It is archival, meaning that it lasts for many, many years! When it dries, it has a beautiful, vintage look. Walnut ink is made from the husks of walnuts, and it’s been used for centuries. You can mix walnut ink crystals with water for a more economical alternative! Not everyone loves this look, but I think it’s so cool! Best Earthy Ink: Walnut I like buying premixed walnut ink. The thing I love about Bombay Inks? They’ve got some gradation to them! There are some strokes you’ll make that are super dark, and others will end up being very light. Martin’s Bombay Ink in “ Turquoise” to make these elegant envelopes! They’re highly pigmented, lightfast, and a wonderful viscosity! They are a bit thinner than sumi ink, so I wouldn’t recommend starting out learning with them - but these inks are great if you’ve got some practice under your belt. If you’re looking to create vibrant and colorful calligraphy, Bombay inks are amazing. These four colors happen to be my favorites, which is why I chose to stock them! Best Ink for Colorful Personalities: Bombay India Ink I offer four Bombay Inks in the TPK Supply Shops: Violet, Tangerine, Grass Green, and Turquoise. Working with it might require some patience! But it’s well worth it for the waterproof qualities of the ink. The disadvantage of using Ziller ink? It’s a bit paint-like, so it can be quite thick. It’s especially amazing for watercolor maps! Before I found Ziller, I had never encountered an ink that couldn’t be encouraged to smudge - at least a little bit - when it encountered water! I use this ink for all of my dip pen + watercolor projects. If it’s tough for you to find sumi ink, India ink is a great substitute! Best Ink for Watercolor Lovers: Ziller Soot BlackĬalligraphy, illustration, and watercolor make for an incredible combination! Anytime I know I want to incorporate watercolor into a project, I use Ziller Soot Black ink because it’s completely waterproof when dry. Like a lot of inks, sumi will need some dilution over time, as some water will evaporate out. That’s why I use sumi to make the letters for all of my calligraphy worksheets! When it dries, it has a matte sheen to it, which means it scans beautifully. I use sumi ink for all of my beginner workshops! I love it for learners because it’s smooth, velvety, and dilutes well. I highly recommend trying out any ink you come across and keeping your own list of favorites! Best Calligraphy Ink for Beginners: Sumi Ink If something isn’t on this list, it probably just means I’ve never used it. In this updated blog post, I’d like to discuss a few inks with you and why I think they’re so great! Keep in mind: there are so many inks out there, and I’ve only tried a smattering of them. In it, I made recommendations about which calligraphy inks to use and why! Fast forward five years, and I’ve had several chances to discover new inks. In 2014, I wrote the original version of this post.

Red india ink