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Tools & Supplies / Re: "Go-To" ink?
« on: December 18, 2021, 09:11:16 PM »
Hi K-2,
The paper's a bit difficult to say... I was 'gifted' a huge mess of paper from someone closing down an arts & crafts store/studio. I played around with them to see which would take ink well and which just blotted or feathered (using Sumi), and kept the 'good' stuff. What it is, I can't really say. Some have a bit of texture, some don't, one looks like old tea-stained parchment. Mostly off-whites.
Broad-edged for this piece; either Mitchells or Brause. I prefer the Mitchells (when I can get them to work...), but sometimes I just go with whatever seems to be working best on a particular piece of paper; I've had some that gave me grief with Brause, but worked well with Speedball... go figure!
X-height is about 5 mm, as I'm using a 1 mm nib. A couple of the lines are a bit long-ish, and in order to letter it as she laid it out, I had to go a bit small (8 1/2 x 11, which is mostly what I have on hand in quantity) to fit it.
I'd actually like to give gouache a try... I liked the results I got in my classes, but as I said, it was just the one exposure, and my experience with it is almost zilch.
Did you have to do anything to the fountain pen inks to get them to flow consistently? I tried using Private Reserve 'Tanzanite,' but it's blobby at first, then writes great for a couple of letters, then starts skipping. No consistency. Add gum arabic?
I don't think she's too picky about the blue... somewhere around mid-register; not sky blue or baby blue, but not navy, either... somewhere in between... maybe cerulean? I'll be using Coliro for her 'signature' at the end, but the body will just be straightforward color - no 'special effects' as that's beyond me at this point.
Spray the paper??
Thanks for the thoughts and suggestions... I'm tempted to go with gouache, maybe one of those sets of small tubes so I can fiddle around to get a blue I like!
Thanks again!
Karl
The paper's a bit difficult to say... I was 'gifted' a huge mess of paper from someone closing down an arts & crafts store/studio. I played around with them to see which would take ink well and which just blotted or feathered (using Sumi), and kept the 'good' stuff. What it is, I can't really say. Some have a bit of texture, some don't, one looks like old tea-stained parchment. Mostly off-whites.
Broad-edged for this piece; either Mitchells or Brause. I prefer the Mitchells (when I can get them to work...), but sometimes I just go with whatever seems to be working best on a particular piece of paper; I've had some that gave me grief with Brause, but worked well with Speedball... go figure!
X-height is about 5 mm, as I'm using a 1 mm nib. A couple of the lines are a bit long-ish, and in order to letter it as she laid it out, I had to go a bit small (8 1/2 x 11, which is mostly what I have on hand in quantity) to fit it.
I'd actually like to give gouache a try... I liked the results I got in my classes, but as I said, it was just the one exposure, and my experience with it is almost zilch.
Did you have to do anything to the fountain pen inks to get them to flow consistently? I tried using Private Reserve 'Tanzanite,' but it's blobby at first, then writes great for a couple of letters, then starts skipping. No consistency. Add gum arabic?
I don't think she's too picky about the blue... somewhere around mid-register; not sky blue or baby blue, but not navy, either... somewhere in between... maybe cerulean? I'll be using Coliro for her 'signature' at the end, but the body will just be straightforward color - no 'special effects' as that's beyond me at this point.
Spray the paper??
Thanks for the thoughts and suggestions... I'm tempted to go with gouache, maybe one of those sets of small tubes so I can fiddle around to get a blue I like!
Thanks again!
Karl
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