Ink and Watercolor – Testing Ink with Water on a Dragonfly Drawing

Let’s test a few inks to see how they hold up to water. Are they really waterproof? How soon can you paint over them? How do they compare with ink that isn’t waterproof? Learn all about it with a dragonfly drawing.  

Have you ever wanted to do something creative with watercolor and ink only to have the ink run all over the place when you put the watercolor on top of it?

Or have you painted a lovely watercolor background only to have the ink bleed when you topped it with a calligraphy or drawing layer?

How frustrating!

In this article, I’ll compare a few waterproof inks with a non-waterproof ink. We’ll look at how they react to water over time. Which ones are dry the fastest? Which one takes longer but can be used to create an interesting ink layer? 

I created this chart to help keep it clear.

After finishing the dragonfly drawings with ink and letting it dry, I painted over them with water when they were dry to the touch (after about 15 minutes … though some dried sooner), after 30 minutes, after an hour, and after 4.5 hours.

When the ink no longer leaked into the water, I used colored inks to create watercolor effects on the remaining dragonfly drawings for that category. And just for fun, I tested Dr. Ph Martin’s iridescent Sequins Blue ink at the bottom. 

Here is what I found out …

I use three different black inks consistently when I combine ink and watercolor, for calligraphy, lettering and drawing. I like them each for different reasons.

Sumi Ink

What I like …

Sumi ink works well for all three categories. It goes on smooth and works well with most nibs. I love the slight sheen it has when it dries and how it sits on top of the page rather than soaking into it. When I run my hand over the ink, I can feel it there. 

What you might not like …

Sumi ink has a couple of downfalls. It is waterproof, but it has a long drying time (hours for best results) as you’ll see below. This does have one benefit, so I see it less as a downfall and more as a trait you need to be aware of. Because it dries slowly, you can actually create a loose feel to your calligraphy, lettering or drawing when you want that style. I find the look appealing rather than irritating.

The second issue I have is when I use sumi ink on top of watercolor. It simply wants to bleed, so I tend to keep sumi for use under watercolor.

Ziller Soot Black Ink

What I like …

When I need an ink to dry fast (like yesterday already!), Ziller ink is what I pick up. Soon after it’s dry to the touch, it’s dry enough to use with watercolor paints … very little waiting time to continue to the next layer.

 I’ve also found that it works better on top of watercolor than sumi ink to create crisper lines.

What I don’t care for …

Ziller Soot Black ink is thicker than sumi ink which makes it troublesome with some nibs.

It dries matte and flat on the page (this is no real problem, I just prefer the look, feel and sheen of sumi ink).

Micron pen

When I want a monoline effect with watercolor or just want to draw something quickly, I use a micron pen. Micron pen ink is waterproof and dries as even faster than Ziller ink because each stroke uses less ink.

Non-Waterproof Ink – De Atramentis Mahatma Gandhi, Diamine Pumpkin, Diamine Matador, and Rohrer & Klingner Cassia

Just for comparison, I added non-waterproof ink in the fourth column of my chart. I was curious to see if non-waterproof ink would respond differently to water as I let it dry longer. I chose a variety of colored inks that I bought as samples. Their colors are brilliant, making them easy to pick out on the chart.

Ink and Watercolor (or just water) collide! Watch the Dragonfly drawing.

In this video, watch how sumi ink, Ziller ink, a micron pen and non-waterproof ink respond to water when they are dry to the touch, after 30 minutes, after 1 hour and after 4.5 hours.

For the dry to the touch test, I waited about 15 minutes even though all except Ziller were dry sooner.

I tried not to be gentle with the ink as I applied the water layer, though you’ll notice that I treated the non-waterproof ink carefully before giving in to the total annihilation of the dragonfly drawing.

Below, you can watch the whole test. When each ink performed well enough to use with watercolor, I used a colored ink on the next drawing.

*Important to note:

• Sumi ink was the only ink of the three black waterproof inks that smudged visibly when dry to the touch. Again, I don’t see this as negative (unless I’m feeling impatient). I just wonder how I can use it to create new effects with ink. Like this …

• Notice how quickly non-waterproof ink dissolves into the water and this dissolve doesn’t change if you wait longer. You must use waterproof ink when working with contrasting ink and watercolor layers.

Here’s a closer look at sumi ink as it dried. Again, I tried to be less gentle with this exercise than I am when I usually paint. I can get away with painting over Sumi ink after about an hour, but it’s risky as you can see below. I wait much longer for client work.

Even in the last photo, Sumi ink shows a hint of color. In my experience, this tiny touch of color will not affect the color of colored ink or watercolor you use on top of the drawing at this stage.

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And a brief look at Dr. Ph. Martin’s Iridescent ink.

This is how Dr. Ph. Martin’s Iridescent ink looked after I applied water when it was dry to the touch. It showed no sign of smudging when I applied water, but you can see a hint of purple after it dried. I wouldn’t be afraid to use it with watercolor at this stage. This tiny bit of color would disappear into the watercolor.

Final thoughts on Waterproof Ink and Watercolor

I love Sumi ink. Because of this, I use it often in spite of its long drying time. As I wait, I work on another design. 

If you want to complete both layers in a shorter time frame, I recommend using Ziller ink or a micron pen. 

Do your own experiment. These are not the only waterproof inks available. I’d love to hear about what you find out!

Thanks for reading! I hope you found the comparison helpful. If you have any questions ask them in the comments or drop me an email. 

And remember to get creative whenever you can.

For some fun practice with ink and watercolor, check out these tutorials:

• Butterfly Drawing – Blow Painting Technique
• Easy Drawings for plant labels
• Rose Drawing with a Watercolor Background
• Lettering Tulips – Shadow Lettering with a Watercolor Bleed

You can also find me on Instagram and Pinterest.