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Ink (407)

Amy Creative Journey | Daily Drawing | Draw Along | Featured | Pen and Ink | Philosophical Threads | Podcast , , , , ,
Episode 407: Ink

Episode 407 of the CMP, a Creativity Matters Podcast — some fountain pen ink discussion and what was supposed to be a short timed draw along on a Saturday morning

In this episode of the CMP, gremlins appeared. The problem is that I didn’t know there were gremlins at work (bright light! bright light!) until the next day when I sat down to edit the show and found the draw along portion “missing” (minus the last few minutes). [              ] <– my frustration and sense of loss (yes, loss!) at finding the draw along “gone” is all bundled up in that space. It’s a very deep space even if it looks just like a little bit of white space on the screen.

I do know that while recording, there was a moment where I stopped to wait for someone to make coffee….. and I think I must have then recorded over that part accidentally. I just don’t know. But….. it’s not there…. the timed portion just picks up right in the middle of a thought as if things were working smoothly. SO…. most of the true draw along as I sketched my portrait for the day is missing. I left in what remains, just as it exists, picking up mid-sentence with a conversation about coffee cups and switching to those as a focus for some draw along in the future. I’ll have to fill you in on what this was about in the next draw along next week. (Arrrgh!)

If you’ll be drawing along, I’d suggest just starting from the get-go. The intro centers around inks. I watched some ink review videos while doing one of my drawings the other night. Ink…. books…. foods that are out of stock…. it’s all connected in the opening. This is perfect idle chatter to draw along to.

Inks, Inks, Inks and More Fountain Pen Inks

As I noted in the show, I was researching magenta and fuchsia inks and ended up watching a Goulet Pens video about 10 must-have inks (10 Must-Have Fountain Pen Inks from 2019). I was surprised by what made the list and surprised that I’ve used several of them. In looking at the list again, I think the disjunct for me is that I like something totally different because I use my ink for art and because I use fine or extra-fine nibs. (Lots of shimmer, sheen, and shading features are really lost in a fine or extra-fine nib. Give me solid, pure, bright, and bold any day!)

My own list would be a lot different from the Goulet 10 Must-Haves. But I think I am also still building my list. I’ve loved working in the red-oranges and oranges that I selected last Fall. Those have been perfect and have had lasting power for me. They were supplemented with some new reds over the holidays. (I think I characterized my current inks as “rust” in the show, and it’s so strange to use that word. Mostly they are deep red-oranges…. with a few that are brighter and give me some pop and zest on the page and a few that are darker reds.) I’m looking now to integrate a bit of a pop of fuchsia and some teal and green. I’ve got some leads on where I might head with this, but I’ve been idly considering options and looking at reviews and comparisons. When I get really stressed or feel super penned in by everything that’s going on and by the endless “nothing new” reality here, I go look again at ink options. I am telling myself (still) that I am going to buy a bottle of ink to mark the end of the 50 Before 50 – a treat to myself for the birthday. That will happen. (I think after doing these notes that I’ve narrowed in on the right choice for right now.)

Tip: Back in Episode 371, I chronicled using a gift certificate (thank you!) and buying three or four inks for myself from JetPens. It was a “decision making” ordeal (and rabbit hole), but the choices I made (other than the black) turned out to be excellent!

The Short and Long of Personal Ink Searching

Here are some of the inks I’ve been using and really like. If you’re looking for reds/red-oranges:

Here are some of the inks I’m considering trying (and some I’ve used in sample format but am considering for a full bottle):

Backburner options for someday (and ones I am weeding out):

The Magenta Ink Discussion in the Show that may be Too Purple

Note: In the show, I mention that I was looking at comparisons of Noodler’s Cactus Eel and Pirot Iroshizuki Yama Budo. That they came up as similar was a surprise because I’d been eyeing the Cactus Eel because I thought it was much pinker. I do want a magenta/fuchsia color — but I do not want a purple ink. I don’t want Yama Budo because while I’ve seen a range of images, I do have the sense it’s on the purple side, and that will be cold in my journal. (I had a lasting reaction to some of my illustrated journal testing last year with the blues and purples….. the wrong tones really change how I feel on the pages.) I’m definitely looking for more fire, and Cactus Eel may be totally not right. Seeing those comparisons has me really doubting that it’s the right choice! I think Diamine Claret may be similar to these…. but maybe a bit more on the pink/red side. Leaning this way.

 What I Don’t Use or Want (Right Now!)

  • Purples
  • Pinks that are “light” or “baby” or “cotton candy”
  • Shimmer (they don’t work well in fine nibs!)
  • Blues (I have enough samples of blues to satisfy any rogue curiosity for a while)
  • Scented inks (no thanks!)
  • Sheening (not an important part of this for me; for my art, I want flat color – weird I guess?)

The pondering is part of the fun and part of the endless poking around and considering I do. I’d like to be somewhere sometime where I could really see samples in person and buy samples that way. Online involves a lot of guesswork because a dozen photos can show ink in a dozen different ways. A resource I really like is Mountain of Ink. She does a beautiful job with her reviews. But I often found that the colors showed up there differently than, for example, I  might see at Instagram. I do think it can be really confusing overall!

Guides I have consulted and really find wonderful to ponder:

       

Mentioned in this Episode (or Related)

Show Information:

 

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