Maine Coon Cat on Colourfix

I've been working on this maine coon cat in between other things which is why it's going so slowly.
It's approximately 16 x 12 inches on colourfix paper.
I've been using an under painting in watercolour and then adding detail in coloured pencil using the same method that I did with the spaniel but I'm finding it a very different experience to working on watercolour paper.
I thought it might be useful to compare my findings using the colourfix against using a hot press watercolour paper.

Pro's

• The coloured paper provides a midtone which means fewer layers are needed to create the fur.
• Little work is needed to create a subtle background.
• White fur shows up against the darker paper.

Con's

• Both the watercolour and the coloured pencil sink into the colourfix requiring constant touching up.
• The rough surface of the paper eats the pencils and destroys brushes, it is advisable to only use old brushes.

I can get fine detail on both surfaces so that isn't an issue.

On balance I think I prefer working on watercolour paper so it will be back to the Arches hot pressed paper for my next work.

How Permanent are Your Prints

'Blue Boy' 2.5 x 3.5 inches

Mixed Media on paper.

When I started producing my own prints I was very concerned about their longevity.

I bought a printer that uses Epson UltraChrome K3 pigmented inks and I always use an archival paper but I still had no definitive figures on permanence.

However I have now discovered that Henry Wilhelm has researched the longevity of different inks and surfaces.

The website is an absolute mine of information for anyone wanting to find out how permanent combinations of ink and surface are.

The website is http://www.wilhelm-research.com/

There are different ratings depending on how the prints are stored, for example:-

Prints framed under glass

Printsframed with a UV filter

Displayed prints not framed

Album/Dark storage

Tests have also been done on the following:-

Unprotected resistance to ozone

Resistance to high humidity

Resistance to water

Are optical brightners present

There is a lot of information how the tests were carried out and a note that in some cases they are ongoing.

The pdf file for my printer was 9 pages long.

I'm pleased to say that it very much looks like my prints will not fade for very many years however they are stored.