Demo: Lucinda Nicholas - Brusho and Watercolour Inks
An interesting demo. Most of us had not encountered Brusho, or watercolour inks, so this was new ground. (Also new ground, was our new overhead camera system which, after a few fits and starts allowed us to see all of Lucinda’s lovely work in close up…)
Lucinda began with an overview, explaining what Brusho was and how it could be used. It it consisted of small pots of vivid colour in powder form. She explained that it was a good idea to pierce the lid with a drawing pin so that the pot could be used as a sprinkler for some techniques. Tiny amounts of the powder could also be placed on a palette and water added to produce a pool of intense colour that could be diluted as required. Though it could be used in the same way as watercolour, there were some limitations. For example, once in place and dried, it could not be lifted out using a brush and water. If colour needed to be removed, a 50/50 mixture of bleach and water could be used (with caution).
One of the most interesting effects could be achieved by painting on some plain water and sprinkling brusho onto the brush strokes. This produced a pleasing mottled effect. Wax resist was also effective. Dip pens could also be used to great effect..
Lucinda also demonstrated the watercolour inks, which could be used in much the same way as standard watercolour. Again, the colour was intense and could be diluted as required.
All of these could be used in conjunction with acrylic inks and standard watercolours. The fun was in the experimentation.
Lucinda finished her demo with a larger picture which involved masking out areas of her first brusho colour demo with ink to produce a pleasing design.
A quick web search for the products Lucinda demonstrated resulted in this:
Wax resist sticks, Brusho, Watercolour Inks
There seems to be general availability, so do shop around if you are interested. Lucinda is willing to share her supplies in her workshop in January so you won’t need to invest if you just want to experiment. Lucinda’s workshop will be in January so we will issue reminders nearer the time but if you do want to book a place on the workshop before this, contact Jen or complete the booking form on the web page
