I struggle the most with the darkest gray because it tends to just be jet black or too light. White is the easiest, of course, because it is the white of the paper. We started with the darkest value first and then and continued working in sequential order.
We marked our pure ink paint well with blue painters tape and then gradually added water to create at least seven values. I demonstrated on my Elmo document camera and we did this together as a class. However, all had done some type of value scale at some point in their artistic journeys. When I surveyed my Art II students, a mix of 10th-12th graders, almost none of them had worked with india ink before. I think it’s important to have students practice with the actual materials they will be using, and using the right paper is essential with ink. I cut rectangular strips of Bristol for each student to complete their practice techniques. Because my main learning objective was creating space and depth using value, we spent the most class time creating our practice value scales. The acrylic paint is thicker in consistency but both ink and paint can be diluted with water and mixed or used in a layering effect.We started the unit by practicing a variety of india ink techniques. Ink works well with acrylics, especially if you choose an acrylic based ink. You can also go in with fine liners or dip pens, in order to add more details. Once your image is dry, you can build layers to this process by adding more ink or more watercolours until you are happy. If you spray the ink while it’s still wet, the line separates into lovely marks depending on the texture of paper you use. Paint your watercolour image first and draw with ink to sharpen your marks and your focus. This can create an unpredictable and interesting combination of colours and texture as they react with each other.ĭraw an image with ink and wait until it’s dry before painting, resulting in strong lines. However, if you like stronger lines, try using a bamboo stick or twig and a bottle of fluid ink to draw with, and combine this with watercolours in any number of ways:ĭraw with ink and immediately paint with watercolours, wet in wet style. Traditionally ink and watercolour describe a combination of drawing with a pen and then painting with watercolour, sometimes in a loose style. Mixing Ink and WatercoloursĬombining ink and watercolours can be a very creative process. Toolsīrushes, bamboo pens, twigs, spatulas and dip pens all work well with ink, as well as any other tools you might like to try. All acrylic inks are intermixable regardless of brand name. They are easy to use, pigment based and thus lightfast, and dries permanent.
Dye based inks have good colours but are less permanent, and the pigmented acrylic inks are more lightfast.įor painting I prefer to use acrylic based inks. Some artists make their own inks with local and found materials, often using gum arabic as a binder.Ĭolours in inks are either made from dyes or pigments.
The main choices to make here are what pens you like to work with, and if the ink is waterproof or not.įor painting and artwork there is a vast assortment of black and coloured inks on the market. Pens holding ink, such as fine liners, fude pens and fountain pens are normally used for drawing and sketching. Inks come in many different forms depending on how you want to use it. It’s easy to use and offers many options for experimenting with colours, shapes and textures. Ink can be an exciting addition to your drawing and painting practice.
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