Let's talk about India Ink

[BlackCurtains]

You can get them with brush tips...

These.

I used to use them, still have a ton, but like NoD I went back to brushes.

[Maniah]

I feel perfectly comfortable with a brush, but thanks anyway for a brush tip.

I love trying new things! I want to have an arsenal of pony making skills! There is only one way to get those skills. Practice practice practice! Always try new things!

[CrystalLance]

As someone who uses inks for customs I thought I'd put my two cents in. Really, it comes down to personal preference.


I personally like that inks go on smoother without the need of an extra step to thin the acrylic. The brand I use is speedball and FW acrylic ink, never actually tried india ink. The Fw is amazing and is currently my favorite because it behaves like an acrylic but is very smooth and easy to use. My method is out of the pot with brushes of varied thickness.


The best way to eliminate smudging when it comes to the ink is to have sealant you can spray on, like testors dullcoat. I wash the pony first, hit it with one or two coats of sealant, let that dry and then the ink has a surface to grab onto, instead of just running off the pony. I had to do this when painting a small G4 because while the head was porous enough to take the ink, the body is a different kind of plastic and it was just running off.


And, because Arkillian actually mentioned Guache just thought I'd share that I gave the stuff a try and for me, it didn't really work. It refused to grab the surface even after a base coat of sealant. Perhaps someone will have better luck with it than me. I was using a bargain brand of the stuff.


Good quality guache is also super expensive for the amount you get per tube so for me, it is not a preferable material to use.

[Maniah]

Thank you CrystalLance! That was some great info!

[CrystalLance]

Thank you CrystalLance! That was some great info!

You're welcome, happy to help .

[Lucky4leafclover]

Sorry I went MIA from the convo, but many other artists gave some great info, and I'll just echo what they said. It really is preference, some people prefer brushes, some pens, and each has pros and cons.

[Tinker]

I used Higgins Black Magic India Ink on a pony and fell in love. (pot and brush, not pen) It uses a different binder than Higgins regular India Ink, which no es bueno for ponies. The beauty of Black Magic is a much faster drying time (little over 2 min for me) and will paint on just about any surface. It has a very nice super dark matte black finish when dry. If you want to use it on a G3 I recommend using a primer/sealer undercoat to help it stick. I had some slight beading when I was experimenting with a G3 and I haven't tried it on a G4.

*end advertisement lol*

Personally I  leave my pens to my bristol, I'm far more comfortable with a brush on ponies. On a side note I tried my microns on some ponies with mixed results. I ended up covering the lines over in acrylic because it would fade and smear too easily. For guache, on a G1 I got a very interesting Ink wash effect that I may want to replicate some day; on a G3 it was not happening. The dry paint would chip and flake off as soon as I  touched it again and adding sealer just made it worse. I say go for it and try some out.