What Is Indian Ink? A Buyer’s Guide to the Best Indian Inks for Artists

Written by Paul Worrall

Indian ink is one of those materials that looks simple and then catches people out. You buy a bottle expecting a permanent black, lay a watercolour wash over your linework, and the lines bloom into a grey smear. Or you try it in a fountain pen and spend the evening cleaning out the feed. A little knowledge up front saves a lot of annoyance, which is what this guide is for. You’ll also see it spelled India ink, and the two mean exactly the same thing.

I’m Paul Worrall. I spent nearly a decade running digital marketing for ARTdiscount, one of the UK’s larger online art retailers, and I now run Discount Art Supplies — a price comparison platform used by over 28,000 UK artists every week. Here’s what Indian ink actually is, the three bottles most worth knowing, and the honest trade-offs on each.

What is Indian ink?

Indian ink is a black ink made from fine carbon particles, traditionally soot or carbon black, held in liquid. It was first developed in China, and the English name comes from the later trade that carried it to the West via India. Plain carbon needs no binder to sit on the page, because the particles form a waterproof layer as they dry. Modern bottled inks usually add a binder, and that binder decides whether the dried ink is waterproof or not. That one detail is why two bottles labelled “Indian ink” can behave very differently.

Bottled Indian ink is made for dip pens, brushes and airbrushes. It is not a fountain pen ink, and the pigment and binder are the reason you should keep it out of one.

Is it really waterproof?

Usually, once it’s dry, but the word “waterproof” does more work on the label than it sometimes does on the paper. Dry time matters, paper matters, and brands use the terms differently: Speedball and Dr. Ph. Martin’s describe their inks as waterproof when dry, while Winsor & Newton describes its Indian inks as water resistant. One reviewer who tried Speedball’s black before painting over it reported that water still reactivated it after fifteen minutes, which is exactly the sort of thing that ruins a finished piece. So test your bottle on a scrap of the same paper, and leave it longer than you think you need to before adding a wash. It’s a small habit with a big payoff.

1. Speedball Super Black India Ink — the deep, dependable black

Speedball’s Super Black is made from 100% carbon black pigment, and it’s one of the most widely used bottled inks for dip pen drawing and brushwork. Reviewers describe it as highly opaque and intensely black, drying to a near-matte finish with a slight sheen, and it holds a sharp edge, which is what you want for crisp linework. It flows freely without clogging, and it works with dip pens, brushes and airbrushes.

The honest trade-offs: it’s for dip pens only, not fountain pens. The 15-minute reactivation report above is also worth remembering, so treat the waterproof claim as “once properly dry” rather than instant. And it’s black only, so if you want colour you’ll need to look elsewhere.

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2. Dr. Ph. Martin’s Bombay India Ink — the one for colour

Bombay India Inks come in 30ml glass dropper bottles in a range of 24 colours, described as lightfast, acid free and waterproof when dry. Black and white are opaque, while the other colours are transparent, which makes them excellent for layering. They can be diluted with water and used with brushes in watercolour-style washes as well as in dip pens, technical pens and airbrushes. If you want to ink a drawing and then colour it with the same family of product, this is the obvious route.

The trade-off is consistency across the range. One reviewer who bought the coloured sets found that a few earth tones, including Terra Cotta, Yellow Ochre, Sepia and Van Dyke Brown, had a tendancy for the binder to separate from the pigment, which left bubbles that interfered with dip pen flow and made washes look weaker until the bottle was well shaken. The rest of the range performed well, so give the bottle a proper shake and check the earth tones if you buy them.

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3. Winsor & Newton Indian Ink — the familiar UK name

Winsor & Newton’s Indian inks are fast drying and transparent, which suits layering different colours for optical mixes. The brand describes them as made from soluble dyes in a shellac solution, usable with brush, dip pen or airbrush, and water resistant in every colour except the gold and silver. A practical tip from the manufacturer: dilute with distilled water, because tap water can cause the dye to separate from the binder.

The trade-off is in the wording. “Water resistant” is a step below the “waterproof when dry” claim on the other two, so it’s the one I’d test most carefully before painting over linework. It also isn’t the deepest, most opaque black on the market. What it offers instead is easy availability in UK shops and a transparent, layerable character.

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Which one should you buy?

• You want the blackest line for dip pen or brush work: Speedball Super Black
• You want colour, washes, or to layer over drawn lines: Dr. Ph. Martin’s Bombay, with a shake before use
• You want something easy to find in a UK shop for transparent layering: Winsor & Newton, tested on scrap first
• You’d rather use a pen than a bottle: a pigment liner is the easier route, and our guide to Sakura Pigma Micron pens covers the most popular one

Using Indian ink well

A few habits make the biggest difference. Use a smooth, sturdy paper, because a dip pen catches on rough surfaces and thin paper buckles under a wet line. Keep a jar of water and a cloth beside you and clean your nib often, since dried ink on a nib is noticable the moment you try to draw. Don’t dip straight from a bottle you intend to keep clean; pour a little into a small pot instead. And keep Indian ink away from fountain pens, whatever the temptation.

FAQ

What is Indian ink?
Indian ink, also called India ink, is a black drawing and writing ink traditionally made from carbon particles suspended in liquid. The carbon forms a deep, dense black and, depending on the binder used, the dried ink can be waterproof or not. It has been used in China for centuries, and the English name comes from later trade with India.

Is Indian ink waterproof?
Often, but not always. Many artists’ Indian inks are described as waterproof or water resistant once dry, but the wording and the real-world result vary by brand and by how long you leave the ink to dry. Always test on a scrap of the same paper before layering watercolour over your linework.

Can you use Indian ink in a fountain pen?
No. Indian ink is made for dip pens, brushes and airbrushes, and the manufacturers of products like Speedball’s Super Black state it is not suitable for fountain pens. The pigment and binder can clog a fountain pen’s feed, so use fountain pen inks in fountain pens and keep Indian ink for dipping.

Can you dilute Indian ink with water?
Many can be. Dr. Ph. Martin’s Bombay inks are designed to be thinned with water for watercolour-style washes, and Winsor & Newton says its Indian inks can be diluted with water too, although it recommends distilled water because tap water can cause the dye to separate from the binder.

If you’re choosing between bottled ink and pens for a project, our guide to the best pens for drawing and illustration compares brush pens, acrylic pens and more for different jobs. As always, check Discount Art Supplies before you buy — we compare prices across major UK retailers in real time, so you’re getting the best deal going.