Before The Ink Is Dry

April Theme
Color Safari (Exploring Inks and Paints)
April 25 – Week 17
Art Challenge:  Inks
Journal Prompt:  Before the ink is dry

This week we play with inks!  I chose to use spray inks for my challenge, in particular Dyan Reaveley’s Dylusions inks by Ranger.  I love that they are water based so they continually blend and change when reconstituted.  The pigment is vibrant and rich!  I started by spraying my pages with a few colors I love.  Then I stood my book up and spritzed water all over the inks so I had nice blending and dripping.  While the ink was still wet, I used my finger to blend some white gesso into the ink to tone the pigment down a bit.  There are so many videos of Dyan using these inks in a million ways on the Ranger website and on her blog and YouTube – be sure to check them out!

I let my journal dry overnight because it was so wet from the inks and water.  You could also use a heat gun to speed up drying time.  I love using dip pens and ink for drawing and writing. For this page I used a sketching-sized nib – #102 Crow Quill and Higgins Magic Black Waterproof Ink.

I created a few sketches on my page and didn’t worry about being precise – I just wanted a fun, loose drawing.

I learned a neat trick from the great Dyan Reaveley herself . . . use a Tim Holtz Water Brush and fill it with her Dylusion inks.  This way, you not only have a spray to use, but also a type of watercolor application.  Cool, right?

I used the waterbrushes to paint my quill pen and ink jar.  I love how one color will change as you paint it over another.  The inks underneath change and you get unexpected, beautiful results!  I threw in a few white contrast marks with a fat Pitt Pen by Faber-Castell.

I used a poignant quote that I just love, “To say she is only a woman is to say a violin is a piece of wood with strings and Dante is mere ink printed on paper” – Bruce Crown.  Powerful stuff.  So here is my finished pages – I can’t wait to see how you all interpret the prompt this week – And guess what, we have none other than the Fabulous Dyan Reaveley as our Featured Artist this week – be sure to stop by her blog and give her some love!  Happy Documenting!

Ranger Dylusions Dyan Reaveley's Creative Journal, 11.375 by 8.25-Inch	Ranger Dina Wakley Media Gesso Tube, 2-Ounce, White	Nice 'N Clean Baby Wipes Soft-Pack with Aloe – Unscented, Hypoallergenic, Pack/80 Wipes	Mister Bottle-2 Ounces Empty
Ranger Dyan Reaveley's Dylusions Collection Ink Spray, 2-Ounce, Polished Jade	Ranger Dylusions Ink Sprays pure sunshine 2 oz. bottle [PACK OF 3 ]	Ranger Dylusions Ink Sprays lemon zest 2 oz. bottle [PACK OF 3 ]	Ranger Dyan Reaveley Dylusions Collection Ink Spray, Calypso Teal
Ranger Dylusions Ink Sprays london blue 2 oz. bottle [PACK OF 3 ]	Ranger Dyan Reaveley Dylusions Collection Ink Spray, White Linen	Ranger Dylusions Ink Sprays vibrant turquoise 2 oz. bottle [PACK OF 3 ]	Ranger DYC-33875 Dyan Reaveley's Dylusions Collection Ink Spray, Fresh Lime
Ranger Dyan Reaveley's Dylusions Collection Ink Spray, 2-Ounce, Pomegranate Seed	Ranger TDM-32687 Tim Holtz Distress Marker, Stormy Sky	Ranger TIP33080 Tim Holtz Water Brush With Fine Detailer Nib, 6-Inch	Chartpak Higgins Black Magic Drawing Ink 1 Oz: Black
Speedball Sketching Project Set	Speedball Hunt Artists' Pen Nibs–Bowl Pointed Pen No. 512 box of 12	Pitt Big Brush Pen 101 White

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For more information on this week’s challenge you can find us here:

http://arttothe5th.squarespace.com/
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Looking for previous challenges? click HERE

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