Most drawing inks are made from dyes. India Ink and Chinese Ink made with pigments. Water-soluble inks use Gum Arabic as the binder. Heavily pigmented waterproof inks use shellac as the binder. If you make ink with Gum Arabic it will dry to a water-soluble state, whereas those made with shellac will dry to a waterproof surface.


Gum Arabic inks:

1 part gum arabic
2 parts water

  1. Soak one part Gum Arabic in two parts of water and let stand overnight.
  2. The solution can be heated in a double boiler and strained to make a smooth syrupy liquid.
  3. Add Gum Arabic solution to desired color paste (water & pigment mixture).



Shellac (India) inks:

1 part shellac
1/4 part pure borax (not grocery store variety)
2 parts distilled water

  1. Heat slowly in a double boiler, until shellac dissolves.
  2. Strain through a paint filter or cheesecloth.
  3. 1 to 2 drops of Oil of Clove can be added as a preservative.
  4. Place pigment on a clean non-porous surface.
  5. Add the binder (either Gum Arabic or Shellac) to the pigment.
  6. Work into a thick paste and be certain to eliminate all lumps.
  7. Place the paste into a small jar and add more binder until the desired consistency is reached.

In the case of the Gum Arabic binder the pigment paste can be worked into a stiff dough, shaped and allowed to dry into an ink stick. In order to be used as ink, simply wet the stick with water on a rubbing stone. These are the Chinese and Japanese ink sticks known as Pearl Ink.