19 March 2024

There was a small hiccup in preparing the ink from the pigments. They needed to be ground/mullered into finer granuals as they were a bit gritty. However, we carried on using the Safe Wash Cranford Oil Inks, which can be cleaned up without the need for solvents. Vegetable oil is very good for this. I tried printing on the different types of paper, and I really like how the texture came through. They add to the image.

Our tutor mentioned how expensive these materials were to buy and that we had to factor that into the cost of production. Say my hourly rate is £25 per hour, and it takes me 4 hours to make up the inks bought from the pigments, that’s £100. How long will the ink last when it’s made up? and how many prints could you use it in? I find that the small pots of pigment last a long time in their raw state but depending on how airtight the container is, it may not last that long when made into an ink. This is an area I still need to experiment. But my point being, I could buy the sustainable ink already made up, and just charge for the time to make the piece of artwork. And, still earn the £100 in my day job to pay the bills. This is why I feel there is no right or wrong way because it depends on individual life circumstances.

Be the best sustainable artist you can be withing your limitations.