Paper: bleed vs feathering

Canson XL Bristol feathering
Strathmore Bristol Vellum 500 feathering
Blick Bristol Vellum feathering.

Feathering is when the fibers of the paper are more absorbent and the ink travels along those fibers.

You can mitigate feathering by…

-making sure the ink dries faster.

– letting one ink dry completely before putting another ink directly next to it or overlapping it.

– accounting for the travel of the ink and lay down less ink closer to the edges.

Canson XL Bristol bleeding
Strathmore Bristol Vellum 500 bleeding
Blick Bristol Vellum bleeding

Bleeding is when the ink goes through the paper. This is different from ghosting. Some papers will allow you to see the ink without it bleeding through. If I evaluate marker papers you’ll see ghosting. They almost seem more plastic than paper.

Copic marker says bleeding and ghosting are more features than negatives. If you manage to get a complete replica of the art when you flip the paper over you have saturated the paper and have the truest color that ink and paper will allow.

Heat/cold, humidity, & air flow can influence how much your ink feathers and bleeds.

Feel free to email me questions at laura@quackquackhonk.com