A Good Lesson!

The same issues seem to be true for this fish - just different colors of ink.  The layers of overlapping colors seemed to get darker inbetween the scales and fins, but the areas of rework lightened up with each new application of ink.

The fish, itself, almost look like it has been tyedyed - a throwback to the 60's/70's.  I also tried adding the metallic gel inks to the surface, however....

.....also with less than desirable results.  The layer upon layer of ink underneath resulted in such a wide range of mottled and varigated colors, that the overall effect was visually appealing.  The addition of one color of ink over the surface took away the beauty of the variety and made the fish look very 2-dimensional and static.

Even though the silver gel ink picked up the red pigments from the ink below, there is so little of the ink revealed from underneath, that the best of the fish islost.

The image of the fish just with all of the ink layers, prior to the addition of the metallic silver, is the best of these fish images.....the perfect example of....

....the importance of knowing when to STOP!!!!!

Fish

Being more deliberate with alcohol inks means using small brushes and expecting the inks to grow and bleed until they are dry.  It helps to lay down basic colors quickly, then go back into the first layer, once it is dry, and rework it with another color.  In fact, continuing this layering process seems to work pretty well if you can maintain enough space between each of the colors.

Just like the drop/blog process, it is very easy to get harsh edges of very dark, muddy combinations of colors that dull out an overall image. 

Some of the YouTube sites emphasize the use of the metallic alcohol inks as one of the final layers.  Although I don't have any of those, I do have metallic gel pens, so decided to see if they would work,and if so, what would the effect be.

I like the metallic gel, and the control.  I don't like the way it dominates the inks and tremendously rdubdues the fluidity of the underlying inks.

I am now more curious about the alcohol metallics and will watch for a good sale! 

Positive and Negative Spaces That Works

A combination of blops, drops, and controlled brush strokes are the foundation for this ink painting. 

Pinata and Adirondike alcohol inks on YUPO, enhanced with black India ink (in a Pentel Pocket Pen.)

The addition of the enhancements using India ink helps define the otherwise blobby shapes.  This is the perfect example of taking what you've got and working with it to make it something concrete.

Pinata and Adirondike alcohol inks on YUPO, enhanced with black India ink (in a Pentel Pocket Pen.)

I usually like a bright or light background to emphasize the contrast when using these bright ink (also with paints, etc,) and think the white background does as much to shape the image and the inks - it's the balance of positive and negative space that works pretty well this time.

Pinata and Adirondike alcohol inks on YUPO, enhanced with black India ink (in a Pentel Pocket Pen.)

Unlike many of my pieces, this is one time I knew exactly when to stop - not too much and not too little!  If I can just remember how that worked, I may be actually learning some new things!  Yeah - never too old to do that, you know!!

The Blending Solution Addition

Remember this image from a couple of days ago  I felt the image from the July 10th post needed a little "extra," so decided to enhance the petals with a little blending solution.....

Alcohol inks on YUPO, thoroughly dried, then reworked with Copic blending solution on a fine script brush.

It really seems to have made a difference going back in to rework portions of the ink-on-YUPO that has dried for a couple of days.  Using blending solution in this way also allowed me to have significantly more control that with the drop-and-apply-air method originally used to lay down the first set of colors. The blending solution was applied with a very fine, long-bristle script brush - I was going for the finest continuous line possible and hoped that the long fibers would carry enough solution to run the full length of the petals.  In most situations, this worked out pretty well.

The pollen "dots" were made using the tip of the same brush and setting down the solution-loaded bristles, one at a time.  No matter how dry I got the brush, many of the dots are larger than I wanted, but still acceptable. 

The addition of the blending solution in this way, took this image from one of "place it in the file for future reference," to - might make a giclee for stationary......hmmmm.   Sometimes patience and persistence are virtues, ah?

New Technique Trial

I decided to try a completely different technique - but still on YUPO.  I covered the entire surface with blending solution before adding any color, then dropped the color on, one drop at a time, and used the corner of a piece of paper toweling to absorb some of the puddle of ink in the direction I wanted it to move.  I went back into pools of color and dropped additional blending solution.

The more subtle effects of the alcohol inks is appealing, still predictable in it's patterning, and difficult to control. 

Adding enhancements helped, but I still found myself trying to make something of the image instead of "...making the image...." 

I will keep this image on file so that I can pull these ideas up in the future when they might come in handy.

For now, it is just an interesting image......not sure if I will do more with this one, either.

Canned Air #2

If canned air wasn't so expensive, this would be a fun tool to explore.  The combination of ink floating and the non-absorbent YUPO allow for some great movement using the pressurized air stream. Initially, I was surprosed that some of the edges of overlap in this image got very dark very fast.  The dark blue of these inks is not Adirondick, however, but Copic indigo.  The Copic colors I have used (very limited,) seem to be a little thicker consistency and a little denser color than either the Pinata or Adirondick. 

Copic, Adirondick and Pinata alcohol inks on YUPO.

I did consider adding some 91% alcohol to the center, then I thought about adding a lot of blending solution (either Pinata brand or Copic brand,) but in the end I did neither.  There is something about the intensity of the colors that is very appleaing about this image.  Although it is very flower-like, I have not added additional embellishments to veer towards the floral domain. 

Canned air used to create movement away from the center.  Differences in effect are visible as the temperature released from the can dropped with continued use.

I particularly like the areas where the yellow Pinata has traveled into or through the Adirondick cranberry.  I was very pleased that the yellow did not completely take over the cranberry, but simply make a path.  The think the lack of blending was a combination of the pressure from the canned air AND the temperature of the air.

If you have every used canned air for cleaning, as in the case of blasting lint our of your computer keyboard, you are familiar with the quick temperature drop of the canned air.  Since the air that travels out of the can also drops in temperature, it has an effect on the movement of ink which is very noticeable.  I did not use the cold air long enough to result in a mottled pattern, however.  So far, the images created with frigid cold air are more appealing than when the can is room temperature.....right at the beginning of the process.  Had I turned this image upside down and simply let the yellow in fall through the cranberry (with a gravitational assist,) the effect would be different. 

Canned Air!

So many of these alcohol ink patterns develop into a very floral image.  I tried using canned air to move ink around on this one.  I love the spaces where the ink is almost completely moved and just a small amount of pigment remains.  I also really enjoy the end of the ink trails when the quantity of ink is almost gone.

There are a couple of additional plusses to using canned air;  there is sufficient pressure for there to be very limited ink overlaps, which tend to get very dark, dirty and sticky quickly.  A can of air is always readily available and doesn't have to wait to inhale or catch it's breath - big plusses! 

Even though liquid was not misted or splattered on the right hand side of this image, the visual effect looks like misting.  That might be a clue as to the way the air really comes out of the pressurized can.  Although it appears to be one continuous, steady stream, perhaps it is more irregularly blasted through the nozzle and/or is effected by the chemical that serves as the propellant, as well.  The can gets so cold that it is difficult to hold on to after only a short amount of time, so the temperature of the air leaving the can could be a third factor in the mottled pattern of the ink.  The key is whether or not this effect can be predicted with consistency and used in additional applications!!!  Good question!