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I’m updating my first review of these postcards, six months later. I love these postcards!I bought them for the TIN… I hadn’t even wanted the cards. My studio paints were overflowing my old pencil case, and I loved the flowers and embossed rooster and the size, perfect for travel or my desk. I bought two on Amazon, filled them with paints, and then said, “Now what am I to do with these bits?” (I do that, impulsively.)
Initially I was disappointed in the 250 gsm paper, which is rough… I prefer a cold pressed medium textured paper. But I like texture and wanted to make a couple postcards to cheer friends and my mom so gave it a go.
They take everything I throw at them. The orange flower above, my first, started with an under layer of Viridian and Quin Yellow over the inked image, then added Amazonite and a sloppy wet layer of New Gamboge… and the paper started to curl! I clipped it. After it dried a bit, I added a layer of a mixed red, and a final layer of mixed brown. Finally I topped it with a layer of ink to pop the lines again and used a White Pitt Pen for highlights.
The paper is a bit rough for fine point pens, though my Platinum Carbon pen has scratched over it, above, and managed to survive. I rarely use fine point pens (I prefer stubs) so this is not an issue for me.
Paper curling IS a problem with tons of wash, but its a small one. I’ve cut heavy used mailers to the size of the postcards, and the paper behaves when it is clipped, above. Now I have 3-4 of these clipped and ready to use next to the bed for middle-of-the-night painting! If you don’t or can’t clip it when you are working it, AFTER it is dry, turn it over and clip then brush with water and let it dry. It straightened out my very curled teabag art!
The texture has become a plus as I’ve learned to work with it… The paper is part of the image, as color lays into the dips in unexpected ways. It can take a LOT of water, and I can push pigments around on the texture. Who knew?
But the best thing is that I’ve delighted so many people, including my mom, with lovely original watercolors.
I admit I don’t stick a stamp on them, because they can get ruined, but pop them into an envelop. I paint sweet or funny postcards and leave them to brighten Mitchell’s day.I want to make many more so I can collect a couple more tins (remember why I started down this path?)! Doodlewashers may be mostly into watercolors, but the postcards take ink washes, and pencil and gouache and layered thin papers as collage as well.
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