Review: SketchINK by Rohrer & Klingner

Let's see if SketchINK waterproof fountain pen ink from Rohrer & Klingner is any good for drawing and painting over with watercolour.
Rohrer & Klingner
www.rohrer-klingner.de
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[@KimberlyCrick]

I use SketchINK in all of my watercolor paintings, it has made my art life so much easier. I like to put them in my rotring isograph technical pens. I mix any color I want for my project because they offer really nice mixing colors - magenta (vroni) yellow (carmen) and phthalo blue (marlene) and the black (lotte) is so nice to darken them too. I was really happy with the broad range of colors I was able to mix with those 4 bottles :)

[@OleElfers]

You can use the sketchINK with markers (i used copics) without any problems. And they do not react with watercolor fixatives (at least with the one Schmincke offers). I haven't time to test out the granulation spray but I'm quite sure that the ink will be fine. Rohrer & Klinger offers also ink misers for their ink bottles (called: erka rapid). And the cleaning solution (Rohrer & Klinger Reiniger) is worthy to check out.

[@lukaszpokoju]

_"You can use the sketchINK with markers (i used copics) without any problems"_ *NO YOU CAN'T* Or at least not on every paper.I would be curious to know what paper you used. I've bought a bottle partly relying on your comment and ended up realizing that R&K SketchINK indeed smears with Copic markers (I used R&K SketchINK Lotte in combination with Tomoe River 52 g/m², basic printer paper 90 g/m² and Canson mix Media 200 g/m²). Although the smearing effect was pretty faint on thin lines, the result was dire with the filled parts of my drawings. I don't want to sound offensive, but I feel the necessity to warn people who'd consider buying this ink for this intended purpose, to be aware of this caveat. As for the waterproof effect I have to admit, it has been 100 %reliable for me.

[@OleElfers]

@@lukaszpokoju Hi, i'm sorry to hear about your bad experiences. Did you wait long enough for the ink to dry properly? I wait at leat 1 hour (or let it dry over night) before i apply any color. I use 250 gsm bristol paper by LANA for ink/ marker illustration and 300 gsm Fabriano Artistico (HP) for my ink/ watercolor work. - Tomoe River is made for writing as i remember correctly. - Canson XL is a quite bad paper in my opinion (i mean it gets the job done but it haven't really anything to offer except of its low cost). - Copy paper... Don't get me wrong, but DON'T use it for (fine-)art! I use it only for rough sketches. My advise: Don't skip on paper. Buy the best you can afford. The best paint or ink can look ugly on low quality paper.

[@lukaszpokoju]

@@OleElfers Hello, thanks for taking the time to respond. Indeed I've tried after a day to let it dry, but still, it smears with Copic. I tried with the colorless blender and a E51 Copic sketch. I tried also with Hahnemühle Watercolor 325 g/m² and Moleskine Watercolor 200 g/m² and it failed in a similar fashion. There's one exception though, it was with a cheap printer paper which was very absorbent, the ink spread a lot , and with this one I had nearly barely no smearing. I would agree that not all those paper were high-quality paper, indeed Tomoe River Is meant for writing. And of course I agree that for a watercolor purpose high g/m² paper are recommended. But overall R&K SketchINK Lotte failed the Copic test for nearly every paper I tried. That aside I don't regret buying it anyway Because it is perfect for watercolors.

[@antonia5682]

Thank you for letting me know about this! I've ordered two bottles - a black (Lotte), and a blue/grey (Frieda). I'm just getting back into watercolour and ink sketching and this is exactly what I've been looking for. I've used Rohrer and Klingner's normal fountain pen ink quite a bit and found it to be excellent, so I'm not surprised (but still happy) that they've delivered the goods with this waterproof ink! Thanks for the great review!

[@koriloaf7835]

I have the R+K color Emma in my Twsbi Eco pen with broad nib, which provides lovely shading. It never dries out on me even when I forget to write with it for weeks; I find it to be a wonderful combination. I have Lotte as well, but now I want to try Thea! Out of all the ink I have tried for fountain pens, R+K is my favorite for painting with watercolor :) happy to see it on your channel!

[@leahevergreenart]

Thank you for posting your review. Love to see that this actually is waterproof. I've been looking for a long time to find ink that is waterproof and not black.

[@geckonia]

Looks like you found a winner. I like the shading 👍🏼

[@gavinburkhardt2402]

i was looking into this ink literally as i see this video! thank you for your review!

[@ifoundthisthing7954]

Adorable colour, thank you for giving it a thorough ‘ test drive’ 😊

[@zigaar]

Love your videos, you are very talented, I love your drawing style and your videos are always a pleasure to look at! I just received the lily which is a lighter grey from the same line of product yesterday. I'm glad to see how good it behaves with watercolor over it. Looking forward to trying that out. Thanks for the review!

