Rainbow Words...

 I have been undertaking the loveliest of commissions.

Someone has asked for 5 sets of daily words; each in rainbow colours with four sets of verbs and one set of nouns.

Each set has 70 words in it (10 of each colour of the rainbow) so that means 70 x 5 = 350 words.

Plus I decided to make an extra set of verbs just in case...so really 70 x 6 = 420 words.

And 420 slips of 300gsm watercolour paper,  cut down to size at 1.5cm x 5cm.  Lots of cuts and quite small to work with! 

I use my trusty Windsor and Newton watercolours. With the mixing palette at the top, my mixing and loading brush; and my nib.

And my trusty water jar.

I started with all the red words and worked my way through the colours from there.

Gradually making it through orange, yellow, green and blue.

Pushing through to indigo and violet.

Until they were all done.

My arms ached.  It took a couple of solid runs to get through the writing of 420 words.  My right hand gets a bit cramped holding the pen ; but my left elbow gets the sorest as I use my left hand to hold the tiny bit of paper down and steady as I write.

The point of my left index finger is still a bit numb from the sustained pressure!

My test sheets, my mistakes and my paper towel for cleaning my nib.

And after the few weeks we have had in Australian politics and the lives of all women who have been silenced, assaulted and not believed, there I was, late Friday afternoon, writing this word, in purple.

I decided to cut quite a few of the slips just in case I want or need to do a few sets more in the future.

I popped them in a cellophane bag for protection and looked inside and thought - magic!

Now for them to dry and for me to make a pocket for them and then send them on their way into the world...