Review: Dr Ph Martin's Bombay India Ink (Colored)
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- Опубликовано: 6 фев 2025
- Dr Ph Martin's India Inks are great for drawing and writing. These pigmented inks are vibrant, waterproof when dry and suitable for mixed media work.
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I found a cheap way to discourage the separation sometimes experienced with this and other inks (such as FW acrylic ink) : I bought a string of 10mm diameter glass beads at a big bix craft store. One or two beads dropped into each bottle serve as agitators that make remixing the ink much easier and faster. The gemstone beads work, too. In the States, these stores put out coupons every week, so it's easy to get a string of beads for no more than a couple of dollars.
That's a very good idea
Glass beads is a good dea. I use small metal beads, some sold as nail polish agiotators, in my small acrylics bottles. Was about to throw some in an acrylic ink bottle when I remembered that it has a glass pipette under the lid...
@@teohyc AWESOME! Thank you!!! I will definitely try that!
I am just now seeing this for the first time (7 years later). Thank you for posting! Hope you are well!!!
I am so glad that I stopped by here! Thank you for making this video! Out of curiosity, from watching other artist's videos using this ink, I went and bought the first set (same as yours). Not wanting to just "play around with it" without knowing the ins and outs, of course I resorted to doing searches about it on (wait for it) .... the internet. lol. You are very articulate and clear in your explanations. I examined my ink and see that it, like yours separated pigment from blender. So disappointing. But reading more of the comments, I see ways of deterring the separation. You are an awesome artist! Thank you for sharing your work.
Just put some stainless steel/plastic/glass ball bearings inside for shaking. But if you don’t use the inks for too long, the bottom clumps make be difficult to break apart.
I love the style with which you draw people. It reminds me of old (1950s-1970s) architectural, presentation drawings. Lovely and haunting. You seem to see deeply and draw each person with a unique personality, even from a crowd reference photo. Inspiring. Thank you. I'm a beginner, and videos like this help me.
I love these inks especially mixing them together with gouache for creamier pigments. Its great to see how you use them!
That plastic packaging doubling as a palette is a really smart idea! I wish other manufacturers would do something similar with their own packaging
Nicolle now I feel kind of dumb I didn't realise that 😂 I still have mine but I'm using it as storage for earrings,lol.
I'm just now getting into this (7 years later), and I especially noticed the cardboard on the back for use as a stand! How perfect is that!? If he hadn't mentioned it, I probably would have tossed it and put the inks with my other supplies! nope... kept it all together. lol
Love the review! My only issue with Bombay inks has been that when they sit for a long period of time, they can become viscous and thick on the bottom, either requiring rigorous shaking or actual stick mixing. Not all colors, but mostly the darker ones. I had a similar problem with some older Liquitex, as well. Thank you, Teoh! Love the drawing work, as well! Great linework and colors! Cheers! :)
+M.D. Campbell Thanks 😁
If you add a few drops of rubbing alcohol to any dried ink (on palettes or ruined brushes) it dissolves very nicely. Also good for rotring/rapidograph technical pen cleaning.
+chainofthorns Thanks for the info!
Teoh Yi Chie No problem!
I mix water into my watercolors until they are creamy, then add some ink to intensify the colors, and then can work with the paint that way or add water to lighten and flow. So fun! Keeps the ink from drying out and acts like wc.
what about the separation? does that help with that problem?
The coloured ink line is so lively and expressive. That odd Terra Cotta colour is kinda nice even though the binder separated.
The box is built to stand all the bottles upright in the circle indents and the bottom allows you to put your thumb through if you want to use as a palette. I dont have these, but saw it online.
+hansendesigns Thanks for the info 😀
Very thorough! I wish they had this information on their site. Thank you for providing this key information on the inks.
