

Gum arabic is a thickener, so eventually your ink will become too thick to bleed - but not so thick that you can’t write with it! are good), and continually test the ink by writing with it. Just stir some into to the ink a little bit at a time (increments of 1/8 tsp. It doesn’t matter whether you use liquid or powder. In cases like those, add some gum arabic to the ink! Sometimes, though, you absolutely have to write on a certain paper (for commissioned wedding calligraphy, etc.). Instead of cheap printer paper, for example, use 32# laserjet paper. If the ink is thin and the paper tends to absorb liquid quickly, then you’ll get bleed! A lot of times, the problem can be fixed by switching out your paper. The problem is nearly always the paper and ink combination. There’s nothing more frustrating than writing a beautiful letter, then watching the ink blossom out into a fuzzy mess! As far as calligraphy ink problems go, bleeding ink is something nearly all beginners experience. Just let the ink sit overnight with the cap off, and a lot of the water will evaporate out! 2. Once you stir in water, the ink should write like a dream! As a side note, if you add too much water and the ink is no longer opaque, that’s an easy fix. I officially recommend that you dilute the ink with distilled water, but I always just use water from the tap.

Go a bit thinner with colored inks and black inks - you want them to be more watery. To fix that, simply stir some water into the ink! I usually start with 1/4 teaspoon and keep adding until the ink has a smoother consistency. You should stir white and metallic inks to the consistency of cream.
#India ink dip pen series#
Notice that a few of the upstrokes and horizontal strokes just look like a series of tiny dots! In the photo below, you can see the result of trying to use too-thick ink to write calligraphy. Try to use a super thick ink as-is, and you’ll get upstrokes that are barely there (and not in a good way). See that big glob on the upper right 1/4 of the rim? That’s paint that has separated from the watery part of the ink. Martin’s Bleedproof White Ink generally arrives looking like this: While thick ink can be nice because it’s opaque, it also can be temperamental. Ink Skips on Upstrokesĭepending on your calligraphy ink’s ingredients, it may have a tendency to be thick.
#India ink dip pen how to#
If you have addressed those issues and continue to experience problems, then this post will be helpful! In it, we’ll go through four common calligraphy ink problems and how to fix them. The first may be that you have not prepared your nib for use or you might be holding your pen too upright. I want to start this post off by saying that if you experience a lot of calligraphy ink problems, there may be a simple culprit.
