Process: Begin by pouring a very moderate amount of water in the stone. Then simply hold the stick vertically and begin grinding. The more water used and less you grind, the lighter your ink will be. You can make anything from a light gray to black. From there, you can begin just painting as a type of loose drawing or paint similarly to a watercolor process. Painting as watercolor on this paper tends to be problematic due to the absorbency of the paper. This paper pulls and soaks up the ink's pigment and water, giving it a completely different look from when you first put down your brush. One of the most interesting functions of this process is how it dries. As it dries, the water begins to move and settle within the paper, pulling the pigment along with it. It creates an extraordinarily magical sight of life and movement. Once dry, you may find you need to put more washes or more confident amounts of ink on the now dry surface to get the look you want. Just drawing with the ink is pretty straight forward in comparison to the unpredictable results of using it like watercolors. Just dip your brush, and go for it!
Recommendations: If you like control, this may not be the best project for you. If that happens to be the case, however, I urge you to get out of your comfort zone and enjoy the unpredictable elements it has to offer. It provides a great sense of freedom and surpirse. If you decide to do washes, continue adding more washes or bold ink usage. Allow time to dry in between.
