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Which Ink Is Best for Watercolor Paper?

Finding the best ink to use on watercolor paper depends more on the type of ink stroke you plan to use. There are also different fiber grades of watercolor paper, all of which can be used dry or damp. Ink usually is best used on a cold-pressed watercolor paper (NOT), which has a very smooth surface. Which ink is used -- and what type of pen or brush -- will determine how to use the paper, wet or dry.
  1. Types of Watercolor Paper

    • Example of a watercolor wash on paper.

      Watercolor paper comes in three industry standard categories: Rough, NOT (cold-pressed) and H.P. (hot-pressed or smooth). The texture and absorbency can change between different manufacturers. Paper weight, measured in grams per square meter, is determined by ratio of fiber to water at the end of the process. Weight also is determined by the speed of the machine in running the paper through the process.

    Inks for Watercolor Paper

    • If you want more distinct lines without any bleeding, use a permanent ink on dry paper. Once it dries, you can do a wash next to it or through it with watercolor paints. Or you can check out pigmented inks in different colors, which allow you to do a wash on wet paper instead. You also can water down your ink to change the characteristics of the lines and develop more shaded areas which can be built up with layering.

    Inks in Many Colors

    • Blue ink in several stages of water dilution.

      Most inks available today have pigments mixed in which increases the life of light exposure on the inks, making them less likely to fade over time. Many different colors have been developed since the day of black ink drawings as the staple form. Much more color can be added on top of a wash of diluted black ink to finalize a picture. You can also find gold and silver ink, but use just a tiny bit when mixing with other colors as they are more heavily pigmented.

    Indian Ink, Sepia and Oriental Ink Stick

    • Chinese brush writing with oriental ink stick mixed with water.

      Indian ink, sepia and Oriental ink stick are the original staples of the ink-drawing genre. Indian ink is carbon pigment suspended in either shellac or resin-based binding material. On rare occasions, you can find Indian inks made from Chinese sticks. Sepia is prepared from the ink sac of squid or cuttlefish. Oriental ink stick consists of black pigment mixed with glue and scented with musk. It is ground on an inkstone with water and can't be too thick or too thin. The most popular colors are blue or a violet black, along with the standard black and brown.

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