00:00Okay, so if you've ever tried getting into Chinese calligraphy, you know the struggle,
00:04you buy some random ink online, it dries weirdly, it smells like a chemistry lab,
00:08and your brush turns into a crusty little twig after 2 sessions.
00:12I went down a serious rabbit hole this month testing sumi ink and brushes,
00:16and I found 5 that are genuinely good and genuinely cheap.
00:19Let's get into it.
00:22Starting off with Marie's Golden Sumi Ink.
00:25This is kind of the gateway ink almost 5,000 people have bought it and it's sitting at a
00:294.8 rating, which tells you something. What I like is the high-capacity bottles,
00:34you can grab the 500-gram size and honestly it'll last you months of daily practice.
00:39The flow is smooth, it's rich and dark without being gluey, and it doesn't bleed like crazy on
00:44rice paper. And at $6.91? That's less than a coffee and a pastry. If you're a beginner or you
00:53just
00:53practice a lot and burn through ink, start here. Next up is this 50, 100, or 250-milliliter
01:00professional sumi liquid ink, and this one's my personal sleeper pick. It's got a 4.9 rating from
01:06over 4,000 buyers, and the smaller bottles are actually a huge plus if you're only painting on
01:11weekends, a giant tub of ink is just going to sit there and thicken up. This stuff stays consistent,
01:17it layers beautifully when you want those soft gray washes, and the black is properly deep.
01:23$4.36. That's the cheapest thing on this list and it might be the best value of all five.
01:30Now let's talk brushes, because ink is only half the equation.
01:34This three-piece Chinese calligraphy brush set has a perfect 5-star rating,
01:38which almost never happens, and it's easy to see why. You get three different sizes with real
01:43wool hair bristles so you've got your fine detail brush, your mid-range, and a bigger one for broad
01:48strokes and washes. The tips hold a really nice point, they snap back instead of splaying out,
01:54and they work for watercolor too, not just ink. $12.89 for all three.
02:00Buying these individually at an art store would easily run you double.
02:04Then there's Yidage, and if you know anything about Chinese ink, you know that name.
02:09This is the professional, refined stuff, it's what a lot of actual calligraphy teachers use.
02:15The pigment is finer, so you get this really deep, almost velvety black that doesn't go dull or gray
02:20when it dries. It also has a much more pleasant traditional scent instead of that harsh chemical
02:25smell. It's $12.05, which is the priciest ink here, but it comes in 100, 250, and 500 gram sizes,
02:34and if you're framing your work or giving it as a gift, this is the one you want.
02:39And rounding it out, this professional Sumi liquid ink in 100, 200, or 500 milliliters.
02:464.7 stars, nearly 4,000 sold. This one's a solid all-rounder, good opacity, doesn't feather much,
02:53and the 500 milliliter bottle at $5.15 is honestly kind of a ridiculous amount of ink for the money.
03:00I'd say this is the one to grab if you're teaching a class, practicing every single day,
03:04or you just want a backup bottle sitting in the drawer so you never run dry mid-stroke.
03:09All the links are down in the description, and I checked them today so the prices should still be
03:14good. If this helped you out, hit that like button and subscribe I've got more art supply
03:19deep dives coming.
03:21Thanks for watching, and go make something!
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