Watercolor art is an amazing form of creativity and self-expression that allows you to explore without any limitations. You have likely come across different watercolor art pieces and seen just how diverse and different they can be.
What’s great about watercolor is that working on such creative pieces is something we can all do and get good at. Watercolor art is probably the best art medium to get into as a beginner in the creative world. Learning to combine ink with your watercolor is a strong and fun step towards becoming a greater artist and creative!
This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through my links, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Read my full disclosure here.
If you are like most people, the idea of drawing abstract objects with complex designs can be daunting. However, with the option to let your imagination soar and create magnificent pieces, the creative arts become a haven for just about anyone.
When drawing with ink and watercolor, you have a few things to consider that will contribute to your results.
In this post, we’ll cover the tools you’ll need, what we consider to be the best waterproof pens and best fountain pen ink for watercolor, the drawing techniques featured in watercolor, and the most asked questions, such as what comes first, the ink or the watercolor?
Ink Pen and Watercolor: What Equipment Should You Use?
When it comes to creating watercolor art, the equipment you choose to use matters a lot. It can either make or break your entire piece.
With this in mind, investing in the right tools will help ensure that your watercolor pieces turn out perfectly. Here are some of the tools required and what to look out for.
Best Ink Pens to Use With Watercolor
There are different types of pens in the market that can be used for the drawing process. These pens are produced by some of the best brands in the world and feature quality features that make them perfect for watercolor.
With pens, you have the option of choosing fine point pens, ballpoint pens, rollerball pens, or fountain pens. Rollerball pens, fine point pens, and ballpoint pens will come with ink already in their reservoir.
However, with fountain pens, you’ll have to invest in a tab of ink that is suitable for watercolor art.
When choosing the perfect pens or inks to use for your art, here are the main aspects you should consider.
- Waterproof
Your pens or inks should feature a waterproof label to indicate that they can be used for watercolor without any concerns. Paying attention to the waterproof feature allows you to work with ink that will not bleed once watercolor is added. The bleeding that occurs when using the wrong ink results in untidy work and diminishes the whole look.
- Fadeproof
Working with pens or inks that feature the fadeproof label is an added advantage. It is the cherry on top. The term fadeproof is generally used to assure you that the art piece you work on will not lose its quality over time.
This is especially a major concern when you plan to display your art piece in direct contact with the sun. This feature ensures that the piece does not fade from the effects of the sun’s rays.
- Pigmented
In some cases, you’ll find that the labels on the pens or inks do not specify that they are waterproof. If this is the case, you may find the pens or inks labeled as “pigment” or “pigmented ink”.
With these options, you can trust that the pens and inks will work perfectly when it comes to watercolor art. The pigment found in the inks lends to the waterproof capabilities and allows you to confidently add watercolor to your art piece.
The best waterproof pens for watercolor and ink will have these factors.
Our recommendations include the Uni-ball Signo, Sakura Pigma Micron series, as well as the Unipin Fine Line! Our favorite fountain pen for watercolor is the Lamy Safari fountain pen with the best fountain pen ink for watercolor art which is Platinum Carbon ink or De Atramentis Archive Ink!
Watercolor
Watercolor is the next important tool that you need to ensure you get right. When it comes to watercolor, you have two options. There is the student-grade watercolor and there is the artist-grade watercolor.
Both watercolor options work perfectly well however the artist-grade offers a more vibrant look with greater color intensity. On the other hand, the student-grade watercolor will require you to use a bit more paint to achieve the same intensity.
That said, when looking to work with either grade option, there are a few things that will determine your success. Here are some of the aspects to consider when investing in the perfect watercolor paints.
- Transparency
The transparency in watercolor allows the linework made using your ink to shine through. Working with transparent watercolor ties the whole piece together and gives it the character it deserves.
- Colors and Sets
There are so many different colors that can be used in watercolor art giving you a wide variety of options to choose from. When it comes to choosing the perfect colors, you’ll need to do an incredible amount of research. This part can be quite daunting especially for beginners looking to explore the watercolor art world.
It is however an important aspect especially when it comes to color mixing. You wouldn’t want to work with colors that when mixed make absolutely no sense right? Well, the research done at this phase will help you avoid this.
For my beginner friends, you can skip this part altogether and invest in a watercolor paint set instead. These paint sets come with perfectly matched colors that when mixed will result in the desired color translation.
This completely takes away from the stress of having to figure out the best colors for you. However, try to limit the color choices in your set and work with 12 colors for a start. This will give you more time to learn about the colors and get a better handle on color mixing.
Watercolor Brushes
Brushes are an important aspect to consider when working on your watercolor art pieces. Your brushes will help you easily apply the watercolor paint to the surfaces you’ll be working with. You may use the brushes you already have, as any old brush should work for watercolor and ink creations.
For brushes, the most important aspects to consider are the hairs featured on them. You can either work with synthetic hairs or natural hairs. Both options work well but our favorite pick is natural hair brushes. These brushes can hold paint longer reducing the need to keep switching from your paper, back to the color mixing pallet.
