Experiments with Acrylic Ink

Teasels and Grasses – Durlston Head
Acrylic Ink on Paper
10cm x 11cm (4" x 4.5")

The pictures on this post are inspired by Ann Blockley's recently published book - Experimental Landscapes in Watercolour

The first major subsection is about acrylic inks. I've used them before, but this is the first time I've set out to paint pictures almost entirely in ink.

Tree on Old Hill
Acrylic Ink and Water-soluble Pencil on Paper
10.5cm x 10.5cm (4.25" x 4.25")

Tree on Old Hill is my first experiment. I applied strips of blue, white and green using the pipettes from the ink bottles and then spread the ink out with a wet brush. I drew the tree with Graphitint water-soluble pencils and sepia ink while the initial washes were still wet. I accidently splashed some water on to the top of the tree, so I dabbed this with a paper towel to create a cloud.

Bluebells in Oversley Wood - Step 1
Acrylic Ink on Paper
10cm x 10cm (4" x 4")

Bluebells in Oversley Wood is based on the impressions of a sunny springtime walk with Elaine, Paul, Wendy and their old dog Jack. I've let white, yellow, green and blue inks merge on the page and while they were still wet drawn tree shapes with sepia and white ink. This looks more like an underpainting than a finished work. The next subsection in Ann’s book is “the versatility of gouache”, so I will finish it with some gouache during the week.

The colours in the first two experiments are vivid, but Ann reveals acrylic inks can be used to produce more subtle colours. In the third experiment, I diluted the inks with lots of water and toned them down with Payne's grey and sepia inks. I drew the teasels and grasses with a variety of implements as the washes dried.

The RSI (repetitive strain injury) symptoms I've been suffering from haven’t changed significantly. Typing seems to be the main trigger. I've started to paint again this weekend and plan to do some drawing during the week.