Inks, etc..??

[TomParrish]

Hey guys, thought I'd share this discovery - Just ordered some Deleter manga ink on a punt (never really used any manga materials before) and this ink is GREAT!



I got it from a UK site called Dinkybox.com, but it's easy enough to find. I've found it to have a really solid matt black finish, but to be a bit more flowing than Black Magic and doesn't dry out nearly as quickly - they do a whole range of other densities, but I just went for the most opaque.

Just got some Speedball Super Black as well, so I'll hopefully be able to compare it to that once I've cracked that open as well.

[dave]

You can order from AkaDot as well. I've been using straight FW for my brushwork. How does this compare?

[TomParrish]

I'm trying to think of a way of doing some kind of spot test to scan and post here, but I don't know if the flow of the ink off the brush/quill will be visible/discernable from others if just done as some lines and a flat patch of black. If we could come up with a way of doing this and scanning it, we could possibly build a library of all the inks in use as a resource to other inkers out there?

I haven't tried the FW Ink Dave, isn't that the acrylic ink? I've found so far the Speedball Super Black to be less than impressive, though it might have just been a bad bottle so I'll try another - it's really watery! (I have shaken the bottle thoroughly and stirred it up as well) The Deleter stuff I'd compare to Black Magic, just in a better bottle and a bit more fluid to work with - I'm enjoying the fact that I don't have to re-spot blacks over and over to get a solid finish!

I'll pick up a bottle of FW on the next run to the art store and give it a go.

[jimmyt]

The super Black is my favorite because it drys quickly and bleeds less then any other on substandard paper. In Fact I inked on 1990 Blueline this year with no bleed. You have to clean the brush thoroughly every once in a while inking.

Black Magic must be shaken vigorously before use and is great for quill.

But the best ink on a page I have seen yet is Black Starr black Matt.

I am thinking of page resale, after publishing. You want a very neat page.

Jimmy

[livengood]

So, I was curious, I'm still on my first bottle of ink. How often should you replace it? I've been using mine for about 3 months now and it's always open when I'm inking, and I've even forgotten to close it a couple times and it sat open overnight. It dries pretty quickly on the brush now, so it's looking like it's time to get a new one.

But, even if I close it up every night, if you don't go through it, how often should you switch out bottles?

[LeviS]

Feb 24, 2009 15:13:55 GMT -5 livengood said:

So, I was curious, I'm still on my first bottle of ink. How often should you replace it? I've been using mine for about 3 months now and it's always open when I'm inking, and I've even forgotten to close it a couple times and it sat open overnight. It dries pretty quickly on the brush now, so it's looking like it's time to get a new one.

But, even if I close it up every night, if you don't go through it, how often should you switch out bottles?

I got asked some thing similar over on Deviantart. I'm going to cut and paste the conversation, but your answer is in there.

Jesse: So I went to Spokane Art Supply (north side) today... I was looking at their inks, and there is a brand called Acee's Witche's Brew. Ken, the guy who runs the shop there, said its the blackest of blackest ink he has ever seen. He showed it to me, and I'd have to say its black black... Have you tried it? Looks potent.

My response: Don't buy the witchs brew. It will stain the board and bleed threw to the back, turn your board yellow, and get you high as a kite if inhaled. If you want really black ink, buy Speedball super black india ink. leave the bottle open for about 1 to 2 weeks, closing lid ands shaking occasionally. This bottle of ink should be used for filling in large areas of blacks, not for your regular brush and nib work. Inkers usually have 3 bottles of inks going at the same time. 1 bottle is a new one for brush and nib work. the second bottle is for filling in the smaller areas of black with a worn out nib, this bottle should be about half the consistency of the 3rd bottle, just thick enough to still work with the nib. the 3rd bottle is like I said up top thickend, and should be used with a old worn out, cheap, brush. this ink will ruin any nice brush if not cleaned right after use.

livengood sounds like your working out of the second bottle. Go get a new #1

[TomParrish]

I'd suggest investing in another bottle as well bud - But then again I've got about 3 bottles on the go as well that I similarly use for different things. I use a fresh bottle of Speedball for linework, then black magic or the deleter for solid blacks. I find after having had it open for a couple of hours a couple of drops of distilled/bottled water from a pipette into the bottle and a good shake can bring back a bottle that's turning. Another thing to remember is watch out for batches - I bought 3 bottles of Speedball and had only 2 good bottles in there, if it's no good, either blend it with something else (experimenting with hybrid inks can be v fun!) or bin it - it's unfortunate but also the nature of the material.

