Kuretake Traditional Calligraphy Professional AP Certified Review

[Colored Ink Stick] Kuretake "Saiboku Shimbi" is a colored ink stick with demonstrates the beautiful, vibrant colors used in traditional Japanese style paintings. You can easily control the ink density or blend colors together using these ink sticks. You can also use these to create different bleeding and blurring techniques. It can be used for a wide range of purposes, including Japanese-style paintings, ink wash, watercolor, and colored ink paintings. [Colors] We have 12 colors that demonstrate the vibrancy of traditional Japanese colors. You can adjust and express various colors from vivid and dense or transparent and calm to best suit your works. This set also includes two black ink sticks. The first is black ink for calligraphy and painting, which has a slight, reddish-brown shade when diluted with an excess of water. Second is bluish-black ink color for illustration, which is clear and has a great depth of color. [How to use] 1. Drop a coin-size droplet of water on the flat "hill" of the ink stone. 2. With some pressure, grind the ink stick into the water in a circular motion. 3. When the ink becomes your preferred consistency, guide the ink towards the ink "pool" of the ink stone 4. Repeat steps 1-3 until you've created the preferred amount of ink. [High Pigment] With the high pigment percentage, this watercolor ink stick performs well against lightfast durability. Perfect for professional artists to use when making artwork to be enjoyed for years. [How to store] Each ink stick is separately wrapped with Japanese traditional paper called ‘washi’ and placed in beautiful paulownia boxes, which provides protection to preserve the life of the ink. After each use, be sure to remove moisture by gently wiping the ink stick with cloth or paper. It is easy to rinse and clean the ink. Please store ink stick in the paulownia box to preserve.