Ink

2004-1-2

Inks fall into two basic categories: dye or pigment based.

A dye is a colourant that dissolves completely and is translucent. Dyestuffs colour by penetrating substances, such as paper & textiles, rather than adhering to surfaces.

A pigment is simply a finely ground powder carried in a medium. Pigments in inks can give an opaque or translucent end product.






For modelling I'd suggest acrylic inks which are pigment based in acrylic resin medium that can be thinned with water. (artist ink / airbrush ink / miniature specific ink whatever - you get more artist ink for your money)

The reason - compatible with acrylic paints so you can mix & match etc. and the colour is lightfast, meaning it won't fade and they are water resistant so you can continue painting when they are dry.


Don't use dye based ink like shellac. This is a natural resin, known as 'lac', dissolved in methylated spirits or alcohol. It does dry to become water resistant on porous material (paper) but the colour is still water soluble so has a tendency for re-wetting (imagine bubble jet printer on paper and drop water on it) and the colour can fade in daylight.


Lastly, note: Thinned paint definately isn't the same as ink. Thinning paint just disperses a relatively coarse opaque pigment. Taken to the extreme it's dirty water.

If you use a thinned paint wash instead of ink I'll predict the result turns out 'muddy' ...