These Are the Best India Inks to Use for Drawing, Hand Lettering, and Calligraphy

For thousands of years, India ink has been used as an expressive medium for painting, drawing, lettering, and tattooing. This permanent ink is traditionally an opaque black—being made of lampblack, a pigment derived from soot—but you can now find it in a rainbow of colors. Modern formulas also often include shellac, which functions as a sealant so artists can safely paint washes over the ink, something that dye-based alcohol inks don’t allow. Whether you’re a calligrapher