Newbie Here: Anyone work with Acrylic or India Ink? Also any thoughts on Inkcage

[jeanwilson]

Some days I read too fast and then respond too fast.
Canson TRACING paper - might not be the best for practice.
There are so many kinds of Canson paper - I like the 100% rag marker paper - which is expensive.

When the topic of paper for practice comes up - there are many posts suggesting the office supply papers - to save money.
I too like to minimize the amount of money I spend on art supplies.
However -
when beginners do not give the best papers a try - they miss the opportunity to find out how well they work.
Many beginners are mesmerized by all the inks and spend a lot of money on inks.
I recommend the more expensive papers -for practice- because I really think it can make a significant difference for some people.

If you invest in the better materials from the very beginning, it is possible that you can shorten the length of time that you are doing the pages and pages of drills. There is no way to test this - as you only go down your first path once.

Many students show up in my classes with art supplies that are dreadful. I do not insist that they buy better materials. I simply give them the good stuff to try - and once they see the results, they are happy to buy the better materials.

I respect that some people love to turn out a ton of practice pages and have found office papers that they just love. I have no problem with people who share their success stories - and have accomplished all of their goals with office paper. My only point is that each of us has a unique path - and giving the good-paper-path a try -to draw your own conclusions- is worth the $8 - $9 for a nice pad of paper. You need to learn for yourself how sensitive you are to paper. Some of us just *need* the good stuff to feel right. Others may *need* the more expensive nibs, but the paper can be very inexpensive. Finding your favorite ink will also take some time.

[vonking1980]

I initially got the tracing paper as training wheels and it's kinda worked so far for what I needed it for. I'm at the point though, where  I'm now seeing a difference in my practice and trying to fix errors, but can't because part of the issue is the supplies. I have to agree that life would have been much easier starting out with the correct materials. Unfortunately, I'm hard headed, and at the beginning, paper was paper.  I'm like my 5 year old son...but whyyyy.....Now, I'm seeing why certain paper is recommended over others. They all aren't created equally, but for us hard headed people, it has to be a lesson learned first hand.  I'll definitely appreciate the good stuff when I get it. And my ego will be happier when it sees the results. Thanks again for your help Jean!!

[elsa.d]

I have that speedball acrylic ink and find it absolutely dreadful! I generally have issues with sloppy transitions from shade to hairline with all acrylic inks.

If you are mostly looking for a good practice ink walnut ink made from crystals is my favorite! It is so inexpensive, easy to use, easy to clean up, and just overall performs so well.

[vonking1980]

Thank you Elsa! That's exactly what was happening. I hated doing "a's" and "o's", or any downstroke/hairline transition for that matter. I found a post about the speedball acrylic and got it to work, but it's got to be diluted. Sumi is available here, so I got some of that and there's a difference for sure. Walnut is next on my list.
I also finally bought some smoother paper, which has helped TREMENDOUSLY(thanks Jean)-- Canson Pro Layout and a few sheets of Office Depot brand Premium to try. One of these days I'll be patient enough to order some Rhodia paper. I really appreciate all the suggestions on here!

[ericp]

Thank you Elsa! That's exactly what was happening. I hated doing "a's" and "o's", or any downstroke/hairline transition for that matter. I found a post about the speedball acrylic and got it to work, but it's got to be diluted.

Just to complete some thoughts about acrylic vs gouache:
I manage some nice hairlines with gouache, but, as for acrylic, I find that I have to play a bit with the water/gouache ratio to get it just right.  Both need to be diluted, obviously.

I also find that—unlike sumi—I have to be careful with gouache when my lines cross, as the crossings have a tendency to create small smudges if the ink is still wet (something I detest).  That, and the lack of gloss, are the two main disadvantages I would say.

There are some threads elsewhere on FF that explain the difference/similarities of acrylic and gouache, suffice it to say that they are close cousins but not direct siblings 

[Elizabeth O.]

I have a really similar issue with FW acrylic ink.  I wonder if adding more water would do the trick?  It may be worth a try since you've already purchased the Speedball acrylic. 

I've also used Ziller...which I LOVE (mainly because it's completely waterproof)...but it does get thick, and adding water seems to fix it right up.