Bob in SF
Member
I've made my own paints and pastels for a long time, and figured it was time to make a fresh new set of very saturated watercolors for pen making.
I've switched from the "old school" gum Arabic/distilled water + ox gall to my preferred Schmincke brand Aquarell-Bindemittel watercolor medium, which handles a lot of pigment.
The pigments (some of which are 50 years old and still going strong) are ground into the Bindemittel medium with a glass muller on 1/4" plate glass or a palette knife on parchment paper for the finer-grained pigments - then loaded into the plastic wells in the palette box. I added a bit of Jacquard mica to some of the colors.
The brass tubes are acetone-washed, 150 grit-sanded, then primed with 2 coats of Daniel Smith Pearlescent Watercolor Ground - 2 days drying between coats.
Paints are applied with dry brush and/or wet-in-wet watercolor techniques.
The painted tubes are then airbrushed with a light coat of Createx Clear Gloss top coat, dried x 48 hours; then hand brushed with Judikins Diamond Glaze.
Glazed tubes are dried x 48 hours, then cast tube-in with Douglas and Sturgess Clear Casting PR with some added flakes (at 50psi); then turned and finished as usual.
This set of pens was made at the request of a local watercolorist friend:
Happy Sunday to all - Bob
I've switched from the "old school" gum Arabic/distilled water + ox gall to my preferred Schmincke brand Aquarell-Bindemittel watercolor medium, which handles a lot of pigment.
The pigments (some of which are 50 years old and still going strong) are ground into the Bindemittel medium with a glass muller on 1/4" plate glass or a palette knife on parchment paper for the finer-grained pigments - then loaded into the plastic wells in the palette box. I added a bit of Jacquard mica to some of the colors.
The brass tubes are acetone-washed, 150 grit-sanded, then primed with 2 coats of Daniel Smith Pearlescent Watercolor Ground - 2 days drying between coats.
Paints are applied with dry brush and/or wet-in-wet watercolor techniques.
The painted tubes are then airbrushed with a light coat of Createx Clear Gloss top coat, dried x 48 hours; then hand brushed with Judikins Diamond Glaze.
Glazed tubes are dried x 48 hours, then cast tube-in with Douglas and Sturgess Clear Casting PR with some added flakes (at 50psi); then turned and finished as usual.
This set of pens was made at the request of a local watercolorist friend:
Happy Sunday to all - Bob
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