I have been useing Dr PH Martin's ink and Hydrus watercolor for many years. FYI you can buy a pen cleaner fluid from thier web site that is great for clean up. Also they have a 12 pack eye dropper for both the 15 and 30 ml bottles. If the Ink gets a little thick ad a drop of distilled water one at a time to the bottle. also if using a brush I don't put it in the bottle I use the dropper to add to the brush. By the way the plastic cace is designed to insert the bottles into the round openings so the bottles stand up and will not fall over. Thanks keep up the good work . I love your blog and youtube work. thanks Michael A copy of a review on their web site follows:These are amazing inks. I have portioned out a bit of each on an empty plastic watercolor pallet that closes. I've also stored them there with sticky plastic film called Glad Press 'n Seal wrap. Great cling wrap for all crafters. They are still wet and I can use them like watercolors. Use a seperate water bin for washing these out of your brushes. Use a dip pen with them, also dilute them with water or alcohol! I've used them on Yupo (plastic watercolor paper) and they work extremely well on that. I'm sure just as nice on heavy watercolor paper, but Yupo paper is a solid sheet of plastic. No bleeding. You can layer marker over or under and create all sorts of effects with this stuff. Have fun!
+oneshadowone Thanks for the the extra info 😁
Can these be used in rapidograph?
Thank you for reviewing these Teoh! I have set 1 for a while and did not have any problems with pigment separation. Id also like to suggest that you try loading the non-separating colours on waterbrushes. I have put these slightly diluted on a pentel aquash months now, and have been using them since with no clogging issues at all.
PH. Martin sells their own pen and surface cleaner for these inks and it works really well. I used my nice watercolor palette and it would not come off so I used the cleaner.I was watching other videos where alcohol helps remove India ink off too.
I bought these just because I wanted to see what they were like and I love them. My earth tones were not that great in the set and one of them smelled like something had died in the ink. Other than that, they are great. I use them to paint. It is a learning process but I enjoyed them a lot. I wish I could find more videos/tutorials of people using them.
I think these are best for use with dip pens. For covering large areas, watercolour is still preferred, and in this case, can go over the lines.
Your artwork is amazing! God Bless!
I'm crazy about these inks. Find new ways to use them all the time. They may be the most versatile product in my studio. Edit: I wanted to add that out of all 24 colours, those with separation issues include the yellows, most browns, and green. Have you reviewed their water colour ink set?
+TicToc RobotSnot I have the Hydrus set but not tried them yet. They look more fluid than the India Inks
Teoh Yi Chie Great! I'm looking forward to your review of the Hydrus set. By the way, I had the same gloppy issue with Van Dyke Brown and Terra-cotta. Ended up with an unintended Ralph Steadman art style, which was both frustrating and amusing. Perhaps you could use them to create a Fear and Loathing in Singapore drawing. Ha
This was extremely helpful especially with Inktober right around the corner! Thanks for sharing!
I have the full set of 30 ml bottles which I purchased as my birthday present last year. I love these inks! Some do separate and settle, but it just takes a quick shake and I'm on my way. They don't come out separated like they did in your video, they reblend pretty well. Love the coloured line work
I wonder if the issue with the binder/pigment separation and the viscosity of some inks is due to how long they've been sitting, either in a warehouse somewhere or on your own shelf. Or maybe even the plastic bottle itself has some bearing on those issues since plastics can leach into whatever is being stored inside. Just food for thought. Thanks for the review, Teoh!
I think it's got to do with the specific colours. All the other colours are quite alright except for the earth tone colours.
I have the same problems with the ph Martin's hydrus water color earth tones. Seems to be a general problem
Good, thorough review! Always wondered why one would go for that many colours of seemingly transparent ink when there are alternatives like watercolours and acrylics. Must have something to do with them being waterproof so that one can paint over them, maybe? But then again, why so many bright colours? I agree that the claim of them being non-clogging, seeing the iron-oxide pigment in the terra cotta, seems farfetched indeed.
I had a déjà vu with the inks, I was like: I'm pretty sure Teoh did a review of this bottles!!
+Anna Brugat Mangas There was an earlier video where I drew the people sketch with the inks.
The Terra Cotta ink looks like Potter's Pink. Off topic Teoh, but I saw your video about cleaning your palettes with Mr. Clean Magic Erasers. That's how I do it, but I just saw another vlogger cleaning a stained plastic palette with polymer erasers. I'm going to try that too.
