Indian Manuscript Paper

Oooh, the excitement of an early xmas gift to myself...

paper over a 100 years old.... 

19th century accounts records from Rajastan, NW India....

long, narrow sheets of Sunn hemp paper that was burnished by hand 

using a smooth stone...

See those holes at the top? 

Batches of paper were threaded with string & hung up, ready for use...

long columns of entries by various hands will provide a great textural background

for a flurry of ideas zinging around my in brain...

I bought rather a lot & have some some

available here

Brush Textures

black & grey...

a favourite combination...

whether dramatic or subtle...

little details...

pure texture...

 sumi ink & dirty water...

heaven...

Brush Textures

There's something satisfying about just playing 

with textures & layout without using words...

white on black always looks dramatic.... 

a little silver powder is dropped into wet paint on the top one...

 a single chinese or japanese calligraphy brush gives a variety 

of stroke widths depending how you use it..

as well as being visually pleasing, they also serve as inspiration 

for layouts to use with words at some future date...