Are you looking for an easy way to brighten up your sketchbook and quite probably your day?
Let me suggest adding a little coloured ink to your drawing and painting repertoire.
Shall we dig into the hows and whys of coloured ink?
By the way, if you wish you could confidently add people to your paintings, I have a class that might be just what you are looking for - click here to explore the Watercolour Tutorial Figure Bundle which closes at the end of February 2023.
Why Sketch with Coloured Ink?
There is obviously nothing wrong with a simple sketch in pen or pencil - sketchbooks filled with these black and white or greyscale drawings are quite delightful.
But if you want to breathe new life into your drawings simply using a bit of colour will often do the trick.
We watercolour painters are no stranger to the temptation of adding a splash of watercolour to a sketch - its a technique called line and wash which you can read more about here.
But some days we want an easier approach than that.
Doing nothing more than using a colour as opposed to the classic but predictable black ink to make your drawing can really elevate a simple sketch.
Who doesn’t love a time saver?
No need to get out the paints when you can already be adding a splash of colour while you sketch.
On top of that, the choices these days are endless when it comes to coloured inks. Even better, some inks have different properties that might just add an extra touch of magic to your drawing.
How to use Coloured Ink in Your Sketchbook and Paintings
Opting for colour in your sketchbook can be as simple as choosing a coloured pen from the office supply store. Even that will provide you with endless choice of colours and types of pens.
But don’t forget that you can buy bottled coloured ink and choose your own drawing tool. Coloured ink is really just liquid colour and therefore shares many properties with watercolour. So you can even choose a paintbrush to draw and paint with.
Fountain pens can be filled with ink from a bottle if you have a converter for them. If not you might want to try a dip pen.
I must confess, I have owned a very inexpensive dip pen that comes with plenty of different nibs for more years than I care to count but it was only when the lovely people at Goldspot pens sent me some glorious coloured ink to try (yes, my job does have some pretty great perks 🤩) that I finally got it out.
I don’t know why I waited so long - a dip pen is very straightforward to use. The instructions are actually in the name. 🤦♀️
Buoyed by the fun of experimentation, I also got out another impulse purchase that has been in my stash for some time - a glass dip pen.
The speedball one which is a plastic holder with interchangeable nibs offers line variation depending on the pressure you use. The glass pen does not. Instead it offers a very fine and delicate but consistent line. (It also makes me feel like some sort of fairy godmother since it feels more like a pretty wand or something like that.)
Anyway teaming the glass dip pen with this beautiful Lamy Crystal Ink in Ruby was a winning combination.
(If filling a fountain pen with custom ink is more than you are in the mood to take on right now a dip pen might be the simple solution you are looking for - Goldspot have a range for you to choose from.)
Speaking of combinations, one of things we know as watercolour painters is that paper makes such a difference to the painting experience.
When you try out your new ink, bear in mind that not only does each ink potentially have some uniques properties to watch out for, but it will behave differently on different types of paper. I’ll show you what I mean about the paper in a moment, but first…
Properties of Coloured Ink - what to watch out for
I’m all for jumping in and drawing and painting with abandon. But having been a cautionary tale in a few instances myself, there might just be one or two things worth mentioning.
Archival Ink
Some ink is archival and some is not. All that means is that over time the ink may or may not be lightfast - just like watercolour paint. So if you are just working in your sketchbook this really may not matter at all. Since sketchbooks are stored shut they are usually not too affected by light over time. But if you are working on something that you want to display, the archival or lightfast rating might be something you want to be aware of.
Special Effect Ink
Just like watercolour paint, inks have different properties based on their particular chemical formula. This means you can add an extra touch of pizazz in your drawing with no additional effort on your part.
Bear in mind though, that some of these effects will be influenced by the paper you are using.
Special effects you can choose in your inks include:
Shading Inks
Shading inks will tend to pool in places (just like watercolour paint) and then dry darker in those areas. So you can end up with some lovely tonal variations when that happens.
Inks with Sheen
The pigments in some sheen ink formulae separate out as they absorb into the paper and create an unexpected second colour.
Inks with Shimmer
Shimmer inks have a little bit of metallic glimmer added to them so if you need a little sparkle in your life, this is the ink for you.
Scented Inks
Who knew you could buy scented ink?
I know… what a wonderful modern world we live in.
For the full sensory experience in your sketchbook practice choose an ink with fragrance.
Waterproof Inks
Typically, we watercolour painters go to great lengths to hunt down waterproof inks. This is so that when we splash our watercolour over the top of the ink line drawings we don’t completely destroy our sketch.
Many glorious coloured inks (like the Lamy Crystal Ruby I was gifted above) will not be waterproof. I have a way to work with that so don’t be broken hearted if the colour you fell in love with is not waterproof.
How to Make a Virtue of Watersoluble Ink in your Painting
If you do happen to have watersoluble as opposed to waterproof ink it might just add a new technique to your sketchbook practice.
First though, let me show you what I mean about how the paper influences the ink.
When I add water to this little doodle on thin, cheap sketchbook drawing paper, the ink feathers a bit.
You can also see that this paper was not really designed to take water as it has rippled a little. So if you are just drawing with this ink and intend to keep the sketch dry, no problem at all.
If you were sketching with a view to adding a little watercolour wash to the drawing you are probably going to be a bit sad when your sketch dissolves.
When I use proper watercolour paper, the ink mark still dissolves, but in a far more exciting way. It creates a juicy puddle of colour which you can now manipulate a lot like watercolour.
That means that you can add a little bit of tone to your sketch just by adding a touch of water. I find the best results with this if you add the water in a thoughtful, measured way.
Less is more, I feel.
If you love the idea of exploring this watersoluble drawing technique I have a whole class for you. We use watercolour markers (or any watersoluble drawing pen or pencil) and turn them into paintings - mostly just with water!
Click here to learn more about this fun class (yes, even if you think you are no good at drawing).
Also, right now, the Watercolour Tutorial Figures Bundle is open for enrolment.
It will close in February so if learning to include human figures in your watercolour painting is on your bucket list, head on over to the link below to learn more about this fun bundle.
Are you on your own painting journey?
One of these might be useful…
Keep on reading…
