Comments
We printed two examples– one with oil based inks and one with Akua and the Akua was so much better there was no comparison. Our students are refusing to use oil based inks. What a difference it is making in the studio! I know you hear this all the time but you have developed a really wonderful product and all of us out here using it really appreciate all of the benefits.
-Meredith Dean
University of Texas in San Antonio in USA and
Santa Reparata International School of Art, Florence, Italy
www.santareparata.org
Received the inks this morning and had to try them out. Wow, they are so nice. It will be so much easier to switch then I ever thought. The tack and thickness of the ink is nice, and rolls out evenly. Thanks
-Leon,Denver, CO
Your video Saferprinting with Akua Water-based ink has been very helpful. Prior to seeing your video I was happy using the Akua Kolor inks…but now that I know I can use less ink…. Get a better release from my plate by rolling up a combination of Akua Intaglio Oil Converter with Akua Blending Medium…. I’m overwhelmed!! Well, maybe not overwhelmed…but very happy with the results. The video was a good investment and has helped me hone my skills using your Akua Inks. I showed my students this new method and they were so delighted, too. Lots of great tips. Looking forward to the next video on viscosity printing.
- Bev
Monotype by Catherine Tuttle Printed with Akua Kolor
“I feel so fortunate to have discovered Akua-Kolor inks, for they are easy to work with and result in luminous and intensely colored monotypes. I love the ease of using dry paper throughout the process with no need to wait between layers, and then cleaning up with water! With many of the technical problems of printmaking removed I can get on to the business of creating images. I teach the painterly process of monotype to high school students and greatly appreciate the workability and dependability of these inks. My students produced a variety of strong images and are excited about printmaking after using Akua-Kolor inks.”
- Catherine Tuttle
I’m a high school art teacher & some one gave me a jar of your Akua Intaglio water-based ink. WOW!!! We are using it for our intaglio lesson - the prints are great & the clean up is a dream. THANK YOU! I no longer dread doing this project. I hope you are marketing this at art teachers’ state conventions - it’s the BEST.
- Jane Grannis, Montville Township High School
Just wanted to let you know how pleased I am with Akua Intaglio water based inks. What a difference!! I’ve been having a small class do drypoint prints using plexi-glass plates for about 6 years, and this year our results were so much stronger. Have to say that it is entirely related to the ink rather than the quality level of the work the students have done in the past. This year the students were able to get 7 - 10 good prints (depending on how much effort they were willing to put in) and we probably could have gotten more. Your Akua Intaglio water-based ink was so much easier to wipe off the plate and still resulted in dark blacks even when, as your instructions noted, the plate didn’t seem to look like it had much ink left on it. An added benefit was that we used about half the amount of ink this year. Hope your product stays out there at least until I’m ready to retire in 7 years — or longer since I also enjoy doing this type of printmaking on my own.
Sincerely, Mary Palmstrom Chardon High School — Chardon Ohio
Monotype by Terry Davitt Powell
“Working with Akua-Kolor’s richly pigmented inks is a pleasure. The process of multiple plate printmaking is simplified as the plates transfer beautifully to dry paper.”
- Terry Davitt Powell, Redlands, California USA
I wanted to write and tell you how happy I am with Akua-Intaglio inks. I was really impressed by how the ink printed and at how easy it was to wipe the plates. The other folks in my lab were equally excited about the inks, including my instructor. When my husband and I decided to try for our first child, I committed myself to making art with non-toxic materials. I had long desired to learn printmaking and was disappointed by the toxic chemicals used in the lab. I spent the holiday break researching non-toxic techniques, which led me to your web site. I just want to say thanks for making the effort to create your line of non-toxic inks. I am really excited about printmaking now that I have access to non-toxic materials. I am also happy that it is something I can work on at home and someday share with my two daughters.
Sincerely, Heidi
Japanese Hanga Woodcut,
Printed by hand with Baren by Sarah Hauser
“I first tried Akua-Kolors when I took an inspiring monotype workshop from Susan Rostow. Since then I have also used Akua-Kolor for woodblock printing in the Japanese method (color is brushed onto the block, then damp paper is placed on the block and hand-printed using a baren). The colors print smoothly and are beautifully brilliant and light-fast. Clean up is easy and it is a pleasure to know I’m working with non-toxic materials, especially as my studio is a tiny room in my typically small New York apartment. Many thanks to Susan & William for developing these wonderful inks!”
- Sarah Hauser
My students and I had a great evening monotype class, last night, working with Akua Kolor water based inks & everyone marveled at the cleanup. I was thrilled with the time I had to work on each plate. Thanks for a great product.
Kind regards,
- Kim
Japanese Hanga Woodcut,
Printed by hand with Baren by April Vollmer
Akua-Kolor is convenient, lightfast, and full of pigment. I especially like the range of colors, and appreciate finding the ASTM color index number along with the chemical description for each color. I trust the stability and safety of Akua-Kolor.”
- April Vollmer
Because of medical reasons I had to set up a non-toxic studio last year. I researched and experimented with many water-based inks but none came close to being satisfactory in terms of color, brilliance, performance and ease of working until I found Akua-Kolor. I will be forever grateful”.
- Catherine Hunt
Every time I get in the studio and work on monotypes with Akua Kolor and Akua Intaglio, I have the best time…….and I love being able to work for 1/2 hr. and then come back to it later with out having to worry about the inks drying on my plates or rollers.
- Judy
I’ve been using your Akua Intaglio water-based inks for a few months now and really like them. They are certainly a step above the work with oil-based inks and I especially like them with the polymer photogravures that I have been doing. They give me a greater tonal range than has been possible with the oil base ink.
Regards, Sam
