3rd entry for Feb 9, 2015

These are all mixes of Pitt medium pen and india ink brushpen washes on a variety of papers. The top one is 5 minutes, and the other four are 10-minute studies.
The top one is on 14 x 17" Strathmore Bristol paper, the second one is on 18 x 18" Canson Watercolour paper, and the lower three are on 15 x 18" sheets of Curry's cold-press rag watercolour paper.
Brushpens depend on a flow of ink or water through the bristles, which is partly capillary action. I am using some thinned-down washes in them, which isn't the ink formulated for the Pentel ones, and has more pigment particles to potentially clog the water feed in ones designed for water only, so viscosity and clogging are challenges. Different papers change the way the pens behave.
The bristol is a cold surface, but its smoothness is helpful in that less ink is needed, as it stays up top, and the brushpen can keep pace better without going dry.
The Canson is a bit finicky with the brushpen - it seems to eat a bit too much ink too fast.
The Curry's 200 lb. paper plays very nicely with inks - they sit on the top with a bit of a crisper but granular quality that I like. The slightly beige colour of it plays nicely with the ink colour, too.
I was also using some cheaper waterbrushes that I have, filled with ink washes. Squeezing their flexible barrel a a lot of the time while putting in values meant they deliver a lot more ink than the Pentel pens do by capillary feed alone. I'm getting less afraid of the unpredictability of that, which is helpful.