This is a small painting I did for the Anonymous Art Show in North Vancouver :

A great concept, this exhibition organised by the North Vancouver Arts council consist of around 600 paintings of a 8×8 inches size. Click on the picture to go to the Arts Council website.

No artist name or title is visible and all the paintings are at the same price of 100 dollars . So this is a great mix of artist that could be well-known or just starting and people will choose what painting to buy only by looking at the work itself: a great idea!

So I made this painting for the show and had to wait until the show is over ( a few days ago) so I could post this demo.

Ink Resist Technique on Canvas, a step by step painting tutorial : Crow

Starting with pictures of crows I made a drawing directly on the canvas, adding some designs in the background.

I used tempera paint as a resist and mixed a little bit of blue watercolor to see it better on the canvas. You could also use gouache.

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Holbein Acryla Gouache, 152 Chinese White, 20 ml Acryla Designer Gouache is a fast-drying, opaque acrylic based watercolor paint. It’s water soluble while wet, and water-resistant, matte and opaque, even over dark surfaces. Great for grounds and layering.

The blue watercolor stained the canvas a bit but that wasn’t a problem in that case.

I painted with my watercolor-tempera mix the parts I wanted to keep white, leaving the darks unpainted.

After the paint has dried, I poured India ink on the canvas.

I spread it around carefully with a very soft brush then let it to dry again.

I am a Blick Art Materials affiliate and I receive a small compensation for sales. That does not effect in any way the cost of the purchaser’s order but it helps me keeping the content of this blog free.

Speedball Super Black Waterproof India Ink “Super black” means its blackness will be very permanent and fadeless. Contains 100% carbon black pigment. Also free-flowing, non-clogging, and waterproof.

Then the fun begins, I held the canvas under the tap letting the water rinse off the tempera paint. Do not scrub because the ink would wash away

After the canvas has dried I increase the contrasts by painting the light areas with a mix of white acrylic and medium.

I then try different colors, for the background, here trying on some acrylics and inks diluted in water.

I am a Blick Art Materials affiliate and I receive a small compensation for sales. That does not effect in any way the cost of the purchaser’s order but it helps me keeping the content of this blog free.

Daler-Rowney FW Acrylic Water-Resistant Artists Ink FW Artists Ink is an acrylic-based, pigmented, water-resistant ink in a range of 38 colors, all of which have either a three-star or four-star rating for permanence. FW Artists Inks work well with airbrushes, dip pens, technical pens and brushes. – Primary Colors Set

Here some red acrylic with medium.

Another layer of diluted white acrylics.

Then I decide on a blue background, letting some of the underlying reds and oranges show at the edges.

You might also like this video where I am explaining the ink resist technique: