NOT ONE BUT, COUNT 'EM, TWO TECHNIQUES!

METHOD ONE: CREATE INTEREST WITH INDIA INK...
A SHARP IDEA!

Besides the permanent ink in a shallow dish, you'll need a single-edged razor blade.

This is the ink I used, and it worked fine.

My first example, below,
was done on watercolor
paper, but do try Yupo or
even a canvas!
Dip the sharp edge of the
blade into the ink, and use
it as a drawing tool
on wet or dry paper.



I've done both here.



 METHOD TWO: GESSO HAS PULL!

In this demo, you'll pull a wide brush of white gesso through wet color and ink lines. But you must be quick and work while it's still wet! I used a primed canvas as my substrate. Do limit your paint palette to three or four colors that work together. You'll also need a spray bottle of water, a rag, and the goodies we used above in method one.
FIRST: Paint swatches of your colors all across the surface, leaving some bare white above and below.   


Colors included several metallics and Quin Nickel Azo Gold.

SECOND: I used the trick from method one, both horizontally and vertically, before the paint could dry.


Is your wide brush filled with gesso for the next step?

Note that I extended my black lines to the bottom but not at the top of my painting.
THIRD: Pull the brush and gesso down through some of the paint and ink at the left of the page, and continue across in the same manner. Beware of muddiness...you might wish to clean the gesso brush once or twice. Don't do anything at the top of the artwork just yet!

Still not finished, but cool beans, huh?

FOURTH: Spray clear water on the top portion and tilt the paper, encouraging it to run a bit. If the paint and ink is now too dry to flow, add a little more as needed. I also tipped my canvas for some flow toward the bottom!
Blot anywhere it's needed, or blend with a clean brush, or add more lines, or dots of color, spattering, even a few scribbles! (I had a great time with mine, below.)


I even used gesso to make more razor blade lines.

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