Inks & Pens
Generic
India Ink
A carbon-based drawing ink made from fine soot particles (lampblack or carbon black) suspended in water with a binding agent, traditionally shellac. India ink dries to a permanent, waterproof, deep black finish and works with brushes, dip pens, and technical pens. It has been used for writing and drawing for thousands of years across Asian and Western traditions.
Artists who use this(13)
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Primary ink. "The gray tone created by hatching jet black ink on pure white paper is more intense than gray created with diluted ink."
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Ink is her primary mark-making material, listed as a core medium in all major exhibition listings.
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Drew with dip pen and India ink over soft pencil underdrawings, gradually removing pencil traces
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Primary medium for his iconic Art Nouveau illustrations; applied with pen and brush on white wove paper
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Created all his illustrations in pen and India ink; built shadow through crosshatching rather than brush-filled areas
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Uses sumi ink alongside graphite, gouache, watercolor, and charcoal in her large-scale drawings on paper
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Throws watery ink onto paper and works with Japanese and Chinese brushes very quickly while still wet
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Uses vintage French steel-point crow quill nibs with India ink; calls them "antique, archaic tools"
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Used ink alongside marker, ballpoint, crayon, watercolor, and gouache in his New Yorker illustrations and fine art
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Builds portraits in ballpoint pen ink and black acrylic ink on board; presses pen into surface creating an engraving-like effect
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Log in to submitLast updated April 9, 2026