I don’t like it when the perspective is really off so I make pencil marks to insure I have things in the right place. Then I draw the thing freehand. After drawing, I erase the pencil marks leaving a simple pen and ink drawing with as much detail as I need. Then I add splotches of color. After that dries, I might refine the ink, or not. I think that because it’s just a memory and not a formal painting I feel looser.
Here’s some I did last week:
This is my favorite bar in Ocean Springs Ms. I thought that the ink line was too thick and ran into the sketch making it look darker than I wanted.
I used a photo but I could have done it in person.
This was one of my favorite places I remember as a boy. The Hackley Public Library in my hometown of Muskegon. I don’t know how long it took me to sketch this but it wasn’t long.
This is a lighthouse in Marquette Mi. I haven’t been here in years but I remember it well. Besides pen and ink and watercolor paints, I also used watercolor crayons.
I really liked certain things about this quick sketch. I might rework some of the fall leaves. If I did it again I’d get the shape of the main building better.
Starting to get the hang of this and like the colors.
I like all of these, but I particularly like the way the first two ar painted. They’re so vibrant and fun whereas the other two are a bit more formal. Actually the last one fits into that fun category too. Keep going with these! The other thing I like about is that the ink lines are not obtrusive— they meld into the colors. So many sketches that I see online look outlined by the ink, which distracts the eye.
ReplyDeleteThese are fun. They have a playfulness about them that's engaging. And even when you add line, I like that it's not rigid or confining.
ReplyDeleteyeah this series is fun. I've never been a fan of ink line with watercolor - sometimes it looks like coloring books...But the scale of these really makes it work well. It was great seeing them in person.
ReplyDeleteThe usual pen and watercolor piece is a nicely drawn image and a few week splashes of paint that approximates, or maybe doesn't, the blue of the sky, the green of the grass, maybe some red bricks, splashed on in the backseat of a car driving over a rough road to the gallery. Who cares? Those two bar paintings look a little unfinished to me, and I like the second two paintings a lot better.
ReplyDeleteNot one of these is a painting. They are all Sketches.
DeleteAre these technical terms?
Delete