Inking devices

[Dash Martin]

I usually squirt some ink in a plastic milk jug cap. It's the perfect size and holdable. A lot easier to gauge how much ink is on the brush or quill, too. If there's ink left over when I'm done, I just put it back in the bottle.

[Ian Miller]

That's actually a really good idea, Methane. But is it messy trying to get the excess ink back into the bottle once you're finished? I tried pouring the ink back into the bottle, and more ink spilled over the side of the pallete than into the bottle. Maybe I gotta be less of a spaz when I pour it.

[Dash Martin]

What do you think the eyedropper on the inkbottle is for?

[Ian Miller]

Well, the eyedropper will squirt stuff out no problem, and it'll pick stuff up, but not in such a shallow area. I have a bottle with a large eyedropper on it, and one with a smaller eyedropper that I haven't used. Would using the smaller eyedropper help to pick up the excess ink better than the larger eyedropper?

[Dash Martin]

yep.

[Ian Miller]

Thank you, Methane. You are like a walking encyclopedia, I must say. First you inform me on how to transfer excess ink into its bottle, and now you're helping me fix my scanner. I don't know what i'd do without you!

[ALLGOLD]

If you have trouble with ink clogging up your nib, here's a couple of suggestions. First, I almost always dip the nib in water before and after but not during the inking process. I have a jar of water next to the inkwell, dip it in, flick my wrist down to get rid of the water, dip in ink, ink the art, dip in water, shake out water, repeat. That seems to do the trick. Also, from time to time, I give it a cleaning with some baby wipes. They work good for getting rid of the ink.
I don't know if this has been covered before, but I have found a huge timesaver, the Faber-Castel PITT pens. They have a set of these pens, three different points, and a brush pen. They are completley refillable and cheap! The brush pen works awesome at filling blacks and you use the same ink you would with your brush anyway. My only gripe is the smallest point kinda wears out after a while, but they are so cheap, it really isn't that much of an issue. I highly recommend, try 'em out.

[SenorSwanky]

For disposable pens/markers, I prefer the Staedtler Pigment Liners. They're Microns but more durable and producing a better quality line.

[Dash Martin]

Originally posted by SenorSwanky
For disposable pens/markers, I prefer the Staedtler Pigment Liners. They're Microns but more durable and producing a better quality line.

I second that.

[Ian Miller]

Originally posted by SenorSwanky
For disposable pens/markers, I prefer the Staedtler Pigment Liners. They're Microns but more durable and producing a better quality line.

Yeah, I use Microns. I think they're Pigma brand, but I have a few different sizes, and they're all great for working on buildings or panels or anything else that requires a precision line.