Day 8 with India Ink

In preparation for an assignment due in my Design Drawing class, I thought I'd experiment with a few supplies I have. I bought these India inks about a year ago and have probably used them once. This piece was meant to re-familiarize myself with how to use them.

I used watercolour paper and created a grid and border with masking tape. I like how clean a piece looks after doing this - like it has pre-made frames. I think you can tell which was my first square . . . inks have a finicky nature, and you need to be very light and fluid with your strokes. The main thing with inks, I think, is to accept the subtle imperfections and realize the beauty in them. They are actually very enjoyable to work with if you can accept the medium for what it is!

My favourite squares are in brown at the bottom right (remind me of antlers) and, of course, the black and white zebra-looking pattern in the bottom left (which I have to say look good under the green).

I think maybe tomorrow I will actually try to create a composition that actually mixes the colours. We will see the best way to go about this, as the watery nature of inks make me think it could very easily turn into a big puddle. . . deep breaths Monica . . .deep breaths.

:) Night!