I have been playing with materials lately – particularly pens and pencils working out what works layering on top of things – I thought I had a lot of ‘stuff’ before …….
This moments ‘weapons of choice’ (it’s worrying me that I used a violent metaphor to describe my drawing equipment – I think it’s one of the things a parent must have said when I was growing up …..)
Anyway from left to right
A selection of permanent markers – for some reason cheap pens work better over layers of water resistant / plastic based stuff and my thin sharpie is much more forgiving than a thick one …..
I try and buy pens when they are on sale,or on offer and I am trying out fountain pens and things that can refill so that I cut down on my plastic recycling.
Back to my list
Signo pigment ink in bronze – because of the contrast this colour has with the turquoise / teal/ blue palette I am working with at the moment.
Uniball eye permanent ink and water soluble – in turquoise and green – I like to mix up water soluble and permanent when tea dipping so that you get colours running.
Posca 3mm bullet pen in blue – I love these type of pens when they work but I do not like the flooding …..
Cheap Childs felt pen in blue – soluble ink
Uni chalk marker light blue 1.5-2.5 bullet – this is nice for highlights
Pentel wet eraser chisel – contrasting shape to above
Paint brush with resovoir – I haven’t tried this with waterproof ink yet – it’s an ink guzzler but fun l.
Cheap Korean gelato – lovely – semi permanent effects
White Stabillo pencil for glass , metal , paper and plastic – it says it’s water proof but it’s not.
Faber Castro Polychromos in Cobalt green permanent.
Cheap biro – my favourite mixed media implement at the moment
Distress Marker bought in the sale at Hobby Craft – with a damaged tip – I love the brush end – I wish it was permanent
The type of thing I have been using them on
This one is teadipped and has clear gesso drawn on in spirals at some stage ….
This one uses biro, acrylic , powdered pigment , and several of the above swirled through before and after tea dipping. I say several because looking at the image I can’t remember what exactly ( lol)
If I use termeric in the tea dipping – I get a nice dark colour but it leaves a residue that needs to be sealed before I can work on top , or it tends to ruin pens – which is not cost affective
I have found a PVA at the local DIY shop that seems to work when applied with a credit card and it just adds a sheen to the paper.
The above image was made using :
1) a fabric diolly print in acrylic
2) drawn swirls with distress pen , and chalk
marker
3) tea dipped
4) PVA
5) printed on with acrylic through a stencil
6) doodle flower in permanent marker
7) biro grid
I have found if I cheat with the tea and add a squirt of brown acrylic I can deepen the tones. However, I prefer the effect that you get when you dip the paper several times- printer paper is particularly nice but is very fragile.
Below shows three pieces with different shades of brown – the top one has been dipped once the back one 3 times
tesswyatt's Blog 
My once-tea-dipped are coming apart. LOL. Do you find clear gesso to be “clear” or “just not white” I’ve used it once and it was so murky I would rather have used white. Thanks for the details on your material/process. Finding refillables have been a such chore here.
I use water proof glue? I did have to re glue quite a few things that you did in our collaborative journal that I dipped – the things that I dip don’t tend to be over collaged.my gesso seems to be clear, I have only found cartridge pens and the water reservoir paint brushes – have you got one? I know some of my friends in the US have very nice pens – I haven’t found any in the shops here 😢