walnuts are not just for eating...

...they're for inking, too!

some goodies came in today from a good friend who shopped online with me. (yay!) there's a couple of inks,

and a few nibs to try out and play with.

i'm usually more excited about nibs, but today, i was most curious about the walnut ink. probably because it's my first time to try ink that wasn't liquid yet. it's in crystal form that should be dissolved in water. i guess the 'play' factor there is the plus.  

so as soon i had the time, i went for the kitchen for some warm water which is supposed to help dissolve the crystals faster.

then, i measured out a couple of teaspoons... (i later adjusted it to 2.5 tsps. you can add more to make it darker or dilute it for lighter washes, dyeing and antiquing paper and even fabric)

and dumped it in the warm water...

a few minutes later, voila... 

it smells kinda nice too. like the bark of a tree. (if you like that sort of thing, like me)

i first became interested in it because of the ruling pen i was trying to learn to use. practicing with it uses up a lot of ink (and paper!) since the letters are so big. i needed cheap ink that i wouldn't feel guilty wasting, especially since my letters aren't something to be proud about yet.

so i tried a few scribbles with it... i love how it looks! it feels very organic (duh! it IS organic!) and old world-ish. just right up my alley. 

i liked the way it flows smoothly from the nib. also, it FEELS like a single dip goes a long way (i have yet to test that against other inks). it's a nice transparent warm brown color and i'm digging the way there seems to be outlines at the sides of the letters. 

i put it in a nice container i recycled from sesame seed salad dressing that perfectly fits 1 cup of the ink solution. 

best thing about it is that it looks like that 4 oz package ($7.20 at Paper & Ink Arts) will go a long, long way. the only downside i can see to it is that while this ink is said to be pretty light-fast and is acid-free, it is NOT waterproof. that may be a deal-breaker for calligraphers who want the permanence of waterproof inks.

but for calligraphy practice and even for drawing/sketching, it is pretty much the least expensive ink that's hard to beat for practicality.