Using the oil paint studies as a starting point, I’m jumping into the world of acrylic based pigmented inks.
The first step is to familiarize myself with the properties of the media. I want to know what the ink looks like straight out of the bottle, and what happens to it when diluted. How well is it suited for different application techniques? Using both brush and dip pen I create a simple chart which allows me to experience the media as well as provide me with reference materials for future use.
I first apply the pure color with the provided eyedropper. Then, using a dip pen with a Brause “Blue pumpkin” nib, I test the line characteristics of the ink as well as its flow rate through the nib. Lastly, loading a brush with water I lay down a wet area below the color sample, allowing the pigment to bleed into the area – this to test the thinning potential and shading characteristics of the ink. I follow this process for each of the colors that I have on hand, which allows for easy comparisons of the properties of the different colors.
One of the first things that I notice is the ink’s tendency to stay put – these are not watercolor! The colors are overly saturated and opaque. Transparency of the color is increased with the addition of water, however the pigments begin to separate a bit more than I’m accustomed to seeing in watercolor. They also seem to dry more quickly and more permanently. In the Payne’s Grey sample above, the ink actually dried out on the nib before the nib ran out of ink – and some interesting effects happened by simply dipping the nib in water. Watercolor or dye based inks may have rinsed entirely away while submerged in the water, but these acrylic based pigmented inks are a lot more stubborn and will require much more diligence while cleaning my brushes and nibs.
I start my first “atmospheric” study by defining the format, thinning (diluting) the ink with water and toning the surface with a wash.
Continuing with thin washes of color, I begin to define the larger areas of the composition by quickly and loosely blocking in the basic value and color distribution.
The colors of the FW inks are so strong and saturated that only two to four drops of ink are required to create a wash.
Because the ink is near permanent when dry, the looseness of the underpainting is retained and begins to influence the variety of the surface in lovely and unexpected ways – I enjoy that quality very much – influencing the image but remaining open to the unexpected.
Here, I find myself beginning to think of Turner a bit – referencing the basic structure of the clouds while maintaining a looseness towards abstraction. Trying to emphasize some areas while subduing others.
Switching from brush to pen, I decide to test the opacity of the white and experiment with its flow characteristics through a nib.
Some arbitrary text should do.
I also find that using the white as a wash goes along way in quieting and softening other areas of the composition. I continue to play until satisfied.
Working with new materials is always liberating. My expectations are minimal, and I’m able to give myself permission to just experiment and play.
