Note: Congratulations to Kimberly Santini, who won the Gold Sumi-e Watercolor in the cute ceramic dish! Can’t wait to see what she does with it!
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One of the items Niji gave me to play with when I became a designer for them is their dish of pale gold sumi-e watercolor paint. Rich with gold and possibility, I’ve found several ways to make the most of it.
Ceramic dish of pale gold sumi-e watercolor paint by Yasutomo.
I can’t help it, I love the 2-3/4-inch ceramic dish it comes in. And I’m giving a dish of it away. (Details below.)
My new favorite way to apply it is with a brayer–the roller you use to apply ink to printing plates.
Using black paper and gold paint, I made a fantasy card. For the background, choose a sturdy paper like Strathmore ArtAgain or Arches cover. Using a fat, fairly stiff brush (I use a glue brush), mix some water into the dish. Load the brush and then snap the brush to drip gold sumi-e paint on the paper.
Immediately, roll the brayer up over the paint. You can use a painted stripe if you want to include a horizon line.
I added a painted circle out of the acrylic paper for a moon and let it extend beyond the edge, trimming off the extra. You can read the entire instructions on the Niji blog page, here.
If fantasy cards aren’t your thing, you can use the gold sumi-e paint to color shipping tags, too. I had already painted several of them with acrylics (for my Tiny Journal class this weekend at Arizona Art Supply) I splashed some gold ink on them and rolled the brayer across to add bold patterns.
Last week, at the Craft and Hobby Association convention in Anaheim, California, I discovered that Yasutomo was introducing a new paper. It’s made of . . . minerals. Called Mineral White in the origami paper and All Media paper for artists, it is amazing to work with. Yes, it is made from very finely ground calcium carbonate in a soft binder. It feels like paper, but it has a huge benefit for watercolor artists–the paper doesn’t curl when wet. It stays flat no matter what you do with it. No buckling at all.
Here is a sheet of Mineral White with gold sumi-e watercolor brayered across it. It looks like a landscape of mountains. It’s great for art journaling or origami. You can also use it for origami or collage.
This is the Mineral White with a blue and green Splash Ink wash and a spritz of water to create the look of rain.
Then I brayered gold watercolor across it for another whole dimension of color and glitz.
Just because it’s watercolor doesn’t mean you have to use a brush to paint it on!
To win a 2-3/4-inch ceramic dish of Yasutomo pale gold sumi-e paint, you have to do two things:
- Leave a comment on this blog.
- Like the Yasutomo Facebook page.
The winner will be announced on January 27, on this blog post and on the Yasutomo Facebook page.
There’s another giveaway going on today: Photographer Bo Mackison (I altered a photograph she took in the Inner Hero book) is giving away a copy of my new book on her blog.
—Quinn McDonald is the author of the newly-released Inner Hero Creative Art Journal. She is on the Niji Design Team and is an art journaler, writer, and certified creativity coach.
Yasutomo provided the materials to all design team members and will provide the paint to the winner.
QuinnCreative 
GOLD. SUMI-E. COLOR. enough said.
I have been looking at these paints for a long time and would love to play with the gold
I have all these golden ideas swimming around in my imagination!!
You had me at the very beginning–I also like the look and idea of the little ceramic dish, but then the samples that followed. Ooh… all the possibilities. A great giveaway, but also thanks for introducing this new product to us.
oh!! Pick me!! Pick me!! I would love to doodle in that gold overtop deeply hued underpaintings…… I may not be able to wait until your giveaway and order myself some NOW!! Thanks, Quinn!!
I’ve never used anything but black ink for my calligraphy and painting. The gold would be fabulous.
Gold on black paper, YUM! Also, gold hinting around black ink on gray or blue paper is lovely.
I looked for the mineral white paper on the Yasutomo site, but did not see it. Is it available to the public yet? Anxious to try.
I added Yasutomo to my likes, but not until I went through all their wonderful products on the website, every single one. I am using Splash Inks, thanks to you and love them. Your examples, particularly the Asian themes, are exquisite. The gold is a perfect color for a summer moon.
I love love Yasutomo products. Used to have some of their paints and would love a new pan!
That mineral white paper looks scrumptious! And that gold watercolor paint looks amazing, too! Thank you for the reminder that paint brushes are only *one* watercolor tool, not the only one! The prints turned out beautifully.
