Yes, that is very helpful! I myself have 4 or 5 different types of black ink in my drawer, because none of them was exactly what I was looking for. In the end it turned out that the Rotring ink works best for me 😃
Ah yes Rotring ink was past favourite of mine when I used Rotring pens. My dad bought me a set in my teens and I loved using them. Had forgotten about that, but I think that ink would be good for my fountain pen too. Thanks for saying!
Love Platinum Carbon Ink but that Speedry has captured my attention!. I use the Platinum for lining but the Speedry looks far better when adding water for washes or sketches.
I think Liquitex is based in Ontario, Canada...quite near to where I live. I do like the warm tones of the sepia/black of that ink but it's so interesting to see them all swatched out, side by side. Surprising results!
Thanks Leah! I looked again at the bottle and completely missed Made in France!!! I just saw the American address at the top. They probably do have bases across the world as they are a big brand. It is interesting though isn't it, I wasn't expecting there to be such a difference.
I love a really dark black ink like you get with the Pentel ink pen. It’s really satisfying to see the blackness of it isn’t it? I’m surprised at the Liquitex ink 😦 that’s very interesting!x
Yes! that's exactly why I like the Magic colour it's opaque black, and then if you want it lighter you can add more water. I seriously thought it would be the same though, hence the video! xx
I have never tried any of these inks before so this is really useful for me, thank you. My favourite ink that I use with my dip pen is a good India ink like Kandahar ink. I’ve also used Daler-Rowney FW acrylic ink and others. You do have to be careful of lightfastness though, I opened an old diary that I had written back in the early 90s in a nice purple fountain pen to find nothing but word shaped shadows on the page, all completely unreadable! Enjoyed this little film and seeing your accomplished and full-of-life work.
Ah yes I have used Daley-Rowney Fw acrylic too, but came back to the Magic Colour, as it just seemed to suit what I was doing best. You're so right on the lightfastness, and it was a consideration when choosing these inks, hopefully they will stand the test of time. That must have been disappointing to open up your diary and all the words had disappeared!😕 Thanks so much for your encouragement 😊
Who would have thought black inks could be so different!,thank you for this really insightful video.Each ink has it's own merits. I love your postcards and it's such a great idea 365 postcards.Have you ever though about publishing them as a little book maybe. I love using inks and have done inktober the last few years too. I discovered a great little company on Esty called "The Bohemian Rspberry" and they hand make inks using natural and organic ingredients,I ordered a black and a sepia and was very happy with the results from using them. They come in little jars and they sell sets which are put in vintage tins too. I am am currently doing the Pantone Challenge which involves painting a set of 100 pantone postcards. But I love postcards they are like little icons and have a nostalgia to them. I often create poscard size paintings myself and also create actual postcards too. Are arcylic based inks more lightfast and more permenant than drawing or calligraphy inks? (Matt)
It definitely made me stop and pause. I should have said it was a Leap year in 2020 hence the 366 postcards-it almost caught me out!! I am thinking of publishing them into a postcard book but to arrange them in categories as some of them would fit better together than others. Thanks for mentioning that little company will definitely check them out. I haven't heard about the Challenge you mentioned- have you a link to it? As far as I can see acrylic inks are permanent and lightfast and it depends on the drawing inks you use, most are not permanent so would fade over time, so you do have to check if you want the work to last. Thanks Matt for your comments.
@@MelanieChadwick The Pantone Challenge was startred by an artist here on youtube a few years ago, who bought a set of the 100 pantone postcards and decided o paint on them all and posted videos and it caught on and lots of people then started doing it so it became an actual challenge.I have always loved postcards so the challenge really appealed to me. I ordered two books of the seawhite watercolour postcards today (after your recommendation) and found then on Amazon for only £4.25! so ordered four books I also found some kaft card ones too for mixed media so am tying these too,the set of 50 I bought the money from them goes to the World Wild Life fund.I love the idea of a little work of art that you can send in the post!! I hope you do create a book of your brilliant postcards,they are like kind of travelog in drawings,maybe have a fold out of a map drawn in the same style in the book if that was possible.Iguess some inks are best reserved for sketchbook working or pieces to be scanned and acrylic inks are better for finished pieces of work..I hope you like "Bohemian Raspberry" I love their inks and I love how they package them too.I think when I do 'Inktober" and 'Huevember' again this year I will do them both on postcards. Thank you for taking time to reply to my comment. And I'm glad I discovered your channel ( I did so through Natasha Newton who I also follow). I love your style and look forward to watching more of your videos. P.s Arteza sell a tin of 30 watercolour postacrds,that are a bit different,in that the corners of the postcards have been rounded off which gives them a retro feel and the tin is smart brushed metal.
