Beginner's Guide to Using Indian Ink

Indian ink (also known as Chinese ink) is an ink that comes from China and India. It originally came in the form of a stick, but now it is more commonly found in a bottle.

Indian ink is a mixture of several components:

- Carbon black = pigment. Result of combustion, like charcoal.

- Binder: shellac (resin from a small insect).

- Plant components (which give Indian ink its interesting texture and make it indelible).

Be careful, it is advisable to work with rolled-up sleeves!

Indian ink is permanent so it is better to wear suitable clothing.

Some examples of Indian ink drawings

Application examples:  

Gao Xingjian uses Indian ink in very refined compositions (Where to go, 2020), just like ...

Chang Feng, a 17th-century Chinese artist: 

Victor Hugo used this technique to create a series of drawings with Indian ink, notably to illustrate some of his stories. It's interesting to note his use of preserving white, where he used just the white of the paper to give a burst of light in the middle of the castle.

 

Claire Tabouret, a contemporary French artist, used this medium for a series of self-portraits (she drew one per day for a year). She combined wash and line drawing, in several different shades of gray.

Zao Wou-Ki, on the other hand, used Indian ink in a completely different way, inspired by traditional techniques, in order to create abstract works on paper, when he wasn't working with oil on canvas.

Materials for drawing with Indian ink

There are several possible utensils that can be used when starting out with this technique: 

- Indian ink in a bottle. There are also colored inks available. 

- water.

- a cloth.  

- drawing gum to preserve white areas (optional): apply the drawing gum to the paper, then let it dry, which will prevent the ink from coming into contact with the paper afterwards. When the drawing is finished and the ink has also dried, remove the gum, which will reveal the untouched paper underneath and add a lot of light.

- paper: there are several options but it is better to use thick paper (200-300g) so that it stays moist as long as possible. You can also use thin newsprint for quick, expressive, and experimental work. It dries much faster, however be careful not to tear the paper if you use a lot of water, as it is more fragile.

- a pen : allows for fine and precise lines for detailed drawings.

- Chinese calligraphy brush, for creating thick and thin lines, or watercolor brush (less precise but more expressive and dynamic strokes).

Preparation for drawing

To begin, prepare several containers with different shades of gray:

- a glass of pure water

- 100 ml of water with 15 drops of Indian ink (container 1)

30 ml of water with 30 drops of Indian ink (container 2)
pure Chinese ink with a few drops of water (container 3)
a small container with pure ink (a few dozen drops are sufficient)

For these exercises, we need watercolor paper, at least 200gsm, but 250gsm or 300gsm is even better.

On this same sheet, we will do several small exercises to learn about the introduction to the subject and the basic techniques of Indian ink:

Flat color area

With ink no. 2, dip the brush fully into water and remove the excess water but keep the brush fully loaded with ink. Make back and forth motions on the paper, downwards, to obtain a smooth flat wash. Think of it as if you are pushing the drop on the paper with the brush. If the drop disappears, the brush is too dry, you need to dip the brush back into the ink.

Layering

Make several splotches separate from each other. Let them dry, then cover with more splotches and observe the layering effect. You can play with different ink densities here.

Ex: first splotches with ink no. 1, then the second splotches with ink no. 3, etc.

Diffusion of ink on a light surface

Apply a flat color with solution no. 1. Rinse and dry the brush.

While the surface is still wet, apply drops with the tip of the brush using one of the darker solutions, ideally the one from container 3 for a contrast effect. Observe the ink dilution.

Diffusion of water on a dark surface

Apply a flat color with solution no. 2. Rinse and dry the brush.

While the surface is still wet, apply drops of pure water with the tip of the brush. Repeat the action several times if necessary, so that the water spreads well over the surface.

Gradient from dark to light

Dip the brush into solution no. 3. Make two horizontal coils to the right.

Rinse and dry the brush. Dip the brush into solution no. 2. Make two more coils towards the right, picking up the ink from the previously made coils.

Repeat the action with solution no. 1, and finally with pure water.

Making multiple attempts is okay if it doesn’t work the first time; this is the most difficult exercise.

You now have the basics for Indian ink wash techniques. Now let's move on to the application!

Start using Indian ink by drawing a tree

To draw with Indian ink, use a high-contrast image as a model if possible, as this is when its use will be most interesting.

We are going to create an image that brings together different examples of the application of Indian ink: wash and details.

Create a flat color with solution no. 1 on about two-thirds of the sheet.

Before the ink dries, dab with the cloth to create a hazy effect, these will be the clouds.
If you make some of them come out of the frame, it will create a more balanced composition.

With ink no. 2, apply another solid color at the bottom of the sheet, which will be the ground. You can also add some contrast by dabbing some areas with the cloth.

When both areas are dry, draw the trunks with solution no. 3. They will be highlighted by their strong contrast on the sheet.

Add some shadows to the bottom of the hill with solution no. 3 and add the branches while the trunk ink is still wet, which will enable you to avoid separation with different drying times.

Rinse and dry your brush. Dip it into solution no. 1. Hold the tip on your cloth for a few seconds to dry it gently, but not completely. You can then create foliage effects on the trees and the ground, using quick, short strokes of the brush on the paper.

Be careful not to make your brush too wet! Otherwise, you won't get the same grass effects. Do some tests beforehand on another sheet.

Using pure ink, add clean shadows on the trunks and ground to bring some light into the image.

And there you go! You now know the basic applications for creating a Indian ink drawing. All that's left is for you to choose your own image and interpret it as you wish!