Media Tester Sketchbook
Mad Scientist
Purpose
To test out my supplies. I use this book to test out the various effects media can have (e.g., how acrylic inks react to alcohol), to test various media together (e.g., how India inks work on tempura paint sticks), and most recently, swatching out and recording my color palettes (working back-to-front).
Sketchbook Goals
- Test stuff before wrecking stuff.
- Finish this sketchbook.
- Don’t be afraid to play.
Sketchbook Rules
- Just have fun and play!
List Of Tests To Try
| Subject | Description |
|---|---|
| Mixing supplies together | India inks mixed with acrylic inks, clear gesso and one of the other two… |
Ideas For Tests
- Gesso black base for dry media (crayon, colored-pencils)
- how dry media works with wet media
- Clear gesso over messy mediums (crayon, colored pencil, tempura, watercolor?)
- Fineliners over things like geso and acrylic paint markers and inks
Test Catalog
Each test has its own detailed note. This table is a quick index.
Key: ✅ Complete | 🔬 In Progress | 📝 Planned
| Media | Title / Focus | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Acrylic Inks | Alcoholic Reactions Gesso Bloom Tests Common Media Bases |
✅ ✅ ✅ |
| Acrylic Markers | 📝 | |
| Gessos | 📝 | |
| Colored-Pencils | 📝 | |
| Crayons | 📝 | |
| India Inks | Alcoholic Reactions Gesso Bloom Tests Common Media Bases |
✅ ✅ ✅ |
| Micron Fineliners | 📝 | |
| Tempura Paint Sticks | 📝 | |
| Uni Pin FIne Liners | 📝 |
Discussion
Patterns Observed
- India ink is consistently a top performer.
The Positives
- A lot of my media are indeed “mixed.”
The Negatives
- It’s hard to get acrylic markers to be a base for anything, they are far more of a top-layer.