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Orchids in Window in Ink

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Another ink and wash drawing on Khadi handmade paper. In addition to the pack of twenty sheets of paper, I now have two small hardcover journals and one larger square journal, all Khadi paper. It’s now my favorite. I would say the same thing if I was lucky enough to have the equivalent with Twinrocker paper, but they only do single sheets.

10″ x 14″, ink on Khadi handmade watercolor paper

I’ve been using a white Neocolor I (water resistant) crayon to create highlights,similar to using masking fluid. I put it down after the first line drawing but before the ink wash. Or, I use the crayon or to add in a few after I accidentally make something too dark. I dislike using gel pens. They never seem to work on whatever surface or medium I’m using, but when they do work, there’s often a opaque feeling to the whiteness. With a crayon or colored pencil, it’s easy to create a subtle highlight. However, once on the paper, it’s extremely hard to go over it again with ink. It’s also difficult to put in highlights on white paper before adding a wash. In the drawing above, the highlights on the leaves in the bottom left were created using the wax crayon before I put in an ink wash (several times to get it dark), and they kind of glow.

Yet Another Hobby: African Violets

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Two years ago I bought a dozen African Violet leaf cuttings of miniature violets. Two years later, my hobby is going strong. I’ve lost a few but had success with most. They’ve all decided to bloom this month and put on a spring show.

African Violets don’t require as much care as most people think. Because the roots remain fairly shallow, using a light soil and repotting about twice a year is needed. About a month after repotting, I switch from plain water to a diluted African Violet fertilizer every other watering. My plants are under lights but they get plenty of indirect light, too. That’s about it!

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