Here is my pick for beginner watercolor brushes.
Do you Ink Before or After Watercolor?
This is an age-old question on which comes first and the short and simple answer is it’s all a matter of personal preference. You have the option of either drawing or sketching with your ink first then adding watercolor or working with watercolor first then drawing with your ink.
The option is entirely up to you depending on the kind of look you are going for. There are however a few things to remember when working with both methods.
Drawing with ink before watercolor allows you to have more control over where you apply your watercolor paint. This option requires you to work with a waterproof or pigmented pen or ink to draw the lines as precisely as you’d like them to be.
Once that is done, pay attention to the ink’s drying time and ensure that it is dry before adding your watercolor paint. When dry, you can now add your watercolor paint and if you are working with the transparent option, you’ll be in a position to easily see the linework you created under the paint.
Most artists prefer working with this method mainly because they find it easier to draw first and color later. They also add that the pens glide with more ease when working on plain paper compared to when drawing over watercolor washes.
On the other hand, when working with watercolor before the linework made by the ink, you get to play around with your imagination. The watercolor paint determines the shapes and designs you’ll be working on for your drawing.
Once you have applied your watercolor, you need to ensure that it dries well before coming in with your ink. This is the best way to achieve quality and presentable results. When working with this option, you don’t necessarily have to be using a waterproof pen.
Since the ink is being applied after the watercolor has dried, you can get away with using quality water-soluble ink. Just be careful to avoid running your hands through the ink while drawing because it will result in smudges that will ruin the art piece.
Embrace your imagination and the flexibility to create your unique piece of genius and explore both options. Consider the final results and resolve which option works best for you when creating watercolor art.
How to Draw With Ink and Watercolor
As we’ve discussed, with watercolor art, you can either work with the ink drawings first then the watercolor, or vice versa. There are different techniques that you can use to help you get this down and improve your art pieces. Here are a few picks of the best techniques we’ve found being used by different artists.
Ink First Technique
The ink first technique is where you outline your shapes clearly with ink first before going in with your watercolor paint. Some of the techniques that work best for this include:
- The color-in-the-lines method
This method is one of the most commonly used, especially by beginners. It features drawing very clear and concise shapes using your pen and ink.
Once you have drawn out your shapes or designs, the space within the linework is now the playing field. This is where you experiment with different watercolor paints and colors in the spaces outlined.
This option features solidly coloring in with your watercolor paint to get the vibrancy and texture of the colors you are using.
- The watercolor-as-shading method
Watercolor shading requires a bit of skill since you’ll be working on combining the effects of dark and light colors. This combination plays a great role in creating the 3D effect on your art piece.
In this method, the outline spaces featured after drawing with pen and ink will be colored in to give the impression of light and shadow.
This method offers a great opportunity to explore with different colors to get a better understanding of what works.
- The splash-of-color method
In the splash-of-color method, the watercolor paint is used quite lightly and the color is only fully applied in a specific part of the drawing. The part that features a brighter color is designed to pop and stand out acting as the main point of interest.
This particular technique results in a more faded watercolor look that is quite interesting to work on. It tests your ability to feather the brushes you work with and the different levels of pressure applied.
Watercolor First Technique
Watercolor first refers to when you choose to use watercolor to create abstract designs and later go in with your pen and ink to add some detail. This is a great option to consider working with especially when diversifying the looks you create with watercolor. This option features a few techniques that can be applied for perfect results. Some of them include:
- The toning-the-paper method
As the name suggests, this is a method where an artist first takes on the challenge of toning the paper with beautiful watercolor washes. These washes can be smooth, faded, textured, or full color depending on what you are going for.
The washes are at this point not used to create the specific shape that you want to work with. It is more of adding color to the paper and letting your imagination dictate the look and feel.
After this, you then come in with your inks and lightly draw your desired shape over the color washes you’ve created.
- The suggestion-of-color method
This method may feature a light pencil sketch especially if you want to get the shape of your design perfectly. The suggestion-of-color method is where your watercolor creates the shape and design you’ll be working with.
After the watercolor is intact, the pen and ink are used to outline the shape using the colors used as a guide.
This option may require you to avoid stressing too much about matching the colors of your pens and inks to the watercolor you choose to use.
- The ink-as-final-enhancement method
Here, you’ll employ the use of pen and ink as the tools that will complete the watercolor art piece. You’ll use the ink to highlight specific interests, add contrasts, and also add more details to your piece. This option primarily relies on using watercolor paint with only a few sections where the ink comes into play.
I hope this guide on how to draw with watercolor and ink has been helpful to you!
More Watercolor and Ink Learning Resources
In this course called “Architectural Sketching with Watercolor and Ink” by Alex Hillkurtz you will learn how to sketch buildings with ink and watercolour. He also gives lessons on linear perspective and composition, so you have a solid foundation moving forward. See the full course here.
Related Posts
Paint a loose rose in watercolour
Paint watercolor galaxies and night skies
