Pen, Ink and Watercolor Wash Sketching.

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How to mix the perfect brown Ink and black ink combination.
Pen and Ink Sketching Techniques Tip Sheet.

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The black ink is waterproof for crisp black lines while the brown ink is water-soluble.

Use a brush filled with water to pull brown tinted washes from the black lines.

Get a big sheet of paper, four bottles of ink, one pipette for each of the four inks, a small brush, a dip pen, rinse water, and a jar lid for mixing. Use the pipettes to put four drops of brown, one drop of yellow, one drop of blue, and one drop of black in the lid. Use the brush to stir, to test the mix on the paper, and to put a drop or two of the combination on the dip pen nib. Draw lines with the dip pen and then fill the rinsed brush with water and pull a wash from the new pen lines to bring life and depth to your sketch.

If the wash is too red, adjust it by adding two drops of yellow and one of blue. Yellow and blue make the green that will grey the red. Test again and if it Is it still too pink, add another drop of yellow and another drop of blue. When you are satisfied with the hue of the mix, tally the drops to find the proportions for your own custom brown ink mix. Mine is four parts of brown and yellow, and three parts of blue to one part black.

I love working with this combination of a waterproof ink for crisp, indelible lines and a water-soluble ink for tinted washes.I don't know of anyone else who is trying it, but hope to hear about others who have experimented with it. Platinum Carbon Black, a waterproof, pigmented ink imported from Japan, makes the crisp black lines in this mix. It is regularly available from eBay stores. Just search eBay for "Platinum Carbon Black Ink."

Because it is pigmented, some find that it can clog pens, so fountain pens should be cleaned regularly. I use it in many pens with no problem, but you may wish to be cautious and use it only in less expensive fountain pens or with dip pens. The three water-soluble colored inks are Sheaffer Skrip Brown, Gold (a bright yellow), and Blue. Sheaffer Green can be substituted for the Gold and Blue. These Skrip inks are water-based, are colored with dyes, and are safe for fountain pens. They are available in stationery stores or on the net. Search for plastic pipettes on Ebay. Use a wet brush to pull the brown watersoluble ink washes out from the black waterproof lines.

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