I had just recently took Peter's advice to purchase a quill pen. I found a set of 8 colored inks to go with it. I'd never really used a quill before and I had no idea how the inks would actually look once placed on the paper. So I took out one of the smaller pieces of bristle board and began to experiment.

The first color I used was labeled "Emerald." I started with the smaller shape at the very top of the page. I was expecting a darker green with more blue. It still looked nice. The pen made the ink flow very nicely and I could adjust the line by applying different pressures. Very interesting new tool I had here. I continued making shapes down the page. Then I washed the quill and pulled out another color ink.

Next up was blue. I created a small ribbon of blue starting at the left and working upward. Then I created another larger ribbon downward. The color was what I expected but working with the pen made larger areas more of a challenge. I created the highlighted circles toward the top to practice filled in areas and found that I can make super small dots with a quill. Far smaller than any pen I had worked with before! The photo at the left could not capture just how small they eventually become. This is one piece you'd have to see in person to see the minute detail.

I thought I'd try Indigo next. Indigo was a very nice "purple" with just the right amount of blue to make me happy. I made a thicker ribbon downward and upward. Continuing with the ribbon theme, I used brown next. Another ribbon of color and some more experimentation with solid areas. Then I took a break.

When I returned, I realized how much it looked like hair (although green) with ribbons in it. So I grabbed the India Ink (black) and drew her profile. WOW, I REALLY like how the black flowed and how wonderfully black it looked. It seemed so rich and darker than pen ink. I created some ear rings and a black onyx necklace. I could get carried away with black so I decided to put it aside for now.

Next up, orange. I created a headband. Then I experimented with various shapes and thin lines. Interesting. The orange was a rich color that I liked as well. Next up, Canary Yellow. I created the shapes to follow the necklace first. I played with some lines and some spheres at the top. Overall, I didn't like the way the yellow looked or acted with the quill. I guess different inks have different physical properties. I noted that and grabbed the Crimson.

The moment I placed the ink on the page to create lips I hated it. This color ink looked so pale and transparent, and bordered on pink, I put it away right away. I was expecting a rich dark red and was very disappointed.

At this point I had used all 8 inks from my set. It was a silly yet interesting little effort. I grabbed the black again, signed my name with the big quill and hurried off to create more. I love this quill!