Pollard Willow

Love your gentle, delicate pen and ink drawings Mia.

Thank you very much, Carole.

Am I right in believing quink isn't waterproof? I like the soft shadows on the tree, presumably that's the quink slightly dissolving when you put the wash on. A lovely effect.

You are right, Lewis, Quink Ink is not lightfast. I don't know if there is a lightfast watersoluble ink but I like this technique so much. I don't make those sketches for framing, so they are put in a box out of the sunlight. Watersoluble ink is very plaisant to work with and I like the result, so....

Sorry Lewis, wrong answer: just because the quink is not waterproof I can obtain this result. Giving it a wash here and there next to the lines gives those nice colours and shades. I love this technique!

Mia - there are waterproof, lightfast inks; the snag with them is that they dry much faster than Quink, and yield different results. Even so - some are slower to dry than others, and your work is too good to run the risk of fading ... I should know this, because I've seen your work before of course, and ought to remember - but do you ever use acrylic inks, or Indian, or Chinese ink? I well understand the appeal of Quink, but I'm sure you'd do just as well, if differently, with the several ranges of permanent ink that are available: eg, FW inks; or Chromacolour acrylic in pots, which can be thinned to an ink consistency without losing its binding power; or Chinese ink, ground by yourself to the desired consistency, and strengthened by touches of colour. If I had one of your paintings/drawings, I'd want to see it in a frame on my wall, not tucked away in a folder. But I do realize that for you, most of the pleasure is in the creation, rather than the ultimate fate of the picture.

Thank you very much, Robert, for this enormous and much appreciated compliment about my work. Yes, I know there are waterproof, lightfast inks and I have some: W&N Calligraphy Ink, Chinese ink with a dip pen, .... and I often used them as you remember. But for the moment, because of serious neck problems, I am only able to do quick sketches. Because I don't like to stop halfway a drawing/painting to continue it the next day, I am very pleased with the results of watersoluble ink. The Artpen is very pleasant to use and glides smoothly over the paper. The ink lines, when washed over, change into a nice colour. Maybe in the coming weeks, I can make the drawing one day and then give it a wash the next day. You certainly made me think about some different ways of working and techniques. Thank you very much for that.