Ink and pen painting is a fun but demanding technique. If you haven't painted before, you may want to start with another media, as one of the most difficult aspects of working with ink on paper is that you cannot correct mistakes. This makes the medium spontaneous and fresh, but also means preparation and practice are keys to good results.
Materials
Start with prepared inks, such as those commonly available at art supply stores. In sumi-e painting, a traditional Japanese style, the artist would create inks from ink sticks and water. Use reed pens and round brushes to apply the ink to the paper. Rice paper is ideal for absorption; heavier papers can be more cumbersome to use. Keep a small container of water nearby to dilute ink and clean brushes.
Techniques
Using the pen dipped into the ink, you can draw with shorter strokes, such as hatches (short, quickly drawn lines) or stipples (dots). These techniques are useful for shading areas or creating different textures in the drawing. As the pen often has less pull than a brush (meaning you can draw longer lines with the brush as it holds more ink) you can sketch out areas with the brush and fill in shadows with the pen. Cross-hatching (using hatches in opposite diagonal direction) is another traditional technique for building up darker areas. Create complex areas, such as dense foliage, by combining short lines with stipples. Brushes are better for curves than reed pens. Use the brush dipped lightly in the ink for sweeping strokes. Keep in mind that since you can't go back and correct your painting, but only add to it, plan ahead and concentrate as you work. This is one of the meditative aspects of working with ink on paper. Use different levels of pressure on the brush as you apply the stroke to create variations in the width of the line. You can turn the brush to the side to cover larger areas. As the medium is very sensitive, changing the speed of the stroke or the pressure gives a lot of expressive control. Ink is customarily used for calligraphy as well, where much of the meaning comes as much from how the characters are made and their liveliness as from the character's meaning.
