Holbein Acrylic Inks and Markers
Holbein Acrylic Inks, how do I love thee?
Their Super Opaque White is the WHITEST white on the market. It's truly SUPER opaque as the name states!
How do you purchase the acrylic inks?
They come in 30 ml as well as 100 ml size bottles.
The empty markers are sold separately. The smallest (and my most favorite) tip size is a 6mm. I would STRONGLY recommend that if you buy the empty markers, you also buy the replacement tips at the same size. They do come in handy. I haven't changed my nibs in quite some time but did so for the photos for this post. If you take care of them, they WILL last.
Remove the inner plastic piece as shown above. I keep my nails short so I often will use an awl or a flat pair of scissors to pop it open.
Leave the little metal ball inside the bottle! (Tip: Be careful! Take your time and don't overfill. I overfilled a marker and dumped the excess ink back into the main bottle. PLOP! The little metal ball left the marker and went into the bottle. I wasn't thrilled but it was my fault!)
Shake the acrylic ink bottle thoroughly (make sure it's closed!! I often but my thumb over the opening just in case.) Fill the pen. If I'm using the Super Opaque White or the Super Opaque Black, I fill it until it hits the black line on the marker. Replace everything as shown (make sure that little plastic piece pops ALL the way in.)
Now hold the marker tip up. Press down once on the nib part. This is called, "burping the marker." (Any time you buy a new marker OR you take a paint marker from a low altitude to a high altitude, you should do this. It will prevent the marker from leaking/exploding/whatever you want to call it all over your work. It releases air from the marker.) Put the cap on and shake it. Now pump the tip on scrap paper until the tip starts to change to the color of the ink. The ink should saturate the tip but not leak! I usually find that pumping two or three times is usually enough (but your mileage may vary!)
Here's another important tip, ALL of the acrylic inks EXCEPT the Super Opaque White and the Super Opaque Black are TRANSPARENT.
Holbein makes a medium called Opaque Medium. You can mix that medium with ANY of the colors and the ink becomes more opaque. Not Super Opaque Black or White, but enough.
When I fill the markers with the Color of Choice + Opaque Medium, I usually like to put about a quarter of the color in, then a quarter of the medium. I repeat until it's almost full. Then, cap it all up and shake and pump. I haven't found any information on this online so others may have more information about it.
In the photos below, I've only used the color + opaque medium for the Luminous Opera (their luscious pink) and Quinacridone Gold:
Again, the Super Opaque White and Super Opaque Black are OPAQUE.
The other colors are all TRANSPARENT UNLESS you mix the Opaque Medium WITH the colors as I did in the photos above (the color + opaque medium) for the Luminous Opera (their luscious pink) and Quinacridone Gold.
What are my favorite colors? You're looking at them! Luminous Opera, Quinacridone Gold and Super Opaque White. I love playing around with mixing them. Here are some photos of me just messing around mixing them on cardstock.
Not shown in the photo but I also love their Phthalo Turquoise (yummy mixed with white) and Pyrrole Red (swoon worthy red!) I need to play more with the other colors that I have but if I had to pick a handful of colors, it would be the ones I mention here.
The paints are delicious on regular card stock but I love them LAYERED on top of either collage material and/or other acrylics.
I've been using the Holbein Acrylic Inks since I first saw them at the Holbein booth at San Diego Comic Con a few years ago. I use them to paint, write, draw, color, etc...
The Super Opaque White, Quinacridone Gold and Luminous Opera are always in my pen/marker bag.
When I buy them, I buy the largest bottles I can get my hands on!
Most of you know that I go gaga for a good paint marker/pen.
Why would I recommend the Holbein when I already love the water based Posca, Sharpie, etc?
1. No one makes the above colors in marker form. I'm always looking for new colors of paint markers in my work. The Super Opaque White and the Super Opaque Black are the MOST opaque colors on the market. (My runner up favorite white is Posca. My runner up for black is a .35 Rapidosketch with India Ink.)
2. Transparent acrylics are not usually my favorite. However, by experimenting with the Holbein Acrylic Inks I've found that I truly love either mixing the color with the opaque medium OR just playing around with layering the colors together. So, I'll put down white and mix and layer the colors until I get them to be the way I want them to be. I love the new color combinations that occur just by playing with the inks in the markers and my fingers (I always put a barrier cream OR gloves on my hands when painting with my fingers. I NEVER paint with cadmiums, chromiums or cobalts, anything that contains heavy metals that once they get into your body, there's no way for them to get out.
3. I love finger painting with these. I make little blobs and smoosh the color around with my fingers. They're perfect for on the go art making or in your studio.
4. The tips! Oh, how I wish more paint marker companies would take the time to realize that the inks have to work with the tips. The tips don't leak. They hold the paint just right. They don't dry up either (unless you leave the cap off overnight!) I do wish that the tip sizes were smaller but I can play around with how I hold the 6mm marker to get it to a fine tip that I prefer.
5. They're like butter! They glide across the surface. They layer beautifully. I'm just happy and a better person when I use them. (Ha! JK on that last part.) Seriously, it's an acrylic ink in a marker that brings a little joy into my life when I use it and when I look at my work afterwards. The pigment is incredible and the quality is top notch. You truly get what you pay for with Holbein. It's the bees' knees.
6. They're acrylic so they're permanent once dry.
Don't forget to put the cap on and ALWAYS store them flat and in a cool, dry place when not in use.
Disclaimer: I do not work for ANY company. I work for myself and for my students. Any product that I mention on social media (unless stated) I BUY, LOVE and use myself. I ONLY recommend things that I LOVE and use on a regular basis. Holbein hasn't given me ANYTHING in exchange for this post. I like to recommend products that I love so that the companies will keep making them! That's my only ulterior motive!
Links of Interest:
Find Holbein Acrylic Inks at:
Jerry's Artarama acrylic inks and empty markers/nibs
Holbein:
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