It’s so true–I write with sticks, and make marks with old credit cards, spatulas and even wax paper.
I would love to try this Yasutomo pale gold sumi-e paint on card making!!
neat, thanks for the contest!
Yummy gold sumi-e water color paint. Quinn, I love all your samples using it, especially the shipping tag and mineral white with the blue and green Splash Ink. Thanks for the chance to win some!
Beautiful results. I love the effects. Of course colory me, I am drawn into the blue/green one. Now on to FB to like
Ah, the Midas touch! What a beautiful quality it adds and the brayer technique is genius! Now headed to FB:)
Just discovered that myself. It’s very cool!
I would so love to play with this! I’m also amazed at how you got the gold to photograph – so lush!!
Three different lights, one shaded with rice paper, flat on my desk with an iPhone.
This paint is beautiful! I’ve never heard (or thought of) gold watercolor. I would love to try this out.
Gorgeous gold!
Wow – that gold sumi-e looks fantastic! What you did with it is lovely, too.
Oh my gosh this us fab…so want to play with it;)
Gold looks terrific! Liking their page is an easy thing to do! Thanks for the opportunity to win.
That looks amazing! I shall have to see if it’s available in the UK. Thank you for the chance to win.
what a great product. Your post has me now poking around to see if the product is available in Missoula. The dish appeals to me as well. Thanks for the giveaway opportunity. Gold is a major player in a piece of art currently developing in the studio.
This is fantastic. I have just started to go out of my comfort zone and try new ideas. Thank you for this one.
Oooo, I want to try some of that!
Love the light surreal touch it adds with your technique…just getting started with watercolors and want to try this!
FB page liked. Love this paint and I would love to try it. Thanks
Oh I would love to win this! Thanks!
Love the effect of that gold. There are a thousand ideas there.
That gold looks amazing! I would love to win that. And I am clearly going to have to expand my paper knowledge. I have a lot to learn about paper and the different types.
I really want to work with the gold and I’m excited to try the mineral paper. My grandson, the origami king just got his own bone folder! He requested it for Christmas so the mineral paper will be on our next craft store list.
For Deb in the cold north… I love your gravitar!
And have you seen those watercolor brushes that have a tube to hold water? You have to try them. They don’t come in a variety of sizes but for kids and travel it’s the way to go.
I love that your grandson has his own bonefolder! The mineral paper may take a while to hit the market. Those watercolor brushes (Niji makes one kind) come in sizes–small, medium and large. The water barrel is the same size, the brush is different.
Mineral paper. Fascinating. Just went to the Mineral Sale at the Desert Museum – came home with a pile of rocks. And looking at them, cannot imagine how they could be processed into paper. Love the look of the precious mineral gold on the mineral paper.
Used an old wordpress log in trying to make the wordpress.com work with a wordpress.org site. It is not Beatrice of the very Old Art Journal blog.
You are a woman of many identities–intriguing!
Used to be a woman of many identities. This one surfaced from the past, and surprised even me!
That paint seems to add to everything. I love that last blue and green picture!
I love that it comes in a ceramic dish! I use gold paint pens in my journaling, yet would LOVE love love this in order to add in the backgrounds without being stinky like the paint pens.
(I liked the yasutomo page too!)
Rachel
Gosh,this is lovely. I’ll have to look for it up here in the frozen north!
Wow! In all honesty, I love the pan the paint comes in, too! Thank you for letting us know about the paper, in addition to the paint/ink! I’ve already been to FB!
Me, too. The pan is just soooo cute!
The blue and green rain effect is beautiful with the gold peeking through. Would love to make a notebook and use the gold on the cover!
You are so generous Quinn. Love the look of the gold, but I am a gold(en) girl in more ways than one!
*Chuckle*
Wow! That looks so good on dark paper!!
very pretty, love the effects of the gold watercolor, love the paper too. oh the possibilities
Stunning! Seriously stunning! And that paper sounds really fascinating too! Especially since my hubby loves Origami. It’s a cool thing to combine my paint play and his folding! Must look in to that. And the gold really makes it pop beautifully!
The paper has a nice soft hand, but folds with crisp folds. He’ll need to use a bone folder though.
I love this gold with the blue greens, and I love the light on the tag. I’ve never heard of gold watercolor before. It’s beautiful!
Wow!!! That’s gorgeous!
