Artistic ink for drawing is a special paint that is made from soot. It is available in three versions: liquid, concentrated, dry. Also, sometimes you can find a color version of the mascara, but most often the paint is black. Mascara of high quality is distinguished by a dense, saturated black color.
The main properties of mascara
Artistic mascara has two properties, without which we cannot talk about the high quality of paint. First of all, it is indelibility. You can check this property as follows: take a piece of paper for sketching, it should be quite thick. Then draw a few lines of different thicknesses, wait until the paint dries. Now you should place the leaf in an inclined position under a stream of water for a minute. If the mascara is indelible, then it will not leak. The next property is alcohol resistance, due to which the contaminated areas are degreased before staining. In this case, the pattern previously fixed with mascara is not violated.
Where and how to apply
To date, the use of artistic mascara for drawing is most often found in the field of creating comics and cartoons. It is worth noting that the drawings, in the creation of which carbon black is used, are particularly lightfast. The explanation is simple: the main component of artistic ink for drawing is soot, and it is chemically inert. In order to create ink drawings, use a brush or pen, in the graphic technique dry brush is preferred. Another feature that is inherent mainly in ink drawings is the line style of execution. Ink drawing is not an easy task, because the pen is very sensitive and easily changes the thickness of the line. It is important to monitor each of your movements and think through each stroke two steps forward.
Interesting Facts
Even before the mid-nineteenth century, artists most often used ordinary goose feathers, and after some time a metal feather was densely settled in the creative world. He was given preference, at least because with its use you can get a thin and perfectly even line. If you move to the East of those times, then in those parts the reed feather was widely used. However, a pen is not the only tool with which you can draw with ink. Also in widespread use are brushes of various shapes, sizes and materials, as well as tampons. Moreover, it can be noted that much depends not only on the instrument, each artist has his own method of working with ink. Take, for example, Rembrandt, who painted not only with a pen, but also with various brushes, slivers, sticks, and so on.
Ink Painting Methods
Among modern artists, you can find such a way as the use of an ordinary match, which is sharpened in such a way that it becomes like a spatula. For convenience, a match is inserted into a collet pencil. Thanks to this technique, a fairly lively velvet line is obtained. The thickness of strokes is also conveniently adjusted: depending on the angle at which the line is drawn, it can be thick, or maybe scalpel-thin, to draw details. It is also worth noting that due to properties such as light fastness and water resistance, artistic ink is widely used to make notes in important documents. For example, a passport, diploma, military ID and so on.
How else can I use mascara?
Drawing is not the only purpose of mascara. Consider some of the options for using paint in addition to artistic skill:
- In the culture of Japan, there is a national New Year’s game called the Hanetsuki. According to the rules, it is very similar to badminton, but instead of round rackets, rectangular and wooden are used. The task for the players is simple - you need to make sure that the shuttlecock remains in the air for as long as possible. But to that unlucky person who will not be able to keep him, make a mark on the face with mascara.
- Another purpose of the mascara is tattoos, which are usually performed at home. Ink, which is applied to the skin with mascara, is injected with a sharp needle, usually a sewing needle.
- Another interesting area of use of mascara is microbiology. Paint is used to form a negative stain. Mascara darkens the background, and observing the bacteria becomes much easier, since they have a light shade.
Unusual ways to use art waterproof mascara are enough. She is a helpful assistant in many areas. The most important question, how to draw with artistic ink, is considered rather complicated. The main technique used is strokes.
Mascara application history
The first mention of this kind of paint can be found in the earliest treatises on art. There they talk about black carcass from soot, which was actively made in ancient Egypt and China. It was used to fill with color the surfaces carved on the stone of hieroglyphs. Such mascara was based on coal. Adhesives such as oils mixed with gelatin were added to it. According to the legends, one Chinese philosopher gave art mascara to the world around 1200 BC.
Black mascara was especially actively used in ancient Rome, despite the fact that the Romans at that time knew the recipe for making purple paint. However, obtaining purple is a long and difficult process, therefore it was used only at the court to write important government documents. For purpura it was necessary to process a huge number of mollusks, so the paint was banned for use outside the imperial court. The next important stage in the history of the development of artistic carcass can be considered the 11th century, when the patriarch of the Church of Jerusalem in his works on the colors and arts of the Romans described some methods of making carcasses. The simplest of them was to get the mascara from soot, which is formed during the burning of wood. Moreover, the shade of the carcass depended on the breed used to burn the tree.
What now?
Until recently, the best black mascara was considered to be made from soot formed from burning grape seeds. In ancient times, paint components did not always include adhesive components. In carcasses created according to old recipes, carbon molecules are in a colloidal relationship with vinegar. Most often, shellac is used as a link in the paint. Shelf life of an art carcass is about a year, usually no more. After this time, the paint begins to deteriorate and even emit an unpleasant odor. At the moment, in the visual arts color artistic mascara is increasingly being used.