If you buy Dr PH Martin’s Bleedproof White ink for the first time and panic when you open it, you’re not alone. You open your ink expecting it to be, well, inky, and instead you find it looks like it’s set in the jar. You worry you’ve bought a dud and that you can’t use it. Don’t panic though, gently touch the top of the ink (have a tissue to hand!) and you’ll see it’s most definitely useable, it just needs a little prep before you begin.
There are two ways to mix your ink ready to use. Some calligraphers decant a little of the ‘set’ ink into a smaller pot, or alternatively you can add a dribble of water straight into the main jar (I do the latter, lazy I know but my ink is none the worse for my cavalier treatment of it!) Now by a dribble of water, I mean about 1-2ml; simply add the water and stir to thin the white ink to a more workable consistency. If you mix your ink with water in the the main jar, only stir in the top part of the ink, probably dipping your stirring tool no more than about 20% down so only the top part of the ink becomes the right consistency. Another lazy tip: I use the handle of a teaspoon to stir my ink. It comes off metal really quickly with a damp cloth/paper towel.
The trick then is getting the consistency right, and depending on the thickness of the ink, you may find you need to add a tiny bit more water (abut 1ml) at a time until you reach the right thickness. It’s very much like Goldilocks, your ink doesn’t want to be too thick, but it doesn’t want to be too thin…it wants to be just right. I would recommend having a scrap piece of (ideally coloured) paper so you can test it out. If you use white paper, you’ll be holding it up to the light to check. When you are using Bleedproof White initially, you’ll find it far easier to test on coloured paper.
In case you’re more visual, and want to see how it’s done, I’ve made an accompanying video tutorial to go with this post, and I’d recommend watching it to see how I thin my own Bleedproof White ink. It’s less than 5 minutes long.
When it is just right, it will still be thicker than some calligraphy inks you use. It will be noticeably thicker than, say, Tom’s Studio, Winsor and Newton or Higgins Eternal; probably more comparable with Coliro ink. It will become clear when you write with it – if still a little gloopy or noticeably thick, you will know you need another ml of water. The perfect consistency will give you a slightly raised ink on the page, but the key will be being able to achieve a very thin up stroke. If it’s feather-light, you’ve got it! When it’s the right consistency, it moves like magic on the page and you will most definitely know you’ve achieved perfection!
So although it’s not an ink you can just open and use immediately, it is one of the most beautiful inks I use, and well worth a minute or two preparing it. It looks beautiful on red cardstock for both Christmas or valentines day and you definitely need to use it on pastel cardstock for spring/Easter calligraphy projects.
Have you used Bleedproof White? What do you think?