"inks what to do with them?" Topic

Hello
just bought on ebay , together with a full box of more than 50 Plaka acrylics, this box of pelikan inks..
i know miniature painters use them for washing ..and, in the past, i tried it with sepia for horses ad black for white uniforms…but with all those colours (violet, red, green) which could be their use?..there also up to 3 "white" bottles wich i nver imagined could exist..i prefer speed painting on wargame 20mm to 28mm minis plus vehicles..any suggestions?
thanks

Most of the inks miniature painters use are pigment based acrylic resin inks. I'm pretty sure what you have are dye based. I've no idea what the carrier is, it could be shellac?

Some years ago I was at a convention and picked up a card with Shade & Highlight info. Unfortunately, it is torn and I do not have the bottom half. Most of the info is still readable:

Key: Base Color – (Paint Wash) or [Ink Wash] – Highlight

White – (Grey or Lt. Blue) or [Diluted Dk. Blue] – White

Black – (none) or [none] – Dark Grey

Red – (Red/Brown) or [Dk. Brown] – Red/Yellow

Yellow – (Yellow/Brown) or [Dk. Brown] – Yellow/White

Blue – (Blue/Black) or [Dk. Blue] – Blue/White

Orange – (Orange/Brown) or [Dk. Brown] – Orange/Yellow

Green – (Green/Black) or [Dk. Green] – Green/Yellow

Purple – (Purple/Black) or [Purple] – Purple/White

Grey – (Black) or [Black] – Grey/White

A tip of the hat to whomever printed this and my apologies for not remembering who you are.

I've had good results applying ink over a white base coat for a translucent silk like effect.

Because the ink settles into low spots, you really don't need to add a wash or drybrush to it.

The green, the blue and the brown staff on this wizard were done this way.

thanks guy for the suggestions…i'm beginning to understand somethings now..
zoneofcontrol…very kind from you let us share your useful infos ..i'll rewrite it in a table format and have a try
bekosh..the result seem nice--so you suggest to juts use inks over white priming and let's the colour of the ink making the spread over the part of the figure?..that's will save some time …i imagine, as you mention "translucent" effect..i should have a try at zulus skins and horses…
thanks again

Inks can be tough to work with – especially for painters not use to using them. Here are the drawbacks I ran into over the years…

1) Blotchy – if you're not careful, the end result can be very blotchy.

2) Very dark in creases.

3) Overly shiny.

I've found that if you cut the inks with thinning agent they can work very well as washes and glazes.

I do know people that paint with inks and have amazing results. I'm just not one of those people.

In the end, I suggest experimenting with them. Use them straight out of the bottle, cut them with a thinning agent, etc. and see what works best for you.

It's your figures and your hobby – enjoy!!

ITAL- That's right. White primer or base coat then brush the ink on, letting it flow into the creases.