An Exciting New Artist

Well at least she’s new to me. Geninne over at Geninne’s Art Blog is the creator of this lovely image, Edmund, king of the blooming magnolia tree.

I went nuts (OK, more nuts) when I saw it. And then I had to investigate. It turns out that she is very open about her tools and when I saw that white line detail I really had to know what she used to get it. FW White Acrylic Ink. Who knew?

Is this gorgeous or what? OK I am tingling with excitement and have to get my hands on some of that white acrylic ink. So while I was in town a few days ago I went to Hobby Lobby and pooh, none was available. They carry the brand and everything but the white ink was not in stock. Then yesterday I had to be in town again (knee doc…arthroscopic surgery for me on May 6) and checked out the other Hobby Lobby and no white ink again. Darn. But I bought the dip pen and some white paint thinking I could maybe make that work. Not. At. All.

Frustrated, my memory suddenly came up with a vision of the drawer full of inks I bought like several (who’s counting) years ago, and never ever used. Duh.

Whaddya know. White ink! Waterproof too, which means it must be acrylic like the other brand.

I had to try it out right away. It works!

So why is this so exciting to me? When I paint graphically like the piece below, I wanted to add details and patterning, and used paint pens and gel pens, but they are either too fat or too faint, or just not visible enough. It never occurred to me to use dip pens and inks. Duh again. (There is a lot of duh-ing going on in my mind today.) Dipping pens and the new inks are so much better than they were last century when I was a school girl. All of that scribbling above was done with one single dip…it lasts longer than I thought. And no blobbing or skipping either. Amazing.

So next time I have a rain delay and can’t be working in the garden I am getting out my paints, pen and inks and I am going to draw like the wonderful Geninne!