[@higherground711]

Nice ink. Waterproof and comes in a variety of colors. I've seen it around. Thanks for reviewing it Teoh. 👍 😃

[@lorischwichtenberg9088]

So glad you had affiliate links to Amazon! Thanks, Teoh!!!

[@anam00090]

Love SketchINK, enjoyed the review. I have "Emma", which is a muted Sap Green tone and love it for both sketching and writing. But it does dry out from the fountain pen if not used for a couple of weeks. Even more so than other inks I own. Other than that it's perfectly waterproof and I love the hue. Very reliable brand of ink.

[@denisapetras1]

So then you need to wash them all the time? How to avoid drying the pen?

[@anam00090]

@@denisapetras1 I can't avoid it. You just have to use it frequently for it to not dry on you. If you have it lying around it will evaporate and it goes to waste. I just end up using dip pens with this ink or fill a converter halfway just enough to use for drawing. Even though I love the shade I just don't find myself reaching for it as often anymore.

[@anam00090]

@@denisapetras1 but if you intend to use it extensively I doubt there would be a problem. I just have a habit of having multiple pens filled with different hues and I switch them out during drawing/painting, so inevitably some colors get less usage. If you use it actively, should be fine.

[@JestemGlonojadem]

Thank you for this review and all of your other helpful videos! You convinced me to grab a bottle or two. This ink seems to have phenomenal performance, it's also super affordable in my country. A perfect alternative for Platinum Carbon Ink, which is very pricey. Cheers!

[@Emil_m]

I like how you compare things in your videos that I’m trying to research :) I’d like to get into fountain pens and brushes, really love the concept of having a brush + paint together. Thanks for your awesome videos, really appreciate it!

[@elizabethpopiel7187]

CAN'T wait to try this ink!!! Wonderful!

[@cindyhorton6980]

Great! Another ink that is waterproof!! Thank you!

[@jaimecoslada2]

Yo la compré hoy y el primer uso ha sido muy satisfactorio. Gracias por éste video y ayudar a elegir. 😊

[@gostowl]

What a coincidence! My order of Rohrer and Klinger's blue came in the other day. Good to know that SketchINK is waterproof as stated.

[@japakidiaries533]

Teoh, anything I search for on youtube, you have a review on it!! Thank you so much.

[@teohyc]

Thanks 😂

[@J.Dibble]

It looks like it has red undertones. (Versus blue or yellow.) Good to know. As always, great review. 😊👍

[@rashone2879]

Nice ink! I'm always happy to discover waterproof pen inks. I have a number of very pretty Noodler's ink colors, but they are not waterproof. The SketchINK color looks great with the Lexington Grey which, being cool, gives some depth when the two are side by side.Thanks for another informative review!

[@teohyc]

Not all Noodler's inks are waterproof

[@ghostie7790]

Damn! I haven’t used ink and pen for years! I usually use ball point pens. But this is making me want to buy it right now!!

[@Lethersee]

Thank you for your thorough review.

[@snoozleblob]

I have a sample of Frieda from the SketchINK line that I love. The muted blue-black colour is great. Really liking the range of shade you can get from Thea though. Might have to pick it up too. Also I've read that this line is great for mixing colours to use in fountain pens that end up waterproof too! So you can get custom waterproof colours!

[@leahevergreenart]

I just came across the Frieda colour and thought I had to have it. Looks like it could be great for line work when you don't want it to be too dark.

[@lynn_thinks]

This is lovely, Teoh! I’d call it a sepia tone (ha! You just said ‘sepia’). I’ll have to check it out!

[@equesdeventusoccasus]

If you are left handed fast drying ink is a must.

[@dellalindseyart8076]

I really enjoy your reviews! In case you are looking for more colors, I just found and ordered Lilly, Thea and Lottie on JetPens for $12 US dollars each. They show all colors in stock.

[@teohyc]

Cool. Have fun drawing or writing with them :-)

[@leanneland]

I recently bought this brand of ink in the colour 'Lotte' and I love it! It dries really quickly on my watercolour paper, where I find the Noodler's Black bulletproof ink takes longer to set. I had one instance where I thought the ink had dried in my pen but it was just empty - oops. I really like it though. I use it in my Lamy Safari.

