Ink Pen Roundup for Watercolor Line & Wash 

One clarification. At 14:00 I mention putting whatever permanent ink you want in a pen thats piston filled. I should have said, any ink rated safe for fountain pens. Some permanent inks like India Ink or Acrylic Inks will ruin your pen. Thanks.

My favorite sketching pen is the platinum carbon desk pen in extra fine! I'm still getting used to the Safari and Ahab. They just seem too short and light for huge hands. The Carbon has a long and skinny handle so it feels balanced in my hand even though it is the lightest pen I own. I'm planning on either getting a Pilot Namiki Falcon or a Pelikan M200 for my next (higher end) sketching pen.

Learned more from this, thanks, I never knew some of those water soluble ones, gonna give it a go🎨

Something to keep in mind for people is that to be very careful about the Amazon listings when searching for the Carbon Black ink! There's one that says it sells the ink mentioned in the video, but actually sells the watersoluble black ink that Platinum makes instead. The watersoluble one is packaged as Platinum Black ink (and pictured as such), but with the listing including the label of CARBON. The error has lead to many confused buyers from that listing. This is the one people should keep a look out for (as of posting this comment, the link provided in the description seems to be a copy/paste error): www.amazon.com/Platinum-carbon-bottle-black-japan/dp/B0028MTSFQ There is also a similar pigment ink to the Platinum Carbon Black, which is the Sailor Kiwa-Guro Black ink. Both pigment inks perform great with pretty much the same properties, but some people have complained about the smell for the Sailor ink. I've personally haven't noticed much in that regards for the Sailor ink though. www.amazon.com/Sailor-Kiwa-Guro-Pigmented-Black-Bottle/dp/B002WM5EYQ/ There are also coloured pigment inks that these two brands produce on top of these two black inks. As fountain pen safe as them as well, so something to keep in mind. Expensive for the amount you get (especially for the Sailor STORiA line of coloured pigment inks), but they're pretty nice, especially for mixing along with the benefits of using a pigmented fountain pen ink. On the other hand, for the average price on Amazon (including Prime shipping) for the full set of 8 STORiA inks, one could get the full set of Ph. Martin's Bombay coloured india inks and still have leftover funds to purchase other items suitable for the latter inks.

Yes this was very helpful thanks.

Sir, can you please suggest some waterproof inks to use with fountain pens and brush pens?

I wonder why it's called "Pen and Ink." I mean, why would anyone use a pen without ink?

Wow fantastic job really enjoy how this turned out after all :) Keep going and create art :D Greetings from a fellow RU-vid Artist ;-)

I use a dip pen with watercolor to sign my watercolor paintings. It gives me much more control than using a brush.

Great info. I bought a zebra brush pen. I can't wait to try it out.

Thiscwas very helpful

9:03 I got my first ink bottle for my new dip pens. I knocked it over immediantly, and it spilt on my carpet. Couldn't even use a steam cleaner because the ink was waterproof. (After hours of dabbing the carpet, and bottles of rubbing alchoal, it partially came out.)

Platinum Carbon Black is fantastic for use with watercolors. It is absolutely rock solid once dry, even more so than Noodler's Bulletproof Black. Highly recommended!

Yes I am definitely going to have to get some pens to try and add to my supplies. A huge amount of help explaining the difference between the types. I didn’t realize just how much there was. Thanks again for sharing this with us.

Thank you so much for this! I've been going crazy looking for waterproof pens for my washes and I'm not a fan of sketching with technical pens given the dry feel. Those "hard" brushpens look like just the ticket.

