Tutorial: Using Modifiers

Once you’ve determined if this ink is right for you, and you’ve learned how to use natural ink, it’s time to practice! Here’s a step-by-step photo progression of a simple design using Jasper Plant + Mineral Watercolor Ink, Mercury Ink Modifier, and The Moon Ink Modifier.

Layering Modifiers Over a Single Color of Ink

Difficulty: Easy Time: 20+ minutes, depending on complexity of design

Supplies

  • pencil for sketching out design

  • black pen for the outline (I used a Sharpie for this tutorial, but Micron pens are my favorite)

  • 3 paintbrushes (one for each ink and modifier)

  • clean palette or 3 small cups

  • Jasper Plant + Mineral Watercolor Ink

  • The Moon Ink Modifier

  • Mercury Ink Modifier

Simple Flower Painting

Step One: I lightly sketched out the design in pencil. During this stage, I don’t like to add too many details, as too much graphite can muddy the ink.

Step Two: Next, I painted the entire flower with Jasper Plant + Mineral Watercolor Ink and let it dry for a few minutes. It doesn’t take long for layers to dry.

Step Three: Then, I added a second layer of Jasper to the center of the flower and the petals. Not pictured: a third layer of Jasper was added to the center.

Step Four: Now it’s time to apply a single layer of Ink Modifier. I used Mercury to do the center stripe of the petals. Using a different, clean paintbrush, I applied The Moon Ink Modifier to the center of the flower and the petals. You can see the center is darker due to the added layers of Jasper in the previous step. With the excess ink on my brush, I used some Moon Ink Modifier over the Mercury Modifier in the center of the petals also.

Step Five: After the watercolor was completely dry, I went in with a extra fine tip Sharpie to add details and definition to the flower. Micron pens work best for this, but you can use whatever you have on hand!

Final Thoughts

I hope this made it easier to see how to layer ink and modifiers! It requires a little bit of a different approach than traditional watercolors, but it’s very easy and the experimentation is fun! Hope you enjoyed!