Frequently Asked Questions | Inks

Techniques
Grounds

Can I mix Ecoline with water colours?

Ecoline and water colour paint can be mixed without a problem, but whether this is wise depends on what you intend to do with the painting.

An important difference between both types of paint is that water colours are made on the basis of pigments and Ecoline on the basis of dyes. When choosing the pigment for water colours it is important that the lightfastness of the pigment is optimal so that the colour does not fade under the influence of light. This choice can unfortunately not be made for dyes as the majority of dyes have a poor to moderate lightfastness.

If a painting is made with the intention of hanging on the wall for a long time (and therefore exposed to light) it is best to use only water colour.
If the painting has only a temporary function, then the specific properties (the transparency and colour intensity of dyes are unparalleled) of Ecoline can provide many advantages. Consider, for example, illustrations, designs and presentations. An illustration would be reproduced in, for example, a book or a magazine, and a design functions as a starting point for arriving at the final product. The original can then be sealed and stored.

If Indian Ink in a pot is thinned with a large amount of water you often see pigment lumps sink to the bottom. Why is this and can this be avoided?

The carbon black pigment in Indian Ink is extremely fine, less than 2 microns (1 micron = 1/1000 mm). These particles are in constant motion in the ink, continually bumping into one another. The special preparation method of the ink ensures that they do not form lumps with one another. If a large amount of water is added too quickly, however, the binder (shellac) that surrounds the particles dissolves. The particles then clot to form larger particles and sink to the bottom. When, therefore, the ink is diluted the water should be added slowly and mixed to prevent this from happening.

Is Indian ink / Drawing ink suitable for tattoos?

No, Talens Indian ink and Talens Drawing ink are not suitable for tattoo application.
These products are exclusively formulated and intended for applications on paper. For tattoo application these products are not tested, neither in terms of technical aspects nor in terms of health aspects. Besides this, more and more countries have special legislation for tattoo-colorants. The mentioned Talens products do not fulfill these requirements. For these reasons we label these products with the wording "Not for tattoo".

What grounds are suitable for ink?

In theory all somewhat porous and fat-free grounds are suitable for ink, although the final choice depends on the technique used.
If only a drawing pen is used then a harder and smoother type of paper is required. The pen would otherwise get caught in the fibres or structure of the paper. If the ink is applied with a brush or washed with (large amounts of) water, then water colour paper would prevent the paper from bulging too much.