I saw southern auroras last night!!!! Rakiura! Holy cow that was AMAZING

(View from a bit south of Arthur's Pass, New Zealand)

So fountain pen ink, which has to be thin so as not to clog the workings of the pen, is formulated differently from India ink (like what you use for calligraphy with a dip pen and nib), which has binders that make it a tiny bit thicker and, when dry, more permanent. In my experience, at least, fountain pen ink doesn't work as well for dip pens and in some cases doesn't work at all, as it flows out too much and bleeds and feathers on paper that would otherwise be suitable.

This made me very sad, as there is a far wider range of fountain pen inks. So I got a bottle of gum arabic, a traditional paint binder made from tree sap, and adding just a drop to a little bit of fountain pen ink makes it much more tractable!

A nice side effect is that it makes the sheen in sheening ink really pop.

#calligraphy #FountainPens #FountainPenInk

This is my first daytime lighting photo. It may not be much but it’s mine

#chicago #photography

RISING (2007)
Acrylic on Watercolor board - 36” X 24”

This image came to me while I was working on THE RIVER in 1996. 1/3

#fineart #imaginativerealism #personalvisions

Hello #Fediverse! What were you listening to 25 years ago? That’s the question as we move into the next #blog for Albums of the year as chosen by you! So please let me know, what is your choice for the best album from the year 2000! One choice per person. Name as may honourable mentions as you like, just please state which is your overall choice. Previous years posts are in the post.

Hails!