inks - India Inks versus Tsukineko Inks

(Karla Pool, New Mexico)

inks - India Inks versus Tsukineko Inks

Hello, first of all i am a big fan of ur work and site, i am from mexico city and in here is imposible to get all of those fantastics inks of Tsukineko, so i get my inks and suplies on internet but is a lilttle bit expensive my question is why you almost never use india ink like winsor and newton that is the only ink u can get in mexico and the classic stamping ink for office.

Hope you can answer me
thank you very much for sharing your expertise and talent

Karla Pool

Hi Karla,

and thanks of your nice comments :-)

India inks are mostly permanent inks , whilst a lot of the Tsukineko inks are waterbased allowing for mixing, transprent washes etc

I use permanent India Ink as the final top layer when I want to add fine details or when I decide to give a watercolor wash over a pen and ink drawing ..where I need the ink to be waterproof so it does not smudge.

The Tsukineko Inks come in a huge range of colors , with dropper bottles etc..however they are better suited for mixed media art journaling rather than fine art applications as they are not all lightfast and will fade with time

So if you have access to india inks that are not waterproof you can happily dilute them with water , put them in a spraybottle, mix them, add a dauber etc and they will work just as fine.

I use a lot of the Windsor and Newton Acrylic Inks for drawing in white too .. these inks are soft and permanent and will work over acrylic paint

hope this helps
kind regards
...milliande