I still love Inktober and had decided in advance that this year I would relive and illustrate my recent bike packing trip cycling the Hebridean Way.
But what was also particularly exciting is that Phil Davies at Diamine had sent me a few samples of his new nano particle pigment inks to play with which are being released early spring 2025 as ‘Forever Inks’.
So why is this so important to me? Well, until now, I honestly hadn’t come across any pigment inks that could be left for a decent length of time inside a fountain pen without drying out, clogging the pen and, in some cases, ruining the pen. To keep my project true to the manifesto, all the inks I use, have to be proper functioning fountain pen inks that don’t harm the pen.
So, with the three primary colours, 2 blacks and a few specials I had all I needed for creating coloured waterproof line work. Now, this is a big move forward for me, because until now I have always used just dye based fountain pen inks working in reverse! Background wash first, mid tones second and then I apply the final line work and carefully apply any bleach highlights – all avoiding accidentally causing the dye based line work to bleed.
With the nano particle pigment inks I can work the other way around completing the line work first or after applying the dye based background wash – I couldn’t do that before – and then applying the mid tones and then the bleach highlights. Because there’s negligible danger of accidental ink bleeds, the illustration process is quicker and the line work sharper.
In almost every image I have used the ‘Forever Ink’ for the base line work, sometimes straight from the bottle and sometimes I’ve mixed inks together to get the hue I’m after. The dye based inks still behave exactly the same with the chromo effects and reactions to bleach. You can also use the pigment inks for the entire art if you wish, but do keep in mind, they have no chromo and they don’t react to bleach!
I have been searching for my own unique illustration style for a while. After this particular challenge, I think, I may have found it. What I have tried to do with this new way of working is to be as economical as possible with my mark marking and then letting the dye based inks tell the rest of the story. For example, where I have attempted to depict Cherry on her bike, some of these marks are just quick blobs, but are hopefully enough for the viewer to identify with. Admittedly, the art maybe not be quite as vivid as usual because this year I have used Tomoe River paper which is a tight weave lightweight paper and doesn’t absorb the ink as readily as cartridge/watercolour paper, dulling the colours slightly. Plus – it buckles when washes are applied!
The other bit of good fortune was that I found another custom feed for my Desiderata Daedalus, courtesy of Phil at Beaufort Ink. I bought my Daedalus from Pierre at Desiderata some years back when he visited London. The pen was actually designed for the G Flex and, it’s so comfortable in hand! But I felt that the feed was always an issue until Phil Dart at Beaufort Ink expertly looked into it. Sadly our feed project came to a halt but having used one of the prototypes again for this Inktober, I realise that we have to get it back on track. It really is the best G Flex fountain pen experience.
I have really enjoyed this October and I hope the art speaks for itself. The Outer Hebrides is a unique landscape where the geography defines it. There are no skyscrapers, no industrial complexes, no huge pylons nor multi lane roads. The Outer Hebrides are, for the time being, a magical unspoiled place and as such, the simple and the small things we dismiss stand out: a cow, a sheep, a phone box, a derelict building, a standing stone, wild grasses. I’ve learned so much, and not just about ink art!
Thanks to all of you who have followed along. It’s been great fun. And if you want the narrative for each illustration, please follow me on Instagram and/or Facebook as that’s where you’ll find it.
AND HEY! If you’re interested to know more about how to use fountain pen inks in more creative ways – whether it’s simply to observe their chromatic behaviours, or, to recreate one of my swatch cards, or, to learn how to use them in watercolour painting, illustration and calligraphy, why not check out my online course ?
FOUNTAIN PEN INK ART 