What's the difference between a solid inkstick and your liquid ink products?

Ink ground fresh on the inkstone lets you vary the concentration and texture as you work, producing the tonal depth that gives brushwork its dimensionality, while bottled ink tends toward a flatter, more consistent black — well suited to practice, but offering less room for the subtle variation many artists look for in finished pieces.

Grinding is also considered part of the discipline itself: many describe the slow, repetitive process as a way to settle the mind before the brush meets paper.

Many practitioners use both — solid inksticks for focused practice or finished work, and liquid ink for everyday convenience or larger volumes.