Calligraphy Inks

Almost any liquid that will leave a mark on paper could be used for calligraphy but it is important to understand the advantages and disadvantages of each so that the calligrapher can choose the best medium for any particular application.

There are essentially two types of inks:- dye based or pigment based. Dye based inks are modern and whilst often brilliant and bright are fugitive when exposed to light i.e. they will fade. All fountain pen inks are dye based.

Pigment based inks and gouache are based on ground pigments that have a much higher resistance to fading. Pigment based inks require an extremely fine composition so that they flow consistently from the pen. There are many different types of pigments, the oldest being carbon that has been used for thousands of years to produce a rich permanent black.

Some of the pigments previously used in paints were in fact highly poisonous – which is a discouragement from sticking the brush in your mouth! The second characteristic is waterproof/water-resistant/non waterproof. Ink for use in a fountain pen needs to be non-waterproof. A fountain pen has a mechanism to deliver a controlled flow of ink to the nib.

Too much ink and the pen floods, too little ink and it breaks up and doesn’t produce a consistent line. A fountain pen ‘breathes’ to allow the ink flowing out to be replaced with air. If waterproof ink is used it will gradually dry inside the pen and start to clog up the feeder mechanism and the pen will stop writing. Some pens like the Rotring ArtPen can be stripped and the feeder system thoroughly washed out. Some waterproof inks have a solvent that dissolves the binder that gives the ink its waterproof nature.

Winsor & Newton Drawing Inks can be removed with methylated spirits, Ziller inks dissolve with a little ammonia in the rinse water. Waterproof inks can have a tendency to build up on a dip nib creating a thickening of the nib which can lose the contrast of thick and thin strokes. Frequent wiping and cleaning of the nib helps keep this to a minimum. Waterproof inks are the favourite of writers of envelopes which have a high tendency in the British climate to be delivered wet. To bring together the advantages of permanence and water resistance Ziller of Kansas City have developed a whole new range of modern pigmented and waterproof inks that clean easily. Ziller Inks are made with sub-micron particle size pigments and flow consistently well assisting a smooth confident stroke.

They are lightfast, waterproof and fully intermixable to create a whole spectrum of colour. They can be diluted considerably with water whilst still retaining good colour or thickened, if required, by using the ink thickener. They clean up quickly and easily with a little ammonia in the water. Like Artists' Gouache the price of each ink varies with the differing costs of the pigments. The inks give a rich solid coloured stroke and most colours are opaque.

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