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Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Three Experiments

March 2012: Experiments by apple-pine
March 2012: Experiments, a photo by apple-pine on Flickr.

I tried three things this month: watercolor book from Pen&Ink and Hero fountain pen (Hero M86 Calligraphy Pen) with Noodlers Lexington Gray Booletproof ink. The combination of all three is a major failure...

Pen& Ink paper is not taking watercolors well and all Lexington Gray is blotching ugly. Even the thinnest line in a few seconds becomes a lichen-covered stick. And no booletproof ink is waterproof or water resistant on this paper. It's not even smudge proof! So I am very disappointed with this sketchbook and will not use this paper again. Though ballpoint works great on it :)

Hero pen is something I need to learn how to use - but it's a lot of fun to experiment with! Variety of lines is amazing!

I do not have anything to say about Lexington ink as I am waiting for a better paper to try it on :) My previous experiments included watering down black inks to get some gray and they worked fine - but this might be more consistent in the long run.

5 comments:

  1. Nina, I had looked at those sketchbooks a while ago and decided the paper was not good enough...glad to have the report of your experience. I'm sorry it didn't work for you, though! I love the drawing. The composition is very pleasing.

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  2. I have been using a Hero bent up nib calligraphy pen for sketching for about a year now, along with the amazing #360 degree nibbed pen, and its possible to get so many different effects when drawing and sketching with these pens! There is a learning curve, of course, but these pens are so flexible once you get the hang of them and exploring the possibilities is great fun. I hope you get as much enjoyment out of yours as I get out of mine!

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  3. Drat, I closed this window without posting my comment! Trying again...your sketch is WONDERFUL, Nina. It reminds me of Chinese brush painting.

    I like to sketch with calligraphy pens too, including my ancient Shaeffer...the line variety is exciting. (The Hero was a tad heavy for me, but it's a wonderful pen.)

    SO sorry the paper didn't work out!

    I do find Bulletproof inks NOT to mean waterproof, on a number of papers and under a variety of conditions. Lexington Grey is the most dependable, for me, but even it will sometimes resist drying. I found yesterday that if I flush out the pen and re-fill it, the ink dries more readily. NO idea why...

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  4. So glad I've found this blog. So many exciting suggestions of things to try. Thank you all.

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  5. Thanks, Laura - the book is almost filled with ballpoint pen sketches - so it's not a loss - but definitely my expectations were different :)

    SpinningDownUnder - I will definitely try Hero 360 one day - playing with the pens is a lot of fun :)

    Kate;
    thank you for the feedback on the sketch :) Hero pen has a very heavy cap indeed - but pen is joy to play with :)
    I think bulletproof ink binds to cellulose - perhaps this paper is not entirely natural - not enough substance to bind to... But smudging is too much!

    Lynn;
    Glad you found us here :)

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