[@pbasswil]

I saw a review of Lotte (black); the samples didn't look very dark in value. Is it more like a dark grey? R&K have another line of foun.pen-safe waterproof inks, Dokumentus, but I can't find them for sale in Canada. At any rate, the Dok. black (Schwartz) doesn't look super deep in value, either. :^/

[@leanneland]

@@pbasswil I've been using it in a Pentalic 100% cotton watercolour journal and the ink comes out a true black (not grey). It dries a little bit lighter but it's still black. I'm pretty happy with it. I have my art posted on Instagram (LeanneLand Art) if you wanted to see some of my watercolour entries to see what it looks like, I've been using the ink for about a month now. I'm in Canada too and I haven't seen anywhere that sells Rohrer & Klingner so I bought mine off Amazon. I'd be curious to try the Dokumentus ink as well! Hope this helps. :)

[@krlosz1996]

The color is like a very neutralized purple, pretty interesting!

[@baumzger]

The sketches on the ink bottle look like the work of Felix Scheinberger

[@seraphim7416]

i bought Thea just becos of its name. Had fill it in Pilot Metropolitan. find that need to shake pen gently abit before use. think i should use it with glass pen. :)

[@vincenzonaso5341]

I really like this ink, its color is so complex

[@afroditim.421]

I love really this one, I will throw away everything else. Black is black, waterproof is waterproof, flow is flow. Excellent.

[@carloslehmann1]

Love it! But whats is the size of the paper? 100gr ?300gr ?

[@robl9767]

I'm back muuuhahahaha!! Love ya Teoh!!

[@EstacionPapalote]

Hello. Got this ink and i am very happy.

[@EdahaniWanYahya]

Would you say this ink is more on a drier side or wetter? I bought De Atramentis Document Ink but it feels too wet on all my pens, even on my Pilot Metro F nib which is usually dry and slightly scratchy.

[@agi5282]

Hi, do you think I can refill my Pentel Brush Pen using this sketchINK? Thank you in advance for answer.

[@piotrmadry3088]

Hi Teoh, thank you for suggesting that this ink is really waterproof. I have two types of waterproof ink made in the USA - Noodler's Black and Monteverde Black Documental. Both inks are not suitable for sketching with watercolor. I now use R&K Lilly. It is 100% waterproof :-)) and works perfectly with the fountain pen. I will definitely buy R&K "Thea" and "Lotte". Thanks!

[@greyareaRK1]

Good news. Thanks!

[@WendiWells]

Would this SketchInk be good to fill a waterbrush?

[@Donna_G]

I don't have that ink; but, will consider adding it to my collection of inks. How would it work on cold press watercolor paper? Most inks work pretty good on hot press and other smooth surfaces; but, I use primarily cold press paper.

[@teohyc]

It works alright on coldpress paper. The pen matters more.

[@sathiamoorthy9529]

Nice tutorial

[@giorgianicolardi8516]

Hi Theo! I'm kind of making a review-crossover comment...! XD I recently bought my first fountain pen...I wanted it to be decent but cheap because I'm not used to it and I didn't want to risk clogging a brand new expensive pen. Your Moonman M2 eyedropper pen review helped me choose my beginner fountain pen, and I heard of these SketchINK so I ordered two of them (Marlene, which is kind of a pthalo blue and Frieda, a super interesting grey-blue). I like drawing with this pen and the inks are nice, really waterproof and dry super fast. The only thing I think it's strange is that the moonman m2-sketchink combo (which is the only combo I've ever tried) feels a little dry in terms of inkflow, it's not juicy when I draw. I can't say if it's the pen or the sketchink. Would you try to use the sketchink inside the moonman m2, please? Thank you :) Giorgia

[@teohyc]

There should be no problem using SketchINK in the moonman pen.

[@Airbugg]

Teoh, have you ever tried Rhodia paper pads? I'm just getting into it and they are marvelous with pencil & fountain pen! (Not sure about watercolor.) I would definitely recommend you review it. I have the #16 plain pad which is like an a5, but they have larger sizes...

[@teohyc]

Their paper is good for ink drawing but not for water or markers.

[@jciczgz]

Great review. I usually sketch with SketchINK Lotte (Black) and Lilly (Brown-Grey). The warm gray gives a great mood when sketching old buildings, specially paired with warm colors. I'd get the cool/bluish ink in the future. I saw you tested it in a Duke fountain pen. Does it flow well when it is not used for a few days? I tried these inks with different fountain pens, specially with Duke 209 because I want waterproof ink in a fude fountain pen for sketching, but after a week it seems to evaporate some of the ink in the converter, and the ink also dries in the nib, making it difficult to start flowing again (that bothers me when I'm sketching outdoors). Perhaps it is a fault of my Duke. I ended filling one Pilot Petit with each color, and they are always ready to sketch. It is surprising how these cheap fountain pens keep the ink flowing after being unused for months. The drawback is that I cannot get the line variation of a fude.

[@teohyc]

SketchINK does dry quite easily, even inside a well tighten fountain pen. Ink wouldn't flow at first try and will take a few tries.

