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I was also told that “old” ink, while used for special effects, can also bleed when the backing is put on. This will supposedly not happen when using freshly ground ink. My experience has been that both will occasionally bleed with no way to predict the outcome. As mentioned above, use only Chinese watercolors to avoid bleed and coat the finished work with the previously suggested alum solution if unsure. This alum solution can also be used between layers of paint to keep them separated. You could also flood a thin wash of water over your finished work to see if and what will bleed, but only if you’re not afraid of the consequences—you might come up with some happy accidents!
Seal paste should have the texture of thick mud (sometimes it’s called seal mud) and should be able to be rolled up into a ball which holds its shape. From your picture it looks too thin and oily, in which case you might try keeping it in the refrigerator so that the oil will stiffen up a bit and only bring it out long enough to use. Or you might leave the lid off so that the oil is exposed to the air and will dry out—although this creates the potential problem of dust in your ink. Over time and through use the seal paste will harden up on its own. If you buy ink in the small tins or containers it may have been on the store shelf a long time before purchase and can be very hard but still somewhat usable. NEVER add oil of any kind to your seal paste—it will separate and create an oily stain on your artwork. Seal ink, which uses “secret” formulas, cannot be repaired; better to buy a few of the packets and replace it.