An important thing as well with any new bottle is get a long matchstick and stir it all up from the bottom, don't just shake it. Then, each time you come to use the bottle when you ink, give it a quick shake as I find Speedball seperates/thins when sat for a while.

[livengood]

Thanks for the advice guys, that really helps.

I did indeed go get a new bottle of the Speedball Super Black yesterday, so along with my new Raphael 8404 #2 I got in the mail, maybe I can get my butt back in gear.

[clockwerkj]

I have switched inks 3 times in the last 2 months. Right now Im using calli, it seems to bleed under templates alot, but is black at every thickness stage. Before that I used a 16 oz bottle of Superblack in a month. The calli bottles last me about a week. at that point a 1 oz bottle is 1/2 full & dries too quickly. I just keep a sludge bottle off to the side & dump the 1/2 bottle in there. thats what I use for heavy brushwork & blacks. Before all that I was using Black star 1/2 matte & 1/2 hi-carb, but the price was prohibitive. so I decided to try something cheaper.

[bobalmond]

I cam across this at the Adam Hughes Fans Yahoo discussion group when the topic was what ink everyone used and Adam's answer is below...interesting:

Re: Question regarding inking.....

I asked a similar question and Allison responded with this. Hope its helpful.


Re: Inking question for Adam or Allison

This From Adam....


My ink is usually a cocktail of Dr. Ph Martin's Matte Black India Ink
mixed with and equal portion of their Hi- Carbon Black India Ink, with
3 drops of Ko-Hi-Noor technical pen ink. The tech pen ink has a
polymer in it that keeps it from clogging in pens; mixed with brush
ink, it helps keep the brush wet a little longer, and the flow is much
smoother. Mix it ONLY when inky, about an ounce or two at a time. I
tried pre-mixing a liter of it once, and if it sits for more than a
few days, it starts to smell like feet. I'm not exaggerating; the art
I did with it stank like feet. YIKES.

If your board is buckling, you may need to use a thicker illustration
board.

Good luck!

-AH!



--- In [e-mail], "Tom" <tombo821@...> wrote:
>
> Are they still using Higgins Black Magic to do inking? Or is it another brand?
And if so,could you tell me what it is? And if you know what they cost may be.
Any Help is greatly appreciated,thanks. Tom.

[TomParrish]

I ordered a new brush yesterday after having read a recommendation of this company somewhere - www.rosemaryandco.com/index.php, arrived this morning and looks/feels in the hand fantastic. I got a no.4 series 22 kolinsky sable brush, which came in a fair amount cheaper than the W&N s7 and Raphael 8404 brushes I have (£6.65 as opposed to around £20 for the same sized brush by W&N).

I'll give it a run tonight and post up a bit of a review vs. the W&N and Raphael brushes in case anyone's interested

[TomParrish]

Okay, so a quick review of the Rosemary &Co. no.4 kolinsky sable series 22 brush. Ever so slightly longer point than a W&N or Raphael, snaps to point really well, wonderful taper - maintains a really crisp point. Definately performs as well as the W&N and Raphael, think I've found a new preferred brush maker (considering the price difference!)

www.rosemaryandco.com/

[clockwerkj]

Good Deal,
It looks like I'd be paying a pretty solid premium to get them here. Raphaels for me after exchange rate are still 30% cheaper. If you are coming over to the states for NYCC let me know. I may get you money ahead of time to get a few to test.
Jay

[justice41]

Anyone ever use FW ink? It's really dense but it does take a bit to dry and has a little tack to it. I use Speedball Super black ink. Stuffs good.

[TomParrish]

I bought a bottle of FW a while back and really wanted to like it, but found it didn't flow well for me (maybe too used to india ink) and also that it was a bit thin, needing multiple coats. I'll probably try it again in a while, but having been a fan of the Deleter Manga ink of late I'm bk onto Speedball Super Black as well. The problem with the Deleter ink is that even though it gives a great, rich matte black, I think it must be a high carbon ink or something as it dirties the page too easily once blacks are spotted.