Wow , this is lovely Quinn!Indeed it looks ethereal. Always like to add something with a shine or glow on my projects! I don’t think they sell it here in the Netherlands?
I’d try the Japanese section of an art store–along with the sumi-e ink, rice paper, and bamboo calligraphy brushes. Or the section where the origami paper is.
Gorgeous!!! I would love to get a dip pen into that little pot of deliciousness and letter a black envelope! Or add swirls to a journal page, or paint a Tucson sunrise …. the mind explodes in golden possibilities!
Lovely. You have certainly led me to many new things in my life. Thank you for sharing your many talents and the things tat speak to you!
I didn’t mean to make myself anonymous.
I never think of myself as talented. I think of myself as “I’ll try any art thing that comes to me!”
Gold water color, that truly looks metallic, is a dream come true! The non-buckling paper is the 2nd dream come true. I am so excited about the class in Phoenix this weekend. I hope we have a chance to try these items and they are available for purchase. I really look forward to meeting you.
I don’t have the non-buckling paper, it’s not in general release yet, but I’ve told the sales manager at AZ Art Supply about it. I’m bringing the gold sumi-e paint, and you can bring a brayer!
Magical! all these neat things for paper. wish I could translate them to silk
You might want to try mixing the gold paint into GAC 600–the medium for fabric, and then heat setting it. It’s worth a try on a scrap.
Can something be splendid and subtle at the same time? As contradictory as it sounds that gold paint is both.
*swoon* at the “No buckling at all.” concept.
It’s a really color-loaded paint. The paper has its quirks (it’s not super absorbent), but the no buckling won me over.
It is that light “not really there” but woooooooow it IS there quality that is interesting. And the dish? Cuuuuute! It also looks sturdy enough for the paint but delicate in an artsy manner.
I first loved it for the dish, but when I tried it, I fell in love with what it could do!
I love these designs. You are so talented. I have not played with water colors for a long time. I would like a chance to win the gold. I have a quick question: Have you ever used the water color colored pencils? If you have I would like to know what you think of them.
I love watercolor pencils. Of course, I use them differently than they were intended to be used. Maybe I need a post about that. But yes, my two favorites are Derwent InkTense and the Derwent Graphics–which are dark neutrals that bloom into color when you wet them. I like to travel with watercolor pencils because they aren’t messy and you can use them in hotel rooms.
Thank you, will need to look those up. Have a great week.
I love the pale gold sumi-e, heading off to FB now to “like”! Count me in!
I love gold paints and that one seams a pleasure to work with. I will look to my local art supplies store if I can find it.
Most big art supplies stores carry it or can order it for you. You can also get it directly from the Yasutomo site.
Oh that gold looks sublime. Count me in. And what’s that you say? Paper that doesn’t buckle????? No more soaking the paper in the tub, dripping it all over the floor, stapling it to boards and then having to remove all those staples? Taking away all my fun! Not!
You will love this paper. It does not buckle, but it’s not super absorptive, either. It’s rocks, after all. But it is fun to play with and as soon as I get more, I’m trying it on my Gelli plate!
I love metallics!! I am anxious to see and feel the mineral paper! I bind my own journals and would love to try it! Thanks for the heads up! When will it be available to the general public?
Yes, it will be on the Yasutomo site first, as origami paper called Mineral White. They are allowing wholesalers to order it now, so I’d think in about six weeks it will be available to the general public. The paper has a soft hand, but has some quirks–it doesn’t absorb quickly. And it tears in one direction and not easily.
Wow, clever use of the watercolor! This new produce looks like it would be fantastic to use in art journaling. Thank you for sharing.
It is. I use it both under and over paints, with a brush and a brayer, and oh, you can use it with a dip pen, too.
Hi Quinn, I enjoy your newsletter and seeing everything that your up too. The gold paint over the green and blue, is gorgeous. Does the sumi e watercolor always come in a ceramic dish?
Yes, it comes in the ceramic dish (there’s a LOT of it) and the dish comes in a plastic box with a lid that snaps shut.
I had never heard of gold watercolor! This is so beautiful! I am going to go like their page right away. Thank you so much!
With a LOT of uses!
It is gorgeous and I want it 🙂
The gold is AMAZING! I already have ideas spinning around in my head!
It is really versatile. You can mix it with other paints and inks, too.
Kind of ethereal prints…the splash inks and the gold together are soooo wonderful!
I agree–an accidental discovery that I love!