I was lied to. A worker at Blicks destroyed my Olivander's Wand Shop moment told me I was buying a real sable hair brush. When I did more research post-purchase, the 4 Utrecht 325r Sablette I've been using is actually synthetic. The brush I should be using and will order off Amazon is a Winsor & Newton Series 7.
Inking your illustrations is a form of wizardry. There is no one correct way to do it, but whatever works best for my mental capacity. The all-time classic cartoonist captures elegant work with a sable hair brush that synthetic brushes, markers, pens, or digital can't achieve. The masters have decades of experience developing a muscle memory I do not yet have. I find the painterly feeling more magical and exciting than other techniques. The problem for me is brushwork takes more time to set up and mess clean/prevent. If you spill it on the carpet, it won't come out, so ink it carefully. As an at-home parent, the other options are more practical.
Flipping through a sketchbook and seeing ink so shiny it looks like it may still be wet is a satisfaction you get using Yasutomo Sumi Black Ink. I picked it up for about five bucks at an art supply store, and after using a few others, this is the one.
I will still suggest using Micron 005 - 02 pens for fine lines and Posca markers for filling larger areas of black. Microns and Posca usually match up in hue for me, whereas Sharpies won't give you consistency if that's what you're looking for.
INK:
-Yasutomo Sumi Ink (Black)
Brush -
-4 Utrecht 325r Sablette (*Synthetic)
-Winsor & Newton Series 7 Kolinsky Sable Brush
Hope someone finds this post useful.
Your Homie,
