For the Fun of It - fountain pen drawing part three
inks and their properties
Hi! My name is Ashlyn Anstee, and I tell stories with words and pictures. Sometimes, that’s picture books (like Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library Select “Hedgehog”), or graphic novels (my series “Shelby and Watts”), and sometimes it’s animation (I’ve directed at places like Warner Bros. and Cartoon Network).
This column, “For the Fun of It”, will also have words and pictures. Sometimes it will be stories, or how-tos, or thoughts. A little bit of everything. Hope you enjoy!
An intro to Fountain Pen specific Ink
This week, we’re going to be diving into fountain pen inks. FP inks are different than some of the traditional artists inks you might have used. Artist inks can be shellac based (which makes it water resistant), or chock-full of pigments. These are fine when using a brush or dip pen, but they can clog up a fountain pen (and even ruin them… FOREVER!). It’s always better to err on the safe side and double check that the ink you’re putting into your pen is safe for it.
To find new inks, I love sites like Mountain of Ink or Fountain Pen Pharmacist, both of which show all sorts of inks and how they look on different papers.
Another absolutely awesome place to go is Nick Stewart’s site. He does work with dual-shading inks (more info below), and bleach, and just plays with ink in a wholly new and exciting way! I took his udemy course, and it’s a great deep dive into his particular alchemy.
Alright, let’s dive into some ink properties! I’m going to share some of my favorites, but I definitely recommend peeking at Mountain of Ink to see more options. Also, a lot of fountain pen stores have samples- 3-5ml of ink, enough to see if you like it before buying a big ol bottle.
My swatches below are done on my col-o-ring! JetPens (and many other fountain pen retailers) stock these, they’re a great way of keeping track of your stash.
Let me see how substack handles this little video of me drawing a bear with Ferris wheel Press’s Goose Poupon (a gorgeous mustard).
Shading
Shading is one of the most common “special features” of ink. As you draw a line, or fill in an area, the places with more ink will get darker. This can look cool on big areas, but gives amazing subtle vibes to even thin lines.
Sheen
Some inks take on a different color from different angles. This is hard to capture in scans, but a bit easier in photos. I’ve been enjoying sheen more often. When I turn the pages of my sketchbook, my drawings dance a little from the changing colors!
Shimmer
Shimmer inks are full of glittery bits. I don’t use shimmer inks as often. I’ve written a little, but they can clog pens sometimes, and it’s not as useful for art. A shame because they are super pretty to look at! If you like calligraphy, these would be a great option.
Dual-shading
Dual shading inks are wild- as the ink dries, they split into different colors on the page. There’s an element of chaos! These are some of my favorites, they really give a sketch a super unique feel.
If you add water, the effect becomes even more apparent. I’ve started keeping a swatch book of inks and water, to see how the different pigments separate.
A tip I picked up from Nick Stewart is using a dip pen and some bleach to lay down highlights. It gives the lines a glowy feel.
Waterproof Ink
I mentioned up top that a lot of common artist inks that are waterproof don’t work in your fountain pens. But there are a few water-resistant inks. Iron-gall inks are often waterproof (as always, check the reviews and make sure they’re safe for your fountain pen babies). Platinum Carbon Black is my favorite! It’s a nice, simple black, and it has great water resistance. It’s fountain pen safe- it works by binding to the paper itself!)
Art
Next week, I’ll talk a bit about smooshing and some other ways I experiment with ink. I hope you enjoyed this ink dive though. If you’d like any color recommendations, drop a comment! I’ve got a nice little library of ink at this point, so I might be able to suggest something!
Thing of the Week
Should I drop another cat item?? My cats have always had this cat-scratcher-ball-thing in some form or another since they were kittens. The scratching part in the middle can be replaced, which is great, because the cats will trash them in a week.
Link here to Chewy, where I get boodles of our cat stuff (when you go through a big stack of food a week, you gotta do what you gotta do)
Fountain Pen Series:
Part 1: Why Fountain Pens?
Part 2: Nibs
Part 3: Fountain Pen Ink.
Part 4: Experiments
ok love u bye
Omg that wayer for the mermaid! 🤩🤩🤩
Ohh didn’t realize there were water proof fountain pen safe inks. If I get serious about making a mess I’ll have to pick one up. I used to do serious damage with India ink, dip pens, and crayons.