Can you use acrylic ink like watercolour? FW, Magic Color and Liquitex acrylic ink

This week I inherited a collection of acrylic inks - FW (Daler Rowney), Liquitex and Magic Color (Speedry). Though I've used white and sepia FW in the past for line and wash, I've never really put them through their paces, so I thought it would be fun to see if the different brands can mix, whether one is better than the other, and how exactly they behave.

What is acrylic ink? Well, its artist pigment in an acrylic emulsion - basically, really fluid acrylic paint. But because it is pigment based they are highly light fast and fade proof. Because it's acrylic, they are waterproof once dry. The big question is, are they shiny and plastic or do they look and behave like watercolour?

First, I swatch out the colours and see how transparent they are. This was quite a revelation, as they are beautiful. I compared FW and Magic Color white, and the Magic Color was more opaque (and cheaper!!). Next I try them in a fountain pen (I was very concerned it would ruin my pen) and used a metal nib and a glass dip pen too. All very exciting! Finally, I tried layering, lifting and wet in wet techniques, plus threw in some salt.

I am really excited by the results. If you are wanting to layer and preserve transparency, these inks are fabulous. If you want soft and lost edges, I might stick to watercolour.

In the film I mention two other films - here are the links:
Glass dip pen review:    • How good are glass dip pens?  
Using a Magic Eraser:    • How to use magic eraser - get rid of ...  

Each week I share a watercolour tip, trick or technique on Sunday at 2pm UK time. If you have enjoyed this please like and subscribe and hit the notification bell. If there is ever a topic you'd like explored, just leave a comment.

For more of my work please go to www.lizchaderton.co.uk and for online courses please visit www.lizchadertonstudio.co.uk.