
Dinky Dips containers are great for mixing small quantities of ink with water! This is a good idea just in case you end up being surprised at the reaction the ink has to dilution! 0.25 oz. That way, you can just dilute some of the ink versus all of it. Once you have your water, you can transfer some of the ink that you want to dilute into a small container (such as a dinky dip). However, you’re always better off using distilled water to dilute. Your best bet is to buy a gallon of distilled water and keep it around for calligraphy purposes! The tap water in Boulder, CO, where I live, doesn’t seem to have properties that encourage mold growth in ink. That said, water quality varies from place to place. In reality, I use tap water to dilute my inks. Tap water can have impurities that encourage mold growth and mess with your ink performance. Officially, I should recommend that you use distilled water to dilute your inks. You want the color of the ink to be less intense.

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For a tutorial on writing white calligraphy - including how to dilute the ink with water - see the Seven Tips for Writing White Calligraphy article. Because it’s more of a paint than an ink, you must add water to Bleed Proof White in order to write with it. In fact, some thinner inks need to be thickened! (For more information, see the Help! My Calligraphy Ink is Bleeding article.) There are other inks, however, that will come to you needing dilution from the get-go, like Dr. For example, thin inks like iron gall or walnut rarely require dilution. It’s important to note that not all inks need to be diluted. You’ll notice that the ink will go from nib to paper without much of a fuss, making your writing more enjoyable and consistent! Manageable ink is a must when using a dip pen! This calligraphy medallion was created with diluted sumi ink. If you dilute your thick inks with water, the ink flow will often improve.

That said, brand new inks can arrive thick as well! Most of the water has evaporated out of this black ink, causing it to coat the nib rather than easily flow off of it. This often happens with inks that have sat out for long periods of time with their lids off (such as when you’re practicing calligraphy), allowing the water to evaporate out. If your ink is too thick, it tends to cling to the nib, and you’ll have a hard time getting it to descend. In today’s blog post, you’ll learn why, when, and how to dilute ink to make it more user-friendly! Why Dilute Ink? Ideally, they should arrive ready to use - no need to change anything! In practice, that sometimes isn’t the case.

If you’re new to calligraphy, it’s easy to feel terrified at the prospect of modifying your supplies.
