Village Windows (I’m Done!)

This is the third layer of Village Windows, and the last.  It couldn’t go much further from here.  The big surprise came when I added water to the sky.  Soooooo much purple!

And after that, I added more color pencil and more water, and finally more iron gall ink with my dip pen.  I kept to my two things – the ink, the layers of pencils.  I added colors as I went, just exploring.  I felt that it was a good thing to do as this is really the first picture I have ever done with watercolor pencils.  I have the Faber-Castell Albrecht Durer ones, with 60 colors.

Dimension is not something I am really good at – perspective.  Things get cattywumpus.  In fact, per my eye doctor, I have no depth perception at all, and may have never had it in the normal sense that most people have.  Even when I was 18 I was told that.  Good?  Bad?  I manage – I don’t wander around banging off the wall!

And here is the final picture.  Parts work, parts don’t.  Watercolor pencils are really interesting, just as is the iron gall ink.  As an experiment in a new media altogether, I rather enjoyed the experience.  I did learn a bit in the process, which was the point – how and what to do with watercolor pencils?  I couldn’t write a dissertation on it.  I can tell you it was a lot of fun, and I know I will revisit them in the future.

Village Windows

Here is yesterday’s first layer of watercolor pencil, now “watercolored”.  I tried to follow the lines of the pencil.

Here is the second layer of watercolor pencil, with a little bit more detail.  The sky was done with about 4 or 5 colors, layered down with a blue, some white, some grey.  The roofs are an orange and a brown and a black.

As you can see, I also colored in the windows and am trying to add texture to the tiled roofs.  Some green, too, for the foliage in front.  After this, I then added water.  Once more, I followed the lines, such in the roofs.  The space on the lower right is a bit of a problem.  I think it needs something, but have no idea at this point.  Maybe a cafe awning so we can a shot of espresso?

As I have never used watercolor pencils for any complete picture, my cunningly brilliant plan is to simply layer color, then use water.  As you can see, there is some bleeding.  Most interesting to me is the sky – in the center the little bleeds are rather interesting.  In the windows, I also did some lifting of color with a dry brush to lighten the glass, as a reflection or to enhance a shadow.  The iron gall ink is beginning to blur into the colors.

I have no idea how many layers I will end up with, but I am going to try to do glazes / layers to represent shadow and form.  No idea how successful this will be!

Watercolor Pencils

I have had a set of Faber-Castell Albrecht Durer watercolor pencils, a set of 60, lying around for several years.  As I have been focusing intensely on watercolor painting and drawing, I figured I should dig them out.  A scribble here and there is what I have done with them, but have never attempted a “serious” or complete picture with them.

They get pretty good reviews, and come in tins and boxes of varying number, as well as are available individually.  I found their pigmentation pleasant and easy to use.  Like watercolors, you need to be careful with your brush.  YouTube videos show various ways to use them.  I am inclined to think they work best with a bit of reserve or delicacy, because my own picture was anything but that.

In my picture, I did layers, followed by using various brushes of different sizes.  Iron gall ink was used for the initial sketch, and then at the end to draw more lines and such.  Below you can see the layers of pencil; in between each water was used, and then more pencil laid down.

And here is the final product.  I was surprised by the results.  I am sort of pleased, sort of not pleased.  The goal, though, was to learn about watercolor pencils.  I enjoyed the experience and know I will do it again, perhaps with a different approach.