Lightfastness of Indian Ink

Ink lightfastness test

I have made my own lightfastness test for almost all the ink and pens that I currently own. This means that it is very random which inks and pens you will find here, I have never bought a full set of any ink or pens, but I thought that maybe someone else but me have use for this so I decided to publish the result anyway.

Method and theory
I made swatches of all ink and pens and put them in a window facing south for three summer months. Since I am an amateur, I always consider my own testing like this: even if the product (pen, pencil, ink or paint) doesn't show any proof of fading this doesn't prove anything for sure. It is only to consider as a chance of being lightfast. If the samples however show fading of the color, it is safe to say that it is not lightfast.

Indian ink

I currently have five different Indian inks. Three of them from China but none of them have a brand name in English. All of my Indian inks are black.

Sennelier Indian ink

Sennelier Indian Ink

Daler Rowney (Kandahar drawing ink) Indian black

Daler Rowney Kandahar Ink

Three different Chinese ink (all without English text on the package)

Chinese ink

All five of them made the test perfectly. No fading at all.

Fountain Ink

Ink lightfastness test

I have made my own lightfastness test for almost all the ink and pens that I currently own. This means that it is very random which inks and pens you will find here, I have never bought a full set of any ink or pens, but I thought that maybe someone else but me have use for this so I decided to publish the result anyway.

Method and theory
I made swatches of all ink and pens and put them in a window facing south for three summer months. Since I am an amateur, I always consider my own testing like this: even if the product (pen, pencil, ink or paint) doesn't show any proof of fading this doesn't prove anything for sure. It is only to consider as a chance of being lightfast. If the samples however show fading of the color, it is safe to say that it is not lightfast.

Fountain ink

I will categories my ink and pens in different groups. I will start with all my fountain inks. Almost all had faded quite bad, as expected.  No fountain pens ink claim to be lightfast, but I still wanted to see for my self.

The brands that I tested and the colors:

Caran d´Ache (Chromatics)                    Hypnotic Turquoise 

Caran d´Ache (Chromatics)                    Infra Red

Caran d´Ache (Chromatics)                    Cosmic Black

Parker (Quink)                                         Blue

Pilot Iroshizuku                                       Ina-ho

Pilot Iroshizuku                                       Take-sumi

Diamine                                                   Terracotta

Diamine                                                   Monaco Red

Pelikan (fount India)                                Black

Sailor (Jentle ink)                                    Black

Caran d´Ache

Ironshizuku

Parkert

The colors that faded worst where the Hypnotic Turquoise, the blue Parker and Ina-ho (Ironshizuku). 

The both blacks that I have from Caran d´Ache and Pilot Iroshizuku and the red browns (Terracotta and Monaco red) from Diamine did better but had all four still lost a lot. 

Diamine

Caran d´Ache ink

Sailor Jentle Ink

The black ink from Sailor had almost no visible changes in the colors. I can barely see it, but in certain light and when I hold the sample in an angle to the light I can spot a slight change.

Pelikan

The only ink that hadn’t faded at all was the ink from Pelikan. But then again it is called Fount India, and is drawing (not writing) ink for fountain inks. Also, India usually indicate that it is pigment-based and lightfast. On the bottle it is also stated that it is lightfast ink. Also it is different in another way. All the other fountain inks are matt but the ink from Pelikan is shiny, just as most of my Indian inks are.

Tiger markers

• Can only purchase from Tiger shops
• Sells only in sets of three
• 21 different colors (I believe)

Tiger markers

Tiger’s marker  

Tiger is a Danish shop that you can find in most European countries. They have a lot of very different stuff, mostly very cheap. I was on holiday in Spain where I went to a Tiger store and there the markers were. The Tigers own alcohol based markers. I had heard of them before but there are so many markers out there so I didn't think much about it. Nowadays I need a marker to be quite special for me to be interesting enough to buy them. Tiger’s marker isn´t special at all, but they were so cheap, only three euro for three markers, and they were just in front of me. I could not resist. 

The nibs and the barrel

Tiger markers the fine nib

The markers are alcohol based dual tip (as most markers are) with a chisel nib on one side and a fine nib on the other. The barrel is bulky and look very cheap. They have minimal coding. Only three symbols on the barrel, showing were the chisel nib and the fine nib is and a symbol for Tiger.

Tiger markers the chisel nib

The sets

They sell their markers in set of three in color families. You can buy sets of yellows (and orange), reds (and pinks), violets (and purples), blues, greens, browns and greys (and a black). There doesn't seem to be any skin colors or blenders available. Normally when sets of three are sold they are suppose to be a blending set with a light, a medium and a dark of the same color. There are different values of colors but very different hues. The colors feel quite random. 

The ink

I have a hard time drawing with these markers because they lack so many colors, and colors that are important to me (like skin colors). I have done some drawing though and think the ink is completely ok, but it is hard to say too much about the blending capacity or the quality.

The color system

Tiger’s marker doesn't have names but a two-digit number on the cap.  All greens start with the digit zero, blues with one, grays and blacks with number two, reds and pinks with number three, yellows with number four, purple and violets with number five, and lastly browns with number six. So there actually is a method to the numbers.

Some blending attempt with tiger markers

All colors except for three reds