Thanks for the info :-)
Thank you very much for an excellent video - and the discussion below is very helpful too! Glad I found you. New subscriber now!
Después de que secan ya no se activan con agua otra vez ?
Your channel is wonderful, thanks for all the reviews. I have the Hydrus Watercolours and really enjoy them.
+Rosey Lyon Thanks. I'm going to try out the Hydrus too soon.
The Hydrus were easier to use and they can be reactivated! The India ink has a lot of things it does that I was not use to, and it dries so quickly! Some things were cool surprises! For washes it does need distilled water, and to clean the ink off you red alcohol. I guess I have been learning a lot.
Thanks for the video. Does using the India ink with a brush ruin the brush for any other medium?
+ib07093 You just have to wash the brush thoroughly after each use and they should last.
The tangerine is beautiful
Thanks Teoh. Great review. I had been thinking about buying these inks and now I know they are not a good fit for me -- I have several dogs that like to "help" so things that leak or spill easily are a problem:-) I love your sketches and the vibrant colors of the ink are lovely.
+Debbie Riley Your dogs are helpful 😁
what is the difference between the India Ink and the Hydrus watercolor?
Hey! I like your watercolor reviews they are really helpful!
But I can't choose between buying 2 prima watercolor box (24) or 1 kuretake gansai box (36), they are around the same price here (30€)
+Ymi The Prima box is more portable. Colours are also less chalky when mixed.
Teoh Yi Chie
Woah you're fast!
I have some cotman too, can it mix well with the prima?
Between cotman and prima which is best?
Does prima color mix well? The thing is I have a manga/comic art style, I would like to make illustration with Bright color
Thank you for your answer, love your work! ^^
You can intermix different brands of watercolour. No problem.
Hi, I use a synthetic brush and can't rinse brush between colors just by swirling in a cup of water as I would watercolor. How does this work? Have you tried Hydrus? Wonder if that would be better for me
I played a bit with using watercolor paint with my dip pens. I found the earthy colors didn't flow nearly as smoothly as other colors. For instance Pthalo Green was quite smooth, but Transparent Iron Oxide was tough to work with. So the gooeyness and stickiness may be pigment specific, rather than a problem with Dr. Ph Martin's as a brand. From what I've seen with your video, the inks work much better than watercolor for line work, so if someone were interested in doing brightly colored line work, colored India ink would be advantageous.
Yeah, some of the earth colours are difficult to move.
I became very impatient with those seals and they all tore when I tried getting into the ink. Now some leak. I do, however like the colors, I have set 2, as well. Good review and also, really like your drawing. You're an expert with your dip pen.
Thanks. Yeah, those seals are so irritating :-P
Is this color range suitable for the scrimshaw technique? Thank you.
The only India ink I have used has been black from another brand. This was a helpful review. I wonder if you have tried the radiant watercolors from the same brand?
+Donna G I have not tried those yet. I read that Radiant line is not lightfast like the Hydrus line.
Thank you, this was very helpful!
I did not realize the red violet and cherry red were so similar. I have the red violet, I'll stick with that. They are all gorgeous colors but I wasn't aware of the separation issues being so pronounced. I can get these inks individually, seems better than getting sets because of these issues.
+Julia Ryder Getting individual sets I think is a smarter choice
curious as to why you didnt just make a little cup or dish of green with the aqua and yellow
Beautiful review ! Do you wash the pen after each color that you use? If so, would you recommend using their pen cleaner solution or just water ? Also, do these work on canvases ? Or is watercolor paper the best ? Thanks : )
Hello I'm just a random person trying to be helpful, I clean my pen with rubbing alcohol and I haven't tried these on canvas yet but I wouldn't recommend it, too liquidy
thanks so much :) - do they dry matt straight out of the bottle ? - I hope so :) - looks like it on your paintings. I want to use them with my watercolor paintings (do a waterproof outline of my sketches) and I heard that some inks dry shiny when undiluted (which I don't want)
Some inks will be matte and some shiny. And if you use apply ink to thick, it's going to be shiny.
Very informative. Thanks.
made a similar thing using brusho crystal colors they are like a powder . i mixed with an amount of filtered water
I love these inks, but I can't get any nearby 😢. Lovely review as always! Using this for line art would be awesome 😀.
