Aquamarkers

Recently LETRASET sent me some Aquamarkers to try out, these are super juicy markers filled with a water based pigmented ink. They give you the effect of a watercolour, but the convenience of being in a marker.

Currently there are 59 colours plus a colourless blender pen. 20 of these colours are brand new, only just having been released.

Not only can you draw with them, but they can be used to colour in rubber stamps to make prints. As they are water soluble the ink can be washed right off the stamp.  

Before I get to making items with these pens I first wanted to make myself some samples. I added them to my sample book that I made a few weeks ago, but that didn't really show the capability of the ink.

The important thing to remember with watercolours is 'layering'

Layers...layers..layers..

that is the way to build them up and create depth and dimension in your work.

So I wanted to show how each colour could be used in layers.

I first cut some 1 inch strips of watercolour paper

I then used each pen to create a wash of colour over the strips. Once dry i added a second layer, stopping just before the end of the strip. Then i added a 3rd.4th and 5th layer....each layer stops before the end of the previous one.

layer and dry...layer and dry..layer and dry...

So you can see the build up of colour with each subsequent layer.Just look how different layer 1 is compared to layer 5. this technique gives you an unlimited range of shades and tones.

I punched a hole in each one and arranged them in colour family before popping them onto a book ring. now I have a handy reference when I need to choose not just a colour but the intensity of that colour.

I can now make up some cards and pictures which I will show you once done.