Ink mixing question

[Karen Gray]

Hi all
I was just wondering what ration you guys that mix your own walnut ink from van dyck crystals like to use between water and crystals? I have had the crystals and a new oblique pen for a week or so now and I have been enjoying my new pen but not yet made up any ink (I wanted to get a better container to store the crystals after opening the bag) anyway I thought it best to ask about consistency as I'm a newbie with regard to pointed pen calligraphy but an uber-noob with regard to walnut ink!

Any help and guidance appreciated
Thanks all

[NikkiB]

I use 1 part crystals to 12 parts water 😊

[JohnNealBooks]

Hi Karen, here is the recipe we recommend:
1 teaspoon crystals to 1/2 cup warm water.  Wait about 30 minutes then mix again.  Add more crystals to darken the ink, if desired.

Cheers,
Michael

[AndyT]

My recipe for Vandyke crystals is 1g to 15ml water (1:15 by weight in other words).  The solution saturates at 1:13.

That makes quite a rich ink, but you can always add more water to taste. 

[Bianca M]

That's what I love about the crystals- the ability to bump up the intensity!  I start with the 1tsp to 1/2 cup that Michael (John Neal Books) recommended, but now go for around 1.5-2tsp depending on the paper I'm using.

[Karen Gray]

Thanks folks I want to use it in my summer brief for college (I've to do a homage to a colour) However... me being me I'm approaching this at an angle and writing what colour is and how we perceive it, like you would describe to someone who perhaps was blind. I also have decided to do a spectrum of colours with several example descriptions for each.

Like...
pink is the colour of my son's cheeks when he has a fever
black is the buffering blanket between you and the rest of the world when you just can't face life
green is the zing of mint in your tea
and such like...

I have a 100 page sketchbook I was given by college at the end of term so 100 lines, 100 pages and minimal illustration. As much as I like the black ink I borrowed I really love the look of walnut ink and I think it will give a much more organic look to the typography My lecturer did say ANY medium

I really appreciate the help folks

[Karen Gray]

Works perfectly thanks guys. I filled a jam jar (as I have no small containers to keep it in I thought I could just dispense as needed) Very pleased. The consistency is great and it flows much better from the pen than the india ink I have does. Happy Karen

[Elisabeth_M]

Have you heard of the Rainbow Meditation?  I came across it in a hypnobirthing class when I was pregnant with my daughter.   Your description of your project--describing color to a blind person and doing a spectrum--reminded me of the meditation and how I do it with my daughter (who is four).There are a hundred different ways to do the meditation, but when I use it with my daughter when she has a hard time going to sleep, I have her envision floating on a cloud for each color and I say things like, "the cloud is red like a strawberry," "it's green like the leaves on a tree in the summertime," or "it's purple like the sky just before it gets really dark."  It's a way to get her to really feel the colors and immerse herself in that feeling instead of the thoughts that are racing in her head that are keeping her from sleeping.

Also, have you heard of synesthesia?  It's when two sensory or cognitive signals in your brain become intertwined with each other.  In one version, each letter of the alphabet has a particular color associated with it and whenever you see that letter, you always see it in that color, no matter what color of ink used (or font color on a screen).  That would mean that instead of seeing this post typed in black letters, the whole thing would be colorful.  It's a pretty cool phenomenon, but I imagine it might become a bit overwhelming when faced with huge blocks of text.

(eta: fixed the link)

[AndyT]

Also, have you heard of synesthesia?

Interesting subject, well known to art historians.  There seems to have been something of an outbreak of synaesthesia in mid to late 19th century France, amongst the Impressionists and post-Impressionists; also in more louche literary circles.  If memory serves there has been some serious discussion about the role that prodigious consumption of absinthe had to play in all this - anyway, it seems to have been a real phenomenon whether or not it was linked to the popularity of psychoactive beverages.  For a thoroughly superficial but nonetheless interesting introduction to the subject, this article is worth a look.

[evjo]

have you heard of synesthesia?

I do not have synesthesia, but I have something similar.  For me, each number between 0 and 100 is associated with a point on a meandering helix.  The shape of the helix has never altered.  Whenever I think of a number I automatically see it in this 3 dimensional space.  In general, I have a spacially oriented brain.  In order to remember things, I usually have to have an awareness of where it is.  When I meet someone, I usually ask where they live or where they are from; without that information, I have a hard time remembering them.

Ok, your normal topic (ink mixing) can now resume.

[Karen Gray]

Weirdly my first thought when you guys mentioned this was "You know there is a magazine for that" My friend had some of his hand penned maps published with an article about him there. Random facts. Anyways, I was reading up on it and I wouldn't say I have it, though I do at times feel things similar to what it describes, but I would put that to being on the spectrum and not Synesthesia. Saying that it is speculated that Synesthesia is linked to the spectrum due to the different wiring in the brain and the crossing of sensory information which is heightened in people on the spectrum. *shrugs* discombobulation is kinda our thing

I am planning on using text to describe  and braille below with minimal illustration, or maybe just a colour wash over pages not describing a specific thing.

I found a simple braille translation tool online so I can easily find the braille pattern and use ink spots to recreate it, or I can emboss/deboss it somehow perhaps. Either way it will be a world away from anything anyone else has. Way outside the box But then that's me to a tee now isn't it