Mako demonstrating sumi ink
getting my batches ready
sumi-ink, sprayed with some water
I thought I’d try my hand at some more unusual sources of pigment. So today’s experiment: blueberries!
Meanwhile, on the other side of the studio…
Jess began experimenting with water and sumi-ink dropped onto her conte drawing.
Then I heard a giggle and a “whoa!” [Jess had discovered that the droplets didn't soak into the paper at all - but formed beads on the top of the surface!]
So in a moment of pure wonderment, we began blowing the water beads around, watching them bounce off each other. For those few moments, we were all kids again.
I continued experimenting on my piece from yesterday – layering the sumi-ink on the first layer of ochre.
and I set up 4 6×6″ mini experiment pieces, to test my new and old materials: ochre [new], burnt umber dried pigment [old], salmon berries [new], sumi ink [new] and beeswax [old] (ps – the blueberries didn’t end up working – they were too fleshy)
I began to overlap the materials some,
doodled a bit with the sumi-ink,
and sprinkled some tiny seeds onto a piece while it was drying – just for the fun of it.
I wonder what tomorrow will hold!