Harvey's Helpful Hints
August 2007

Need a good recipe for embossing fluid that works well with brush or pen:

• 2 tsp distilled water

• 1 tsp glycerine

• 6-8 drops gum Arabic

• a few drops of color (gouache is o.k.)

• Mix well and keep in an air-tight container.

A good idea (for recycling) is to use the Styrofoam meat trays upside down to hold ink bottles, etc. cut a hole the size of the bottle and insert the bottle. You can even use them right-side up by cutting notches on the edges to hold your pens and pencils.  And use a thick sponge the same way as above. Nibs can be wiped on the damp sponge.

Worried about copyright laws? (as we all are) -  You can get the info you need at the copyright office: 202-707-3000. Ask for package #115 for artists; Circular #1 which is copyright basics, and/or Circular #22 – investigating Copyright Status of a work; and Circular #92 – Copyright Law. If you would rather write: U.S. Copyright Office, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20559. Perhaps you can get this information on their website…?

Recipe for making 1000 year ink:

Place charcoal between two pieces of foil

Pound it with a hammer until there is nothing but very fine powder (the finer the powder the better the ink)

For every 2 tablespoons of powder: Mix two teaspoons honey.

Stir – makes a very thick paste. Use distilled water to thin.

Use immediately, or make this mixture into cakes. Set in the sun for a few days until dry. It can be reconstituted with distilled water for future use – or use with a brush by stroking the cake with a wet brush. 

Right before your eyes – use the white plastic cups used for coffee cream (in a restaurant) for mixing small amounts of ink or color. They are not very sturdy so use them only once or twice.

And on recycling: McCormack Spice bottles are perfect for storing small items and nibs, gouache, paint or ink. Since they are clear, identification of the stored items are super even without a label.

When using the green bottle of Sumi Ink be aware that drying time is 4 days or more. However, the orange bottle of Vermilion Ink will dry in the normal time allotted.

Be sure to test your gouache (or ink) on the same paper you will use for your final art piece, with the same nib and ink, before starting to write. This test will eliminate a lot of time and energy wasted – making sure all the elements are compatible. To go a bit further – use this test paper for erasing (assuming you might make a mistake) to see how the paper reacts to erasing.

A new tube of gouache will come with a few drops of glycerine on top to keep it moist. Squeeze this glycerine out and discard – do not mix with the gouache you squeeze out of the tube.