Changing Colors, Changing Seasons - Exploring Color in Calligraphy
I blinked and September was gone.
Honestly, each day feels like it goes by so slowly during the school year. Then, all of a sudden, you look up and an entire month is gone.
It’s already October, and while I have never enjoyed the abrupt drop in temperature…and I haven’t celebrated Halloween since I was a small child, I love the fall festivities, and the pumpkin spice coffees, lattes, and pretty much every other pumpkin permutation…except pie. I’m more the sweet potato variety. 😌 But, I love how the colors of the leaves change to an orangey-brown and crunch under my feet.
Speaking of colors…for the past couple weeks, I have been testing out various colors to use with calligraphy again.
After the recommended, black sumi ink, I started venturing out with just gold and bleedproof white. The two are still pretty fun, actually. But, I’m the curious type.
Last week, I tried watercolor…and gouache a couple months before that.
While they’ve all been lovely, I have been pretty much sticking to my practice inks since I started.
But, I’ve had a few colors in my stash that I have been waiting to try out for the longest. Now, that I’m more comfortable with the pointed pen and I have some holiday goals to knock out, I figured it was time to give them a test drive.
My local craft supply store sells a variety of Dr. Ph Martin’s colors. Some of them are India Ink. Some are iridescent inks. I like them all. But I gotta admit, I’m partial to the iridescent inks. ❤️
Just look at that shimmer! 😍
So far, I’ve used an aqua India ink, a frosted peach iridescent ink, and an iridescent orchid ink.
They’re kind of like Pokemons. I don’t play the game…But I’ve heard, “you gotta catch them all!”
I had a few frames hanging around from an event that I had never gotten around to using at the time. I’ve been practicing writing one of my favorite scriptures on 5” x 7” watercolor paper. Then, I frame them for a smaller version of some gifts I’d like to make for the holidays.
Each color gives the verse a different feel…and I love the texture of these inks on the paper! When I turn it in the light, I can see an alternate color. So handsome!
But they also have a few nuances to be aware of:
The part of the composition that makes the ink all sparkly also tends to settle at the bottom. Like the gold ink I mixed from Pearl Ex powder and some gum arabic, it has to be stirred frequently to keep the color consistent. I prefer ink stirrers.
If they’re not stirred well, the nib won’t flow well.
The ink is permanent which makes it difficult to get back off the nib once it dries, so it has to be wiped clean A LOT while writing.
My husband likes the aqua version.
It may have something to do with the fact that it resembles the colors on the Philadelphia Eagles jerseys. 😏
As for me…this orchid does the trick.
For now. 😉