Isn't it interesting that the Speedry ink, although it's made in England, has the US spelling of 'color' on the packaging! Have you tried black FW acrylic ink, Mel?
Yes!! It's odd - maybe it's being sold in the states... or just a design choice that it fits better without the U?? I have tried the black FW acrylic ink, I did use it on one batch of cards last year, but returned to Magic Color again, can't remember why- I think I found it just slightly too runny...although the colour was better than Liquitex.
I have had the same problem as I love a dark black, never seen speedry not sure if we can get it in Australia I use the platinum carbon black. Good to see your tests
If you search West Design products they are the manufacturers and distributers of Magic Colour and should be able to tell you if they sell in Australia. Thanks Michelle
I only have the Liquitex ink out of these four, and I really like the warm tones on it. I never use ink except for the odd years I do inktober, but I recently got a dip pen to give it a go but I'm not sure if I'll get on with it. It's very...scratchy. I am thinking about trying a glass dip pen. have you used one of those?
I find dip pen nibs can vary tremendously- some are scratchy and some are really lovely to write with. If you can get a selection of nibs that may help. I haven't used a glass pen but can imagine it would be smoother than a nib.
If you try searching West Design products they are the manufacturers and distributers of Magic Colour and should be able to tell you if they sell in US somewhere. Someone also mentioned Rotring ink which is also very dark and permanent.
Yes, that is very helpful! I myself have 4 or 5 different types of black ink in my drawer, because none of them was exactly what I was looking for. In the end it turned out that the Rotring ink works best for me 😃
Ah yes Rotring ink was past favourite of mine when I used Rotring pens. My dad bought me a set in my teens and I loved using them. Had forgotten about that, but I think that ink would be good for my fountain pen too. Thanks for saying!
Love Platinum Carbon Ink but that Speedry has captured my attention!. I use the Platinum for lining but the Speedry looks far better when adding water for washes or sketches.
I totally agree! Really like my carbon ink for fountain pen work and then the Speedry is ideal for washes.
I think Liquitex is based in Ontario, Canada...quite near to where I live. I do like the warm tones of the sepia/black of that ink but it's so interesting to see them all swatched out, side by side. Surprising results!
Thanks Leah! I looked again at the bottle and completely missed Made in France!!! I just saw the American address at the top. They probably do have bases across the world as they are a big brand. It is interesting though isn't it, I wasn't expecting there to be such a difference.
I love a really dark black ink like you get with the Pentel ink pen. It’s really satisfying to see the blackness of it isn’t it? I’m surprised at the Liquitex ink 😦 that’s very interesting!x
Yes! that's exactly why I like the Magic colour it's opaque black, and then if you want it lighter you can add more water. I seriously thought it would be the same though, hence the video! xx
I have a good friend that only uses Noodler ink. She loves it.
Wish I did too, it's just not dark enough for me.
I have never tried any of these inks before so this is really useful for me, thank you. My favourite ink that I use with my dip pen is a good India ink like Kandahar ink. I’ve also used Daler-Rowney FW acrylic ink and others. You do have to be careful of lightfastness though, I opened an old diary that I had written back in the early 90s in a nice purple fountain pen to find nothing but word shaped shadows on the page, all completely unreadable! Enjoyed this little film and seeing your accomplished and full-of-life work.
Ah yes I have used Daley-Rowney Fw acrylic too, but came back to the Magic Colour, as it just seemed to suit what I was doing best. You're so right on the lightfastness, and it was a consideration when choosing these inks, hopefully they will stand the test of time. That must have been disappointing to open up your diary and all the words had disappeared!😕 Thanks so much for your encouragement 😊
Very helping thanks!
Glad it helped!
