ways of adding colour

because i found using watercolours/brusho quite risky when adding colour to my prints (as i could easily ruin them after i have spend time taken them through the printing process.)i found watercolour pens which would allow me to create the same/a simular effect as water colours themselves, but would also allow me to have more control over adding the medium- much like the control i get with a pencil.

asking print technician (lyndon) about ways to add colour 
adding the initial black ink removing the excess ink, then adding blocks of coloured ink with a roller or just a cardboard square into random areas so when i take it through the press the etch will show through the blocks of colour.

i did a quick experiment of this, unfortunately it did not come out as well as i had hoped, however i feel if i spend more time in decided where to apply the block of colours and how i apply it (with rollers or cardboard square) it may have come out better. as i applied little ink quickly with a cardboard square, the ink was heavy in some places and light in others, there was also gaps with no paint which looked random and not thoughtout. i think the colours are too bold on the print aswell.

using textures - could potentially addpaint to something textured such as think pieces of wood, printing these first on the paper then printing my etch onto the same paper. 

when i took the textured material with paint on through the press, i was suprsed to see that them textured engaved themselves into the paper swell as the ink, this made me think that i could perhaps with textures related to lewis carroll on my paper to create a stronger concept. - i.e victorian wallpaper, bark textures(to represent nature/ alice in wonderland) etc.

first print printing straight onto the paper with the textured paint on- i feel the paint is too overpowering on this print, and just looks like its not meant to be there, like i have accidentally smudged paint over my print. however i like (When you look close to the print) the textures have engraved into the paper adding a extra dimension and depth to the print. 

printing the plate again when the paint has transfered onto the plate from the paper-i prefer the subtleness of the colour on this print, though it still looks a bit random, the only problem with this print it that you loose the texture that was on the initial print. 

engraving textured wall paper into paper. 

this is what my paper looked like after taking it through the press with the wallpaper. 

lyndon suggested, because i only won't to apply a small amount of colour, i could apply it using cotton buds in chosen areas.

like the prints that i added the paint (brusho) to by hand after printing them, i think process leaves a simular result- think it looks messy and to bold next to the etched print. 

the subtler the colour i think the better, however i think the application of the colour could be better- maybe less  colour in more of a thin line effect rather than blocks.