Tempera Resist with Ink-Fauve Style

We were learning about the Fauve art style that was created by Henri Matisse. He painted in bright , wild colors.

We started by outlining our drawing with thick permanent marker. Next the painting was given two coats in tempera paint. India Ink was brushed over the entire painting and left to dry overnight.

After the ink was washed off , the tempera resisted the ink and left an interesting background on the surface of the paper.

This was the first time I taught this technique and we had varying levels of success. We experimented with the type of paper, brand of paint, brush used for applying , and dilution of the ink.  The first subject everyone did was a still life. Then they could choose the subject of their second painting. I let them decide if they wanted to use the ink resist or not. 

 I tried this type of project with watercolor and ink but the colors were always so faint. By taping our paper on a board for wash off, the paper stayed in better shape and the tempera paint was brighter. Prang paint seemed to do well. By diluting the ink half and half , it seemed to wash off better.