Who would have thought black inks could be so different!,thank you for this really insightful video.Each ink has it's own merits. I love your postcards and it's such a great idea 365 postcards.Have you ever though about publishing them as a little book maybe. I love using inks and have done inktober the last few years too. I discovered a great little company on Esty called "The Bohemian Rspberry" and they hand make inks using natural and organic ingredients,I ordered a black and a sepia and was very happy with the results from using them. They come in little jars and they sell sets which are put in vintage tins too. I am am currently doing the Pantone Challenge which involves painting a set of 100 pantone postcards. But I love postcards they are like little icons and have a nostalgia to them. I often create poscard size paintings myself and also create actual postcards too. Are arcylic based inks more lightfast and more permenant than drawing or calligraphy inks? (Matt)
It definitely made me stop and pause. I should have said it was a Leap year in 2020 hence the 366 postcards-it almost caught me out!! I am thinking of publishing them into a postcard book but to arrange them in categories as some of them would fit better together than others. Thanks for mentioning that little company will definitely check them out. I haven't heard about the Challenge you mentioned- have you a link to it? As far as I can see acrylic inks are permanent and lightfast and it depends on the drawing inks you use, most are not permanent so would fade over time, so you do have to check if you want the work to last. Thanks Matt for your comments.
@@MelanieChadwick The Pantone Challenge was startred by an artist here on youtube a few years ago, who bought a set of the 100 pantone postcards and decided o paint on them all and posted videos and it caught on and lots of people then started doing it so it became an actual challenge.I have always loved postcards so the challenge really appealed to me. I ordered two books of the seawhite watercolour postcards today (after your recommendation) and found then on Amazon for only £4.25! so ordered four books I also found some kaft card ones too for mixed media so am tying these too,the set of 50 I bought the money from them goes to the World Wild Life fund.I love the idea of a little work of art that you can send in the post!! I hope you do create a book of your brilliant postcards,they are like kind of travelog in drawings,maybe have a fold out of a map drawn in the same style in the book if that was possible.Iguess some inks are best reserved for sketchbook working or pieces to be scanned and acrylic inks are better for finished pieces of work..I hope you like "Bohemian Raspberry" I love their inks and I love how they package them too.I think when I do 'Inktober" and 'Huevember' again this year I will do them both on postcards. Thank you for taking time to reply to my comment. And I'm glad I discovered your channel ( I did so through Natasha Newton who I also follow). I love your style and look forward to watching more of your videos.
P.s Arteza sell a tin of 30 watercolour postacrds,that are a bit different,in that the corners of the postcards have been rounded off which gives them a retro feel and the tin is smart brushed metal.
Very helpful; thanks
Glad to hear, thank-you 😊
I don't use inks Mel but this very interesting thank you for sharing 🌺
You’re welcome 😊 thanks for watching
Isn't it interesting that the Speedry ink, although it's made in England, has the US spelling of 'color' on the packaging! Have you tried black FW acrylic ink, Mel?
Yes!! It's odd - maybe it's being sold in the states... or just a design choice that it fits better without the U?? I have tried the black FW acrylic ink, I did use it on one batch of cards last year, but returned to Magic Color again, can't remember why- I think I found it just slightly too runny...although the colour was better than Liquitex.
Thx for the review, Mel. Personally I don’t use ink, but I enjoyed seeing this comparison and will keep it in mind if I decide to try it one day! X
No probs and thanks for watching!
I have had the same problem as I love a dark black, never seen speedry not sure if we can get it in Australia I use the platinum carbon black. Good to see your tests
If you search West Design products they are the manufacturers and distributers of Magic Colour and should be able to tell you if they sell in Australia. Thanks Michelle
I only have the Liquitex ink out of these four, and I really like the warm tones on it. I never use ink except for the odd years I do inktober, but I recently got a dip pen to give it a go but I'm not sure if I'll get on with it. It's very...scratchy. I am thinking about trying a glass dip pen. have you used one of those?
I find dip pen nibs can vary tremendously- some are scratchy and some are really lovely to write with. If you can get a selection of nibs that may help. I haven't used a glass pen but can imagine it would be smoother than a nib.
I wonder if i can buy or order the Magic Colour in the US. I have been having trouble find an ink that is dark enough for my preference
If you try searching West Design products they are the manufacturers and distributers of Magic Colour and should be able to tell you if they sell in US somewhere. Someone also mentioned Rotring ink which is also very dark and permanent.