For many days I was experimenting like an alchemist to create the perfect mix of my ink for my trip to Antarctica. I still haven’t found it, but I was more successful with my watercolour palette.
I tried several blues and mixing them. Yes, ice does have different colures. At least it was so in the Arctic. I had high hopes for Buff Titanium and was very disappointed. It turns the blue into green. I don’t like white and black in watercolour. One can mix black and the paper normally is white. But some blues could only be achieved by using China White. Together with Mangan Blue in makes a great "ice blue". I decided against a prefabricated black and mixed my own: Indanthrene Blue and Van Dyke Brown (more blue than brown)
As I will stay some time in Buenos Aires and Ushuaia I needed my daily colours, too. On one side I don’t expect much pink in Antarctica, on the other side there is a whole building in Buenos Aires that’s supposed to be pink. Maybe I won’t even have the time to sketch there but I want to be prepared. I reduced some colours to half pans to have more space for the blues.
| DS Buff Titanium, DS Quinacridone Gold | DS Hansa Yellow Medium |
| DS Monte Amiata Natural Sienna | DS Transparent Pyrrol Orange, DS Quinacridone Rose |
| DS Transparent Red Oxide | WN Potters Pink, WN SAP Green |
| WN China White | Grey (premix – WN Cerulean Blue + DS Potters Pink), Black (premix – WN Indanthrone Blue + DS Van Dyke Brown) |
| DS Van Dyke Brown | DS Mangan Blue |
| WN Indanthrone Blue, WN Phthalo Blue | DS Ultramarine Blue |
DS = Daniel Smith, WN= Winsor & Newton