My recommendations for waterproof fountain pen inks are Platinum Carbon Black, De Atramentis Document Brown, De Atramentis Document Dark Red, and my own workhorse, Noodler’s Lexington Gray. The Platinum Carbon Black is a pigment ink and should not be used in an expensive fountain pen, but rather a lower end one, preferably one that can be cleaned and does not dry out between uses, for example a TWSBI Eco or EcoT with an extra fine nib. (Or a wider nib like a fine or even medium if you prefer a bolder line.) It’s an excellent piston-filled pen that won’t break the bank and can be disassembled for cleaning. You can get a transparent one so you can monitor ink supply and any issues. Although the carbon pigment ink is the most finicky, it’s better to use a pen like this or one of the cheap Chinese ones (filled from a bottle with a cartridge converter) for all waterproof inks. Another possibility is one of the fairly inexpensive piston-filled pens with flex nibs like the Ahab from Noodler’s. You can also swap in a flex nib like those made by Fountain Pen Revolution onto one of the Chinese pens like a Jinhao X159, and there are videos on how to do that. Flex nibs have a bit of a learning curve, but they can add expressive line variation and are fun to use for both drawing and writing. The Platinum ink is made for fountain pens, but eventually it does leave enough dried residue that it will need to be cleaned out. NEVER use regular drawing inks in fountain pens. The Lexington Gray can be also be loaded into a waterbrush straight or in dilutions. It dries quickly, can be layered, and is totally waterproof and archival. I prefer it to black. It’s a joy to draw and write with a fountain pen with a smooth nib. (Lots of videos on that and how to tweak nibs, but if you get a TWSBI it should be good out of the box.) You can put it in your pocket, pack some paper or a bound notebook or pad of paper you like, and be ready to draw anywhere. Add a pocket-sized folding tin with wells of your favorite watercolors dried in them, some water, and a travel brush, and you’ve got a highly portable studio ready to go urban sketching or nature walking.

Pilot precise V5 ; Pilot G2 gel…. and Uniball Vision, Uniball gel. Last longer and cost less. You can use them as watersoluble or as almost waterproof depending on when you add water.

Very nice overview. Wish to emphasize more frequent and regular fountain pen maintenance, with the lightfast, waterproof, pigment based inks (as compared to dye based inks). Be sure your chosen equipment allows ease of this necessity. Besides Noodler’s Black and Platinum Carbon Black, De Atramentis Document Black is worthy of consideration due to permanence and archival quality most artists look for.

Oh! Look what I found! I’m studying!

So much good information--love your product/supply reviews. Planning on "dipping" into ink very soon so very timely for me. Thank you!

That was an amazingly helpful intro to this type of art supply. I've been wanting to get into Ink & Wash but was daunted by the selection. You've just cleared this up beautifully!

It's good to see you on again. Hope the flooding didn't effect you or your loved ones too terribly. Was thinking and praying for the safety of you and family.

Pigma micron - great pens but dry up very fast.

Thank you for all your very useful information!

Well that certainly brought back painful memories. Back in the day, after the last dinosaur left they used to teach "penmanship" with dip pens and an industrial type of yellow craft paper. Being a south paw (leftie) there was no way of preventing the nib from tearing up the paper. Other than that, a good informative discussion on pens. I find using ink in some of my works adds a whole new dimension to it.

I'm a fountain pen (i.e., FP) user who's just getting into watercolor, & catching up with your vlog when I can (years late, LOL). Not sure if you'll see this question, but on the off chance ... Normal "FP-friendly paper" (like Clairefontaine) is sooooo smooth, and watercolor paper better not be! It seems like the FP nib would pick up fibers from the watercolor paper and get clogged, or even that the watercolor pigments would do so. Do you need to floss your FP tines or perform other cleaning tasks to keep the nib clear? I'm gonna ink up a spare pen and give this a go soon - maybe a line drawing over washes (love those!). Thanks Steve!

Another option if you want dip pen nib line variation with the ink storage capacity of a fountain pen is the Desiderata Pen Co. They are made and sent with a Zebra G nib in place and are eye dropper fill pens. Very handy to have and I use mine with the Platinum Carbon black or carbon sepia ink. Much more portable without all the dipping.

I had fun doing inktober last year, but this year I am busy with my kids channel doing #artober. I would to have known about all these pens, so thank you for this video. I usually use Micron but I think I will use Brush Pens next!

