Good inks come in threes. Pilot iroshizuku shin-ryoku, Noodler’s Spirit of Bamboo, J. Herbin Vert Empire. Private Reserve Cosmic Cobalt, Sailor Nioi-Sumire, Pilot iroshizuku kon-peki. Private Reserve Arabian Rose, J. Herbin Larmes de Cassis, Pilot iroshizuku tsutsuji. Wouldn’t it be great to have a triple-chambered piston filler that you could fill with three different ink …
We used to do it in art class: plop a blob of watercolor on oslo paper, lean forward, and blow. The watercolor traveled on paper with every energetic exhalation, looking like rivulets or branches or skeletal fingers. Yesterday I had a lens blower on my table. I also had a notebook and a pen. And …
Fountain pen ink normally behaves modestly, emerging in a prim, controlled line from the nib of a pen. That’s why I take it out to play every so often, with bamboo and folded pens, and even tap water. This doodle has Noodler’s Ottoman Rose, Private Reserve Shoreline Gold, and Noodler’s Samsui Red. The red is …
Fountain pen ink exhibits all sorts of weirdness when worked wet-in-wet, the waterproof and bulletproof kind even more so. Thus began a quick Sunday adventure with a watercolor brush, a tray of inks and watercolor paper. The ink that spreads green is Waterman Blue-Black (for those of you who swear it’s not blue-black but green, …
This time, it’s two dip pens, folded tissue and a blatant disregard for ink stains.
Thanks to Sketchbooks, I discovered Fabriano. They make paper for artists; toothy for pastels and pencils, faintly textured for watercolors, in blocks and sheets. Two years ago, Sketchbooks featured a Fabriano journal, which I bought and set aside for future playtime. I am delighted to report that the paper inside is exceptional, and to have …