[@nearzero1555]

It looks like Lotte is a darker black. I would be intereded to see a Platinum Carbon comparison to this ink.

[@pbasswil]

Yeah, but not _very_ black - nor very neutral in hue: www.mountainofink.com/blog/rohrer-and-klingner-lotte Plat.Carb is at least a dark, neutral black.

[@cometpty]

Looks great! I wonder if it can handle copic markers.

[@teohyc]

It's pigmented ink so no problem

[@heatblast22coc89]

Why it is not available in INDIA?

[@NeryNicolas]

I've just bought it so I'm glad to see that it was a good choice for waterproof ink. Have you tried Pelikan Drawing Ink, 518 Black Fount India?

[@teohyc]

Any inks with "india" or "indian" or "chinese" do not work well in fountain pens. Either the pigments are too big or they have shellac which will dry and clog the pen

[@piefjep9508]

I have all sketchink colours except black. The ink is good like you described, but I would not fill expensive fountain pens with is. I have used mainly Preppy pens. Advantage of the preppy pen is that you can take them apart and clean them properly. Without cleaning they do clog with this ink. My preppy extra fine is filled with Atramentis doc black and have never had any issues, it has never clogged and I very rarely clean that one.

[@volcanowb]

Hi Teoh, So is this still your go to sketch black or do you go back and forth with the Noodler's Black yet? Also, have you tried any other SketchINK, inks yet? take care!

[@teohyc]

I’ve only tried one colour from SketchINK. Works well so far.

[@volcanowb]

@@teohyc 👍

[@cindyhorton6980]

So you think it's safe for fountain pens, right?

[@teohyc]

It's made for fountain pens. But the pen should still be cleaned out if there's no intention to use it for long period of time

[@lurklingX]

The US link doesn’t seem to be correct. It doesn’t go to this ink bottle. The UK one does and so does canada.

[@teohyc]

Thanks for letting me know. Just updated the link amzn.to/2TbuD8G

[@hansendesigns]

So all sketchink colors are waterproof?

[@KimberlyCrick]

Yes they are :)

[@polygimik]

Is it okay to use this to refill brush pen cartridges? (pentel pocket brush or fude pen) Thanks in advance for your reply.

[@teohyc]

Not sure. You can try. The ink doesn’t create crusty ink particles around the cap so it may work

[@polygimik]

@@teohyc Thank you!

[@charlotte5877]

What's the difference between this and the r&k zeichentusche ink?

[@teohyc]

I’ve not tried that ink before

[@annnoyez]

The sketch ink can stay in the fountain pen? Or you have to clean the pen after use?

[@teohyc]

You can keep it in the pen if you use it often. If not using for days you should wash it out.

[@annnoyez]

@@teohyc thank you...

[@ruthwalton3457]

Oh no not another ink I want 😂😘 Thank you

[@johnellison1635]

Hello Teoh. Have you tried SketchINK in the Sailor FUDE pens at all? And if so, how did it perform? Cheers.

[@teohyc]

Works fine. This ink is quite safe for use in fountain pens. I just tested a Sailor pen that I've not used for a long time and the ink still flows well (probably due to fantastic sealing with the cap).

[@johnellison1635]

@@teohyc Thanks mate.

[@harkmay]

cool glass pen

[@bluehomeboi]

Hey I just watched your stillman and birn reviews and and I don't know which one I should pick I want to use it mostly for watercolor and pencil, but there are so many like alpha, beta, zeta etc I hope you can helpe me Ps: love your videos🙌🏻 you have a new subscriber

[@teohyc]

Beta is good. Get the one with thick textured paper

[@bluehomeboi]

@@teohyc thank you very much🙏🏻

[@ArmaniStar]

Where can you buy this in Singapore? :o

[@teohyc]

Fook Hing. Ground floor shop at Bras Basah Complex.

[@heatblast22coc89]

It is not available in INDIA.

[@agnesrambling]

I saw the title and said to myself I have the same ink. To be truthful, not very fond of the ink for fountain pen usage.

[@maxlamenace5744]

Just bought this, not waterproof on writing paper.

[@sdovas]

OK, so it's a semi-translucent waterproof ink. Looks very nice, actually, lovely shading, and the price IS favorable compared to the DeAtramentis document ink and the not-really-waterproof-depending-on-the-paper Noodler's Black. But it is apparently problematic in fountain pens, apparently, I mean if you're using it in a crow quill or with a glass oen why not just use good ol' reliable (& cheap) India Ink? Also I have to say that the naming convention is a colossal pain in the ass. Why cant they call black "black"???

[@PaulaBean]

I like that, a pen which drinks like a thirsty camel after a 200km trip through the desert.

[@heatblast22coc89]

😞