Author: -N-

45.3 Tulips (Iron Gall Ink) – Painted

I should have done a value study here, but not in the mood, and not having a lot of time, I just decided to paint, hoping I “saw” the shadows enough.  Pretty tulips turned into a rather ugly mess!  Still, it is a learning experience, and the doing is often more important than the final results.  I am quite sure my paintings will be gone and not found in a museum.

Ink, Color, Paper

For some time now I have been practicing “urban sketching,” which is a fun way to record what you see around you.  Sit down, have a cup of coffee, take out the ink, color, and paper.  Go to a park, visit a zoo.  The world is around you!

Ink and wash in Stillman & Birn sketchbook. Light washes are more successful than heavy washes as far as I can tell.

Part of the process of this style of sketching is to realize the essentials of what you see in front of you.  It is a good way to evaluate and decide what to keep, what to discard.  By the same token, you learn about your materials.  To me, one of the most important elements is the paper – how it responds, how it reacts.  After a bit, paper becomes like an old friend – you know its nuances, when it’s in a good mood, when you are having difficulties.  And, like people, you find you like some paper better than others.

Painted with multiple glazes in a Hand Book. There is some blooming, which can be annoying, but the paper holds up well to repeated washes.

I’ve picked up a number of sketchbooks, many with heavy paper to handle watercolors and ink.  Handling a wash is critical.  However, learning what a paper can and cannot do is also important, and part of that is just using it.

The Pentalic sketchbook holds up really well to repeated wetting. The sky is a good example of this – I went in about 5 times, just because I could, to see how it worked. There isn’t too much blooming with this paper. As well, the paper has a pleasant texture. Both wet-in-wet and dry brush work on this paper. I painted all of this with a flat water brush to get a sense of how to use it more successfully than I have in the past. Ink is both Carbon Ink and pigmented markers.

To date, I have a Stillman & Birn, Hand Book and Pentalic watercolor sketchbooks.  Stillman & Birn doesn’t respond quite like I would like it to for wet washes, but it holds lines well.  I need to practice with it more to get a sense of its personality.  Hand Book seems to have better wash-handling qualities.  Pentalic, so far, appears to be the best.  I also have decided I like spiral bound vs. signatures.

Cactus, Shadows

It’s been awhile since my last post – just over a month.  Part of that has been limited time because of a bunch of things going on in our lives, as well as a shift into focusing – and refocusing – on painting.  There is not enough time in the day!  But, a lot of times painting is an indoor activity, and I miss the outdoors.  Cabin fever sets in.

Yesterday was finally a relatively taskless day (compared to every other day!), so I went to the bank, went to have a camera repaired, only to have it fixed right then and there by the store owner, and thence, on to the local botanical garden.  With rain coming up today, I knew the garden would be closed to the public, and with rain forecast for the next few weeks, it will be closed for some time.

It was an absolutely lovely day, and I got a few good pictures of old friends, like ancient oaks and spring bulbs, and the cactus on the top of the hill.

Christmas Cactus

I got a new watercolor sketchbook the other day, a Pentalic spiral bound with 140# paper.  I took it out to the patio and painted one of my Christmas cacti to see how the paint and paper responded.  It’s pretty nice paper, and it was pleasant to sit outdoors for a bit before the rains hit tonight.  This is also a study in direct watercolor – brush, paint, paper, without lines.