I use a Pentel Pocket Brush to ink my comics. I love this brush. It’s essentially a refillable cartridge pen with a synthetic-brush tip. It feels great in the hand and gives me great lines. The one thing I don’t like about the pen, however, is that the ink bleeds slightly. I’ve talked to several cartoonists about this issue, and they’ve all said it’s one of two problems: it could be a problem with the ink or a problem with the paper. At this point, I’m inclined to believe that it is a problem with the ink. The Pocket Brush is my primary inking instrument, but I do, however, use a few technical pens and a bottle of Higgins Black Magic ink for odds and ends stuff. These inks do not bleed like the ink for the Pocket Brush.
So here’s what I’m thinking I’ll do: Back in January I bought a bottle of Sumi ink. I’ve been told this is the “good stuff”. When the current cartridge of ink runs dry, I’ll remove it and fill it with some of this Sumi ink. If things go well, I’ll be using my Pentel Pocket Brush with some higher-quality ink. I figure only four things could possibly go wrong:
A. The Sumi ink will be too thick and clog up the chamber.
B. The Sumi ink will be too thick and gum up the synthetic brush tip.t.
C. I’ll create a huge mess.
D. All of the above.
So what do you guys think? Is it worth a shot? Does it have any hope of working? Any inking tips or advice you’d care to pass on to me in the comments section?
- Wes
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I sort of assume you’re going to experiment with mixes and inking once you try this? I’d say go for it in terms of experimenting with ink, the worst thing that’ll happen is you’ll glop up the brush.
Sorry I couldn’t be more help Wes, I do most of my inking with pens and only really use my brush (more like a brush-tipped marker) for shadows and some effects/touch-ups.
I always use mine as if it were a regular brush. I just dip it right in ink.
Warning: as a copier tech, I am hardware biased. That being said, have you checked out the specs on that pen? It might not be capable of working with the paper you use now. Might want to try it on a couple different sheets of paper before you blow a bunch of money on special ink.
Actually, Brian Stelfreeze, quite possibly one of my favorite artists, also dips his brush pens right into the ink. It works. And he makes awesome art.
I’ve also had problems with my ink work bleeding, and switching to Sumi ink seemed to help. I was using Strathmore bristol board, and the Higgins Black magic. I think that switching ink will help fix your issues.
In regards to dipping your brush pen instead of filling the cartridge with the Sumi ink, I’ve dipped my brush pens before and it works, but if you are going to do that, why not just go all the way and use a traditional brush and ink set up. I’ve used the Windsor Newton red sable brush, and it works great with the Sumi ink.
I really can’t help you out on this, but I have the same brush, have experienced the same problems, and would LOVE to hear how it works. Heck, for $15, I’ll even buy you a new one if it gacks up your brush. If you do it, good luck and keep us posted!
I have a Pentel Brush Pen that I dip into a bottle of Higgins Black Magic for coloring in large patches of black. But I like not having to dip while I’m doing my linework. That’s why I want to try and re-use the cartridges.
The ink is almost completely out in my Pocket Brush. I think this experiment is going down TONIGHT!
Awesome! Oh, and three things I found today:
Huge brush discount, holy crap guys!
http://www.aswexpress.com/discount-art-supplies/online/703/art-supplies/6
Neat refillable brush-pen-type…things…like my fountain pen:
http://www.amazon.com/Piston-Filler-Waterbrush-water-Brush/dp/B002M2C9IA/ref=pd_sim_k_2
And Sumi ink refills for the above…They look familiar. Do you think they’d fit in the Pocket brush? Unless they look way out of line, I may order some next time I’m getting art supplies and try them out myself.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000ILJKTI/ref=s9_simh_gw_p79_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=0WYJJV69MW9DSSBG3MSQ&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=470938631&pf_rd_i=507846
Definitely worth trying, because if you don’t try, you’ll never know. If this doesn’t solve your problem, try going to a coated paper. Believe it or not, I use a cheap 20# coated bond for a lot of my drawings. It doesn’t hold blue line very well, but MAN does it work with ink!
Best of luck, and thanks for all the great comics!
Mattski
Soooo, how did the grand experiment work out?
It was messy, but I was able to refill the empty cartridge with the Sumi ink. The ink is still bleeding, though, which puzzles me. I messed with the Higgins ink with a brush I use for dipping, and it didn’t bleed. So I may have to try another experiment …