Acrylic is waterproof but don't use it with alcohol markers. Ultimately, regardless of the ink you use, always test them first. If you want to use such inks with dip pens or brushes, it's better to get bottles that have a large opening unlike the tapered opening here.Īnd make sure to clean your dip pens and brushes immediately after use so that the ink doesn't form a thin coat which will make it difficult to clean and for the ink to flow for subsequent use. Yes, I did shake the bottle, well, I shook all three. Shellac is supposed to form a protective coat over the ink to make it waterproof but for some reason it doesn't work here. The shellac ink is a surprise because it's not waterproof. This bottle of Indian ink from Renesans is very water resistant. I sprayed this with a mist bottle and the water collected into droplets. The acrylic ink is completely waterproof. The shellac ink has sheen at areas where the ink is concentrated. This was with the Indian ink which is Sepia coloured. These are the sketches I drew with the three inks. Fast drying inks can be difficult to use with brush as the brush hair will become solid and when ink solidifies it's difficult to wash off completely. Some inks will dry with a sheen and that may affect the look you expect.

The ink needs to be waterproof if you use water media, such as watercolour. India ink (British English: Indian ink also Chinese ink) is a simple black or coloured ink once widely used for writing and printing and now more commonly used for drawing and outlining, especially when inking comic books and comic strips.India ink is also used in medical applications. Whether they are waterproof, are they matte when dry and how fast do they dry. There are certain things to test for when using such inks. They are also available in different colours, such as those available from Dr Ph Martin's. They can be used with dip pens and brushes. India ink is made with carbon or lamp black pigment (I'm referring to black ink) mixed with water, but sometimes with varnish, gelatin or varnish is added to make the ink more durable or waterproof when dry. It's waterproof but can be lifted off with alcohol so you don't use these with alcohol markers. It can be used with dip pens, brushes, airbrushes, markers and stamps. Think of it as the more fluid version of acrylic paint, and it can come in many colours. So what are the differences between acrylic ink and India ink? Is one better than the other? Better in what sense?Īcrylic ink is made with pigments suspended in acrylic resin binder or polymer emulsion.Īcrylic ink is more fluid and flows better. When I choose black inks, I only care whether they are waterproof or not since I use watercolour over ink, and whether they can be used in fountain pens since I use those pens often. There's Indian Ink, acrylic Ink and black ink with shellac. These are bottles of ink I've received from Renesans, an art supplies manufacturer from Poland, during the Urban Sketchers Symposium in Amsterdam a few months ago.

India ink markers