Also, will the giveaway winners be announced or we just move onto the next giveaway?
Thanks as always!
+Polar Bear Winners have been announced. The next giveaway contest is now underway www.parkablogs.com/content/700th-youtube-video-milestone-giveaway-contest-ends-22-sep-2017
Teoh Yi Chie Just in case for next time where would I find the list of winners? (I'm new to this so I don't know what i'm doing).
Polar Bear I announce it on the same contest page. I'll also email the winners. www.parkablogs.com/content/700th-youtube-video-milestone-giveaway-contest-ends-13-sep-2017
"bom bom!" 19:17
What do you use to clean the inks out of your brushes ?
I just use water to wash them after each session.
@@teohyc, thank you .
how much should you dilute a black india ink to be properly used with dip pens? thank you
30 percent is typical.
do you think I should get this set or some of Iridescent Calligraphy Color I wi;; be using them for lineart
+yukidogzombie I'm not sure about the Iridescent inks as I've not used them before. If you are using the ink for drawing with dip pen, these Bombay India inks may be better. Just get specific colours that you need. The earth tones aren't that great. Too sedimentary.
Do these inks have a sheen to them, or are they Matt?
Matte
it's funny that you said the ink will clog fountain pens even when the company says that this one work with technical pens and non-clogging. Have you tested?
All pigmented inks have a chance of clogging because there are physical particles. These are still not too bad. When I open the cap, there are not crusty ink particles. But I will wash out my pens if I don’t plan on using them for weeks
What can I use to dilute the ink? Water?
Water
Dear Parka Can you recommend any non dip fountain pens that can be used with this ink?
These inks are not meant to be used in fountain pens. If you want waterproof coloured inks, try de Atramentis inks.
Looks like old stock Teoh, Amazon sells set one as twelve 30 ml bottles with built in pipette in the caps.
+Douglas Elliot There are two types. The ones in the video are 15ml. I wanted to save some money so I bought the smaller bottles. I should have gone for the 30ml ones if I have known about the eye droppers.
Sorry Teoh I thought you said 15ml.
hello this ink dry if you let them out the jar? thank you
They will dry hard if exposed to air. Always cap the bottles properly.
Hi! .... do you know if they can work on yupo?
Not sure but it should work.
Have you mixed the Bombay/Hydrus inks with the white bombay/hydrus ink? If so, Does it produce pastel colors?
+kieren024 I've not tried mixing them.
Teoh Yi Chie okays. thank you for replying! :D
They do make a more matte pastel. The white is the only opaque color so the mixtures are pastel and slightly opaque.
Think it would work of shoes?
Not sure about that. Maybe try acrylic.
Earth colour separation is an issue with their concentrated watercolour sets as well.
+John Cavan Oh no 😅
your calligraphy skills are better than mine. 😂
+Nelson Ong Thanks 😂
Which brush pen do you recommend ? Thanks : )
Pentel or the Kuretake ones. But don't fill them with these inks.
Teoh Yi Chie do you have the links to these pen models? Also instead of filling them with these inks are you recommending just dipping them and using them like regular brushes? How do you clean the brush pens between switching colors? Thank you so much
You can check out my reviews for those brush pens at www.parkablogs.com/tags/brush-pen
These brush pens can be used like dip brushes, but you have to wash them after each use, just like regular brushes or else the hair will become hard.
Teoh Yi Chie have you heard of arteza brush pens? Thanks
I would love to try these, but you can't get them here. There is something in the ink that is a hazard to your health (according to the regulations here) and that's why stores aren't allowed to sell them. We have to import them and that makes them very expensive.
what nib are you using?
Zebra G Nip
Teoh Yi Chie thank you!
I would rather invest in the pH Martin's radiant watercolours ! 😃
Alison Jones I think the problem with those is that they're not lightfast like the India inks are. So it depends on how archival you want your work to be (and also whether you prefer watercolor or ink)
Thanks Teoh. Good information. The earth tones would be frustrating.
never been first in my life :0
+Juan Morales 👍