Hi Steve! Such excellent information here. Thank you. I’d like to get the Rotring art pen but with a sepia cartridge but I’m having trouble finding a cartridge that isn’t black? Is your sepia made by Rotring or is it another brand? Can any brand of cartridge fit a Rotring art pen? Thanks! 🖊

This video is very helpful. Thank you.

👍

thanks as per usual very good in lots of info

*Wa-ter Sol-u-ah-blah* 😂

Microns leak for me too frequently. Not bouncing them around either.

Thank you so much for this video. I love ink over watercolors. Hugs!

fun. thanks

Hi Steve - Been doing a lot of ink washes in my work lately. Have you tried any of the J. Herbin inks? A sketching friend of mine introduced them to me and they're spectacular. Here's a link: www.jherbin.com/1670.html

Hi, I'm absolutely in love with your videos. I've recently gotten into ink and watercolour illustrations and this video definitely helped on choosing my inking tools, the brush pens are amazing! But would you ever think of doing a more in depth video or guide on watercolour and ink illustrating, and perhaps share what kind of paper I should be using for my techniques? One of the biggest problems I'm having is that when I ink a sketch it comes across as very one dimensional and flat, and I don't know where or how to do ink crosshatching or shading effectively to make it look better.

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE INTRO!? I LOVED THEM!

Did I miss where you talked about the Pitt FB? Is it waterproof and what category?

Have you tested your brush pen category pens for waterproofness? I think they are more or less soluble.

If you want to use dip pens portably, cut a wedge of artists' sponge to fit a small vial or jar and fill that with your ink. It will be impossible to spill, even if held upside down.

I know you said that you don't use any fountain pens that cost more than $40, which in general is a good rule. However, if you decide to make an exception, I would recommend a Pelikan 200 series, which costs around $100. Pelikans have a wonderful flexible tip. About a million years ago, when I was in college, I used Pelikan pens filled with Kohinoor Rapidograph ink to draw on acetate. I don't recall what the older Pelikans were called, but they were about the same as a 200 series (but cost a lot less.) I used the acetate drawings for photo a sensitive process for silkscreen prints, or for lithography on aluminum plates using a diazo photographic process. The technical pen ink worked well with the pens as long as I remembered to clean out the pens every week or so. Since I was using them pretty much every day, they did not clog up. They worked very well for drawing on paper too. At the time, I used Arches or Rives printmaking paper, which has a soft texture but not much sizing. I have a new Pelikan 200 series and the point is also really flexible but I have not tried anything but Noodler's black in it, which works very well for drawing.

Hi Steve, thanks for the above info. I find these demos's to be most informative and helpful....however after sourcing the "Pental brush Pen" in OZ, I have not been happy with it. Even though I take great care with the shape/ point,my brush pen keeps splitting into two section, therefore,I cannot control it as much as I would like. I was disappointed with it. Maybe I just do not have the skills required to manipulate this brush. Hope all is well in Sth.C. :)

Thanks for the continued great content! Do you have any ink specific drawings you can share for inktober?

I just inherited a fountain pen from my parents circa 40’s or 50’s. It sits in a shiny black half-sphere. The pen itself is black and has a clear pointy end. The engraving says Esterbrook. It’s probably not been used for decades - maybe even a half century. I’d love to use it but know it will take special care to rehab it. I am a beginning inker so know nothing about pens. Any advice?

Excellent info. Would you use these tools on cold press paper or hot press?

What brand of sepia ink is in the Rotring Art pen?

Interesting demonstration. Gracias The Mind.

Which pen does Reese like? :)

I love the Rotring pens

Great video

Great video! Thank you!

Thanks, for doing the Pen roundup. I always loved a fountain pen but they seemed to dry in the nib. That was about 40 years ago. Maybe the ink has improved or maybe I just didn't know how to clean them or something. I usually use the Micron now.

who cringed when he said copic the wrog way?

Water soluble*....

What is the difference between Sumi ink and indian ink?

I know this is a few months late, but I Love my Kuretake brush pen, I've had mine since 2015, and find it very useful and flexible to use.