Inktober: A Guide to Ink by Del Thorpe

The Inktober initiative was started in 2009 by illustrator Jake Parker as a challenge to improve his ‘inking’ skills and develop positive drawing habits. Since then, it has snowballed into an annual endeavour that is taken on by thousands of artists worldwide.

1. Make a drawing in ink
2. Post it online
3. Hashtag it with #inktober and #inktober[current year]
4. Repeat every day of October

Each year Jake also provides an 'Official Prompt List’, a list of words that can be used to spark ideas. This year includes simple words such as ‘swift’, ‘gigantic’, ‘fierce’ and ‘climb’. Drawings don’t have to revolve around the word of the day, but it can be both fun and challenging to try to stick to them, and doing so could make your work more visible online. Though it can be annoyingly addictive, the use of hashtags and ‘likes’ on social media can actually work in your favor. You can find these hashtags on platforms such as Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr.

See the official prompt list for 2017 to the right

Brushes produce those smooth lines and variable line weights that are seen in so many classic superhero comics and much more besides. They can be difficult to master but produce beautiful results. Many artists will go for a natural watercolour brush for their ability to hold a good quantity of ink and to keep their point. However, there are high-quality synthetic alternatives for those who oppose the use of animal fur. Arguably the best of these is Casaneo by Da Vinci - they mimic the qualities of natural hair incredibly well. In fact, synthetics have the advantage of being cheaper. (You will find you may get through a few; some inks tend to ruin brushes quickly!)

Pentel Brush Pen (above)

The dip-pen is the traditional illustrator’s pen of preference. There are many types of nib to choose from, each producing a slightly different quality of line so it’s a good idea to try a few out (it’s easy to be put off by scratchy, poor quality nibs). Look out for those that draw smoothly and have a certain amount of flexibility that allows variation in the weight of your line.

Of the nibs we sell, I recommend Copperplate 1, Copperplate 2, Drawing Nib 256 and Drawing Nib 700. 

Fibre-tip fine line pens are also commonly used. Their obvious advantage is that they don’t need to be dipped into ink. They also have a very consistent line weight and waterproof ink. They are available in different sizes.

Their disadvantage is that the ink does not ‘flow’ like that from a dip pen or brush and the ink tends to have a slightly grey finish, as opposed to the jet-black of Indian Ink.

Mechanical or technical pens such as the Rotring Rapidograph give you a fine line but, in comparison to the fibre-tip pens, deliver a rich ink that flows more like that of a dip-pen. The ink is not entirely waterproof but is pretty good if you give it time to dry. Rotring pens have a reputation for clogging up but this only happens if you leave them unused for a long period of time. The Rapidograph .25 is the pen I use most often in my professional work.

Fountain pens can be used but the ink tends to be a bit thin and grey unless you go for something very expensive. However, Rotring (again) make the Artpen which is affordable and has an ink which is darker than regular fountain-pen ink (n.b. drawing inks will clog a fountain pen). 

Of course, you don’t have to use black Indian ink, there are many different types and colours. Walnut ink, for example, is a traditional brown ink that was used by masters such as Rembrandt, Leonardo Da Vinci and Vincent Van Gogh. We sell Tom Norton’s Walnut Ink which is rich in colour, intensely pigmented, water soluble and creates beautiful warm browns. For a full range of colours you can try Winsor & Newton ink, Dr Martin’s ink, or FW Acrylic ink (these last two are waterproof and have superior lightfastness).

Going back to comics, the traditional drawing surface used is Bristol Board. This is a bright white, non-porous card that has a very smooth, almost shiny surface. The ink sits on top of it rather than being absorbed, therefore there’s no danger of the ink bleeding. Nor will the ink bleed on good quality cartridge or watercolour paper. These have an advantage over Bristol Board in that they take washes of watered down ink or watercolour more effectively. Generally, the thicker the paper the better for ink and water-based media, 300g is a good starting point. Correcting / highlighting Mistakes will be made or you will change your mind or you may just want to add white highlights over black ink. Products used for this include Dr Martin’s Bleed Proof White, Opaque white Gouache, Uni-Ball Signo pens. Even white pencils can be effective. There’s also a product relatively new to us that’s particularly good – QOR Watercolour Ground – an opaque paste that, when dry, brilliantly mimics the properties of watercolour paper. You can paint on top of it with ink or watercolour without losing any intensity of colour!