Gouache resist: success

Well, I used the correct ink on this one and it turned out better.

This is the first painting of thick gouache. Painted over it in Black Magic ink but didn’t take a picture.

After washing off the ink. The black ink stayed on the white paper just how I wanted! Much easier to go back in and make marks when you get a ready made background!

Friday and it’s looking nice out there. Have a good weekend!

Gouache Resist-Failure

Yes, it looks okay but artists, check your ink before you do a gouache resist!

The gouache underpainting before inking. The idea of the resist is that the Higgins Black Magic ink will stay on the white paper and the gouache will stay-fading a bit in the process but giving a cool look.

Painting over the gouache. Unfortunately I did not check the ink. It was Higgins but not the right kind, just regular India ink.

As you can see, the black ink washed off. Darn! I’ve done this before. What to do? I promised Kerfe I’d post something today. Only way to save it was to paint the background in so I did. I will try another one of these this week and will be more careful this time!

Gouache Resist

I turned one of these into a gouache resist. This is where you paint over the whole thing in Higgins Black Magic ink and then wash it off. Usually you paint thinking of doing the resist; this was just a random idea and it wasn’t all gouache underneath.

The gouache resist right after being washed off.

The image in black and white which is interesting.

Crazy Dancing Girl

When Kerfe was over I showed her my art room. There’s a big pile of paintings on a little table where I toss them. I pulled this one out randomly (it was done a long time ago) and Kerfe said I’d never posted it. So I am, today. Pretty large, gouache resist, don’t remember when I painted it exactly. 

Gouache resist/squiggles

I haven’t done a gouache resist in a while. They are a lot of fun to do, almost like magic when you ink over the gouache image with Higgins Black Magic ink. That’s the only ink it works with. And it’s good to paint the gouache on pretty heavily as you wash off the whole surface under water. 

Earth in Camouflage

Gouache resist which looking at it reminds me of a color blindness test. I had been using the wrong ink in previous ones; it can only be Higgins Black Magic ink and no other!

Here is the image before the resist. Sharper in color yet I still like using the technique. Went in with watercolor to amplify the color. Here is the image before applying the ink. 

Colorful Landscape

The gouache resist technique is not working like it should. Either the ink has changed or I’m washing it off too soon. The white areas should have stayed very black. Oh well, it’s still kind of a colorful landscape anyway. 

Here is the original and then covered over with ink. I will do another one and let the ink dry completely. Happy April and happy Friday! 

   

Orange Swirls

Another gouache resist in what I guess is a series. My husband said they look like flower tapestries. I didn’t leave enough white showing  and the black ink didn’t have a place to stick. 

Here was the first version. I put a little too much paint on the surface.  

 
Painting after ink was washed off: 

 
This is the fourth one I’ve done and it was done on extremely heavy paper. That did the trick as far as warping: no warp whatsoever. Problem solved!

Daisies: gouache resist

I’m feeling spring although it’s quite chilly today. In gouache resist if you want to keep an area white you paint it white, the thicker the better. In fact I used a lot of paint on this one to the extent that the finished painting is not flat (despite my weighing it down and then ironing it). Time for a trip to Jerry’s Artorama today to restock some colors and get the heaviest weight paper they sell. 

Here’s the piece before the Higgins Black Magic treatment.  

 
All the areas where I left white became black. The big daisies were painted white so they resisted the ink. A good experiment except for the warped paper. 

Patterns 2: Gouache Resist

I tried another pattern painting, this time in gouache so I could do a resist on it. 

Here’s how it started out: 

 
And here it is after the Black Magic ink is painted on and then washed off. It washes off a lot of color and looks kind of sad: 

 
The fun part is going back in and going wild with color. I turned the purple blotches into roses of a sort. An enjoyable thing to do on a beautiful Sunday!