Choosing Black Ink for Illustration: Pens, Brushes & Mixed Media

The right black ink depends on how you draw—and what you apply over your linework. A fountain-pen sketch, a dip-pen comic page and a brush drawing each place different demands on the ink.

This guide introduces five options in the Inkwell range, focusing on their intended tools, documented properties and practical uses. These are different approaches to black ink, rather than a ranking from best to worst.

For questions about adding watercolour or alcohol markers, read this alongside our Illustrator’s Ink Compatibility Guide.

1. Platinum Carbon Black — for fountain-pen linework

If you enjoy drawing with a fountain pen, Platinum Carbon Black is an option to consider when you want lasting black linework.

Its colour comes from carbon pigment. Platinum describes it as resistant to sunlight and moisture and suitable for the permanent storage of records. Its care requirements matter too: pigment ink should not be allowed to dry inside a pen.

Suggested use: Fountain-pen sketching, illustrated journals and detailed linework.

Before adding colour: Let the ink dry fully and test your intended wash or marker on the same paper. Water resistance does not automatically establish alcohol-marker compatibility.

Care: Follow the ink and pen manufacturers’ cleaning instructions, and clean the pen before extended storage.

2. Deleter Black No. 4 — for dip-pen manga and comic work

Deleter Black No. 4 is a drawing ink to consider for manga, comics and illustration using a dip pen.

Deleter’s product information identifies strong water resistance, while specialist retailers also describe it as suitable for alcohol-marker work. Allow the linework to dry before colouring and test your particular paper and markers together.

Suggested use: Comic panels, character illustration and expressive dip-pen linework.

Suggested tools: Dip pen or brush. Do not treat its suitability for dip pens as approval for fountain-pen use.

Paper choice: Start with a smooth drawing surface that suits your nib. There is no need to restrict the ink to Bristol board, and the paper still needs testing with your chosen colouring medium.

3. Kuretake ZIG Cartoonist Black Ink 60 — check the exact formulation

Kuretake offers several similarly named black drawing inks. ZIG Cartoonist Black Ink 60, Special Black Ink and Sumi Ink are separate products, so their properties should not be treated as interchangeable.

Black Ink 60 is listed by Kuretake as a water-based pigment ink. The explicit statement that an ink is smudge-proof with watercolour and alcohol-based markers appears on Kuretake’s Special Black Ink page. That statement should not automatically be applied to Black Ink 60.

Suggested use: Dip-pen and brush illustration, following the instructions for the exact bottle.

Before adding colour: Check the product name and code. If yours is Black Ink 60, test watercolour and alcohol markers rather than assuming the compatibility of Special Black Ink.

If marker compatibility is your priority: Kuretake specifically describes Special Black Ink as smudge-proof when combined with watercolour or alcohol-based markers.

4. Dr. Ph. Martin’s Black Star Hi-Carb — dense black with a gloss finish

Black Star Hi-Carb is a highly opaque, high-carbon India ink with a gloss finish. Dr. Ph. Martin’s describes it as lightfast, permanent and waterproof when dry.

The manufacturer recommends it for technical pens and calligraphy dip pens, and lists paper, illustration board, canvas and acetate as suitable surfaces. Follow the applicator’s instructions and clean it appropriately after use.

Suggested use: Dense black linework and areas of black where a glossy finish is welcome.

Before adding colour: Allow the ink to dry fully before applying watercolour. Test alcohol-marker compatibility separately.

A note on scanning: Hi-Carb and Black Star Matte are different products. If you specifically want a non-reflective finish, consider Black Star Matte, which the manufacturer describes as a matte ink that will not reflect light.

5. Speedball Super Black India Ink — for dip-pen and brush drawing

Speedball Super Black is an India ink option for lettering, illustration and brushwork.

Speedball’s information describes its India inks as permanent, lightfast, acid-free and highly waterproof once fully dry, with dip pens and brushes as intended tools.

Suggested use: Traditional dip-pen illustration, lettering and black brushwork.

Before adding colour: Let the ink dry fully before applying watercolour. Do not interpret waterproofness as proof of alcohol-marker resistance; test the marker combination before using it on a finished piece.

Care: Follow Speedball’s cleaning instructions and clean your tools before dried ink becomes difficult to remove.

Which ink should you consider?

Your priority	A useful starting point	What to check
Drawing with a fountain pen	Platinum Carbon Black	Pen compatibility and cleaning requirements.
Dip-pen manga or comic linework	Deleter Black No. 4	Drying and performance with your chosen paper and colouring materials.
A Kuretake ink for marker-based work	ZIG Cartoonist Special Black Ink	Make sure the bottle is Special Black Ink—not another similarly named formulation.
Dense black with a glossy finish	Black Star Hi-Carb	Whether gloss suits your finished artwork or reproduction method.
A non-reflective black finish	Black Star Matte	This is a separate variant from Hi-Carb.
Traditional dip-pen and brush work	Speedball Super Black	Allow full drying before adding watercolour; test alcohol markers separately.

Before you add watercolour or markers

Waterproof does not mean alcohol-marker-proof. These are separate properties, so choose an ink with your whole process in mind.

The recommendations in this guide concern colour applied over dried ink. They do not establish how an ink will behave when drawn over an existing layer of paint.

Before starting a finished drawing:

Use a spare piece of your intended paper.
Draw several fine lines and one heavier stroke.
Allow the ink to dry according to its instructions.
Apply your watercolour or marker across part of the linework.
Check for bleeding, lifting, smearing or colour transfer.

Keep the test strip with a note of the ink, paper and drying time. It gives you a practical reference for your own materials.

Link: View the Illustrator’s Ink Compatibility Guide →

Choose the tool as carefully as the ink

Dip pens, fountain pens, brushes and technical pens have different requirements. An ink described as suitable for “pens” is not necessarily suitable for every type of pen.

Use only an ink explicitly approved for fountain pens inside a fountain pen. For other applicators, follow the instructions for both the ink and the tool.

If you are exploring dip pens, choose the nib for the kind of line you want to make, then test its handling with your ink and paper.

Link: Explore the Dip-Pen Nib Comparison Guide →

Clean up before the ink dries

Follow the cleaning instructions for your particular ink and tool. Rinse or clean brushes and dip nibs promptly after use, and use a compatible cleaner where recommended.

Do not assume one cleaning method suits every ink, pen or brush. For fountain pens, follow the pen maker’s guidance and clean before extended storage.