)

I was also a bit disappointed with the hairlines too (using a Nikko G).  My memory doesn't serve me well because I can't recall which magic nib I used to work with gouache.  Oh well I'll find it sooner or later.


Offline Ergative

  • Senior Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 288
  • Karma: 19
    • View Profile
Re: Colored ink suggestions?
« Reply #19 on: November 29, 2016, 01:02:45 PM »

Another thing I forgot to mention about gouache (having tried it again this weekend about a long, dry spell) is that it does smudge as you write (not just during drying as you rightly point out), which is, frankly, quite annoying when you cross T's or X's or any simple flourish for that matter.  (I don't know if GA would alleviate this.)

I was also a bit disappointed with the hairlines too (using a Nikko G).  My memory doesn't serve me well because I can't recall which magic nib I used to work with gouache.  Oh well I'll find it sooner or later.

I recall having some difficulty getting the hairlines to work, but I think that's usually just a matter of the consistency of the gouache, not an inherent flaw. Add some more water so it will flow, and the hairlines come out fine. The real difficulty is hitting that magic balance between not too thick (or hairlines don't flow) and not too runny (or the color gets washed out, and not too much GA (or it never dries and flows too thick) and not too little GA (or you have smudgy gouache). These days I just use walnut ink and call it done unless I have a project that really, truly, calls for color.
Clara