Best Drawing Inks of 2025

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Drawing inks are highly pigmented and versatile mediums that can be used for a variety of artistic purposes. These inks come in a range of colours and can be used for drawing, calligraphy, painting, and mixed media projects. They are typically water-resistant and can be used on a variety of surfaces including paper, canvas, and board. Drawing inks are ideal for creating bold, vibrant lines and washes, and can be layered to achieve depth and texture in artwork. Whether you're a professional artist or a beginner, drawing inks can add a new dimension to your creative projects.
At a Glance: Our Top Picks
Top 10 Drawing Inks
Liquidraw Coloured Drawing Ink Set of 10
The Liquidraw Ink Set includes ten vibrant, waterproof India inks, perfect for all your artistic needs. Each 35ml bottle contains an assortment of colours such as black, blue, yellow, and more. These inks are particularly suited for calligraphy, allowing you to create beautiful lettering with ease. Whether you prefer using dip pens or brushes, this set provides the versatility needed for drafting and drawing. You’ll find these inks useful for a variety of projects, making your creative process enjoyable and efficient.
Liquidraw Waterproof Coloured Drawing Ink Set
The Liquidraw Drawing Ink Set features five vibrant, waterproof Indian inks in black, blue, yellow, red, and green, each contained in a convenient 35ml plastic bottle. These inks are perfect for calligraphy, allowing you to create beautiful lettering with dip pens or brushes. You can also use them for drafting and drawing, bringing your artistic visions to life with ease. Their versatility means you can experiment with various techniques, whether you're a seasoned artist or just starting out.
Winsor & Newton Black Indian Drawing Ink 14ml
The Winsor & Newton Drawing Ink is a versatile 14 ml bottle of black Indian ink that can be applied using a brush, dip pen, or airbrush. This fast-drying ink ensures that your artwork will adhere excellently to most surfaces, providing you with convenience and reliability in your creative projects. With its quick drying time, you can work efficiently without worrying about smudging. This product is perfect for artists looking to achieve precise lines and vibrant details in their drawings.
Winsor & Newton 14ml Drawing Ink - Brilliant Green
The Winsor & Newton Drawing Ink is a versatile 14ml bottle of Brilliant Green ink that can be applied using a brush, dip pen, or airbrush. Its fast-drying formula ensures that your artwork stays vibrant without smudging. Additionally, the ink offers excellent adhesion on most surfaces, making it ideal for various materials. Being water-resistant and transparent, it allows for layering without losing the clarity of your designs, providing you with endless creative possibilities.
Artway Black Indian Ink for Art Projects
The Artway Black Indian Ink is a versatile ink ideal for various artistic applications. You can use it with brushes, dip pens, and airbrushes, making it perfect for drawing, illustration, and calligraphy. Once dry, the ink is water-resistant, allowing you to layer watercolours or other soluble mediums on top without smudging your work. Additionally, this permanent ink can be diluted with water, enabling you to create lighter tones and a broader tonal range in your artwork, enhancing your creative possibilities.
Graff-City Black Indian Ink 300ml Bottle
The Graff-City Black Indian Ink is a versatile and highly pigmented ink that’s perfect for your creative projects. You can use it for writing, printing, or drawing, giving you a deep black colour that is both lightfast and permanent. This makes it ideal for professional use, whether you’re a designer or an illustrator. Additionally, the ink can be diluted with water, allowing you to create beautiful washes and subtle tones for your line and wash artwork. With its perfectly sized bottle, it’s convenient for any artist.
Liquidraw 20 Colour Acrylic Ink Set
The Liquidraw Acrylic Ink Set offers 20 vibrant colours, each in a 35ml bottle, perfect for artists like you. These inks are waterproof once dry, ensuring your artwork remains intact and vibrant over time. They are also fadeproof and permanent, allowing you to create lasting pieces without worrying about colour deterioration. The specially formulated pigmented inks have a high viscosity, providing excellent coverage and flow, making them suitable for various surfaces such as paper, canvas, and fabric.
Royal Talens North America Drawing Ink Black
The Talens Drawing Ink is a professional-grade waterproof ink that is perfect for use with technical drawing pens and airbrushes. You will appreciate its ability to adhere to various surfaces, including paper, cardboard, and film, allowing you to explore different artistic mediums. The large 490ml package ensures you have plenty of ink for your projects, meaning fewer interruptions while you work. Additionally, it conforms to ASTM D 4236 standards, giving you peace of mind regarding its safety and quality.
Winsor & Newton 30 ml Gold Drawing Ink
The Winsor & Newton Gold Ink is a versatile drawing ink that can be applied using a brush, dip pen, or airbrush, giving you the freedom to explore various artistic techniques. It dries quickly, allowing you to layer your work without long waiting times. Its high adhesion means it works well on most surfaces, making it a reliable choice for different projects. Additionally, the ink is fully intermixable, enabling you to create custom shades and tones to suit your creative vision.
Daler-Rowney Black Kandahar Drawing Ink 28ml
Daler-Rowney's Kandahar Drawing Ink offers a rich black pigment that is perfect for both professional artists and students. Its excellent flow ensures smooth application, making it easy for you to create intricate illustrations. The ink is also water-resistant, so your work remains intact even when exposed to moisture. With outstanding lightfastness and permanence, you can trust that your creations will stand the test of time. This ink is particularly well-suited for mixed media techniques, allowing you to combine it beautifully with watercolour.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. What is drawing ink used for?
Drawing Ink is best used on paper and illustration board, but can also be used on most types of acetate, which can make it useful for animators and illustrators.
2. What are art inks?
Ink is an ancient writing and drawing medium in liquid or paste form, traditionally black or brown in colour – though it can also contain coloured dyes or pigments.
3. Is drawing ink permanent?
Drawings Inks are made from dyes and are very bright and transparent, but most of them fade over time. They are not lightfast (the lightfastness of a colour is how permanent it is or how unaffected by light it is).
4. Can you mix drawing ink with water?
The most common formula is mixing 2 parts ink to 1 part distilled water. Calligraphers using cartridge pens achieve this by injecting the little calligraphy ink cartridge with a carefully measured squirt of distilled water.
During our drawing ink research, we found 140 drawing ink products and shortlisted 10 quality products. We collected and analyzed 54,478 customer reviews through our big data system to write the drawing inks list. We found that most customers choose drawing inks with an average price of £13.04.
The drawing inks are available for purchase. We have researched hundreds of brands and picked the top brands of drawing inks, including Liquidraw, Winsor & Newton, Artway, Graff-City, ROYAL TALENS NORTH AMERICA.

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