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Author: Kym Moore
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Can you imagine the frustration of writing down an important message or telephone number then suddenly having your pen run out of ink! You scratch zigzag lines on the paper to see if the ink will start to flow again, but only discover rippling indentations with no indication of ink anywhere. So it’s off to the waste basket your pen goes, unless it’s refillable.
Chinese Philosopher, Tien-Lcheu invented Indian ink around 2697 B.C. This ink contained a mixture of lamp oil, soot from pine smoke and gelatin found in animal skins and musk. They used this ink for blackening the elevated surfaces of pictures and texts carved in stone. Man attempted to keep historical records through drawings, hieroglyphics and alphabets. As writing advanced through the evolution of paper and pen, creativity was taken to a new and exciting level.
There are 3 main categories of ingredients for ink:
1. Pigment – formulated when substances are blended together in specific amounts that create a desired color.
2. Vehicle – The substance that carries the pigment and binds it to the pointed surface.
3. Modifiers/Additives – change the properties of the ink so that it can be used properly for different types of printing and applications.
Due to the diversity of printing, these ingredients will require mixing different percentages to fulfill their design purposes.
Other cultures developed ink from available plants, berries and minerals. Many of these inks came in several colors that had ritual meaning connected to each other:
? Green: Vitality, newness and prosperity
? Blue: Revelation
? Purple: Royalty
? Crimson/Scarlet: Blood and human life
Additional color interpretations came during the Christian era:
? White: Light
? Red: Love and fire
? Green: Life and hope
? Violet: Sorrow
? Black: Destruction and death
If you think that you are unaffected by the daily use of ink, think again. Without its existence, the following things would be literally impossible:
? Reading a newspaper, book or magazine
? Reading the directions before taking medication
? Reading instructions on how to operate something
? Using the printer of your computer
? Receiving a fax
? Any form of writing
? Proof of credit or debit card receipts
? Proof of purchase receipts
? Receiving a paycheck
? Getting copies of warranties
? Observing traffic signs
Paper can exist in solidarity and be able to tell a non-verbal story (ie. Origami, Paper Mach?, Decoupage). Ink adds color for defining embossed work, printing or painting a portrait (ie. Japanese ink drawings). But, a pen standing alone is just a collectible object. All of the mechanical parts are worthless if they can’t prove their functionality. That proof lies behind the assistance of ink or writing fluids. When ink marries the pen with paper, a musical composition is created, a novel can be written or historical events are documented. With the combined three fold contributions of ink, pen and paper, creative possibilities are unlimited!
Kym Gordon Moore is a public relations strategist for budget conscious new authors and coordinates creative marketing packages for her clients. She is fascinated with writing instruments, machines and other noteworthy objects that contributed to the progression of the art of writing. Many of her articles, essays, short stories and poems appeared in a variety of magazines, newspapers, ezines and anthologies. http://www.kymgmoore.com