Trying Something New With "Old" Supplies

This week, I was rummaging in my stash and was particularly delighted to rediscover my collection of India Inks. Somehow, I had completely forgotten that I own a couple of bottles of the beautiful ink. Then I wondered what would happen if I used them with my bamboo brush. I usually reserve that for lettering in black ink but I wanted to try drawing some colorful shapes.

I used a background that was sitting on my desk. I had made it by smooshing drywall tape into a heavy coat of modeling paste. Then I added a coat of gesso and glaze of blue paint.

To make the circles, I dipped my brush directly into the India ink and started drawing. I started with the green/teal, then added circles blue, purple and pink.

I held the brush very loosely and experimented to create the different circles - some solid and heavy, some broken. I like the variety. The colors blended in places because I'm too impatient to wait for the ink to dry between layers. I could have used my heat gun but I was having too much to wait.

I love the vibrant the colors are on this page and gesso is key to keeping the lines crisp. I was testing the colors on a piece of scrap paper as I went and the colors bled a little because it wasn't gesso'd first.

There is something wonderful about playing with well loved supplies. I love new paints, inks and brushes as much as the next person but sometimes I forget that I love my older supplies too. It might be exciting to reach for the newest supply but this little experiment has made me realize that I need to dig around in my stash more often.

Here's to trying new things with well loved supplies.

Thanks for stopping by!

Cathie