There are always a few prints that just don’t come out well. Maybe the ink is uneven, or the paper slips slightly. For whatever reason, not every print is ‘good enough.’ So, what do you do with the bad prints? You don’t really want to just throw them out, but on the other hand, they’re just taking up space and cluttering up the studio.
I decided to use my ‘junk’ prints to test out a few methods of hand-coloring my prints. Who knows, if it turns out well, it might be a nice alternative to offer, instead of just a single color print.
For a first trial, I tested watercolors and Derwent Inktense pencils to color in some of my passion flower prints. Derwent Inktense pencils are a water-soluble pencil that gives an ink-like intense color once wetted. They’re similar to watercolor pencils, but the colors are more intense.
So, here I have a few examples. I’m not entirely happy with either method, though I think I like the Inktense pencils better—the colors are more vibrant and it’s much easier to control where the color goes compared to using watercolors. Watercolor pencils would probably work similarly as far as control, but the colors would be less intense. I might give that a try at some point.
What do you think? Do you like the watercolors or the Inktense pencils better? Or do you prefer the uncolored version? Let me know your thoughts!
Want to keep updated and see more of what I’m working on? Sign up for my mailing list here and get a totally FREE digital download of a tiger linocut print. (I promise not to be spammy with my emails—I hate that too!)
* Please note that this post contains affiliate links and any sales made through such links will reward me a small commission – at no extra cost for you.
So, I haven’t actually had a lot of free time to play in my studio lately. Hoping that will change soon; we’ll see.
Several months ago I thought I’d try keeping a gratitude journal. I’ve heard all kinds of good things about them. But I didn’t really feel like straight up journaling. I’ve journaled in the past, and while it’s not quite the same thing, I’ve always found it difficult to keep consistent.
But then I thought, why not make some sort of visual gratitude journal? And so the gratitude tree was born! I liked the idea of creating small pieces that I could add to my tree and watch it ‘grow’ over time.
I have several shapes and paper types of blank ‘leaves’ as well as a number of blank butterfly shapes because, why not? So when I have my things I’m feeling grateful for, I can just select a shape, write out my gratitude, decorate it however I want, and hang it on my ‘tree.’
It’s a fun way to keep reflect on the good things in my life and it serves as a reminder whenever I see my gratitude tree, which is currently hanging on a wall in my studio.
Do you keep a gratitude journal? What has your experience been? Tell me in the comments.
Want to keep updated and see more of what I’m working on? Sign up for my mailing list here and get a totally FREE digital download of a tiger linocut print. (I promise not to be spammy with my emails—I hate that too!)