ink experimentation

I've been playing around with various ink colors again, deciding to try mixing non-like inks. If it doesn't work, who cares?

Here, I mixed two brands, one water-soluble and one water-proof. I bought the Noodler's red-black years ago specifically for the "bleeding" properties. I decided to see if I could mix it with de Atramentis dark blue to achieve a smoky shadow purple color.

After mixing several drops of each in a small ink sample bottle and giving it a stir, I first tried applying some lines with an antique dip pen (belonged to Bill's grandmother) and sprayed the lines with water to see the "bleed" color mix. Red seemed to dominate so I added more blue.

Next, I put the ink into a Lamy Safari (XF nib) and tried sketching. Still a bit too red in application so I added more blue and gave the pen a shake before drawing.

It seemed to be the right color . . . . but in an actual drawing, it still seems too red. The "bleeding" is much less now, especially if allowed to dry a bit.

Oh, well -- it is still fun to play!