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| Fruit Bowl 26 July 2015 Ink and Watercolour Stillman & Birn Alpha Series Sketchbook 20.3cm x 14.0cm (8.0" x 5.5") |
This month I've been experimenting with Exercise 15 (Line and Wash) from Chapter 3 of The Urban Sketcher by Mark Taro Holmes (Citizen Sketcher).
In Exercise 15, you add colour as a fourth pass to a three pass ink sketch (see May 2015 Sketches for a brief description of a three pass sketch). The objective of the exercise is to add colour - not necessarily to paint the whole picture.
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| In The Kitchen 9 July 2015 Ink and Watercolour Stillman & Birn Alpha Series Sketchbook 14.0cm x 20.3cm (5.5" x 8.0") |
In Chapter 3, Marc explains a number of watercolour techniques (grow a wash, charging-in, edge pulling, splatter and dry-brush). These techniques are not new to me, but Marc’s explanations are clear and I am using this as an opportunity to approach watercolour painting with fresh eyes.
For a while I've been looking for a way to integrate painting into my drawing practice. Exercise 15 is a useful starting point for building a bridge from drawing into painting.
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| Chillies 28 July 2015 Ink and Watercolour Stillman & Birn Alpha Series Sketchbook 20.3cm x 14.0cm (8.0" x 5.5") |
My aim was to leave these sketches with a rough and ready energy. I set out with the intention of splashing paint on at the end, so I wouldn't try to keep the ink work and painting too neat - sometimes I forgot to splash the paint, but the intention helped me to keep the rest of the sketch loose.
I've been using an alpha series sketch book from Stillman and Birn. The pages are 6” x 8” (15.2 cm x 20.3cm), but the useful space is more like 5.5” x 8” (14cm x 20.3cm) – when you allow for the ring binding,
The alpha series has heavyweight paper (150 gsm) with a medium grain. It is intended for dry media, light washes and ink. Some sketchers use the alpha series for watercolour, but I've also bought a beta series sketch book. The beta series has extra heavyweight paper (270 gsm) with a cold pressed surface - it is intended for watercolour.
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| Little Vase 29 July 2015 Ink and Watercolour Stillman & Birn Alpha Series Sketchbook 14.0cm x 20.3cm (5.5" x 8.0") |
The ink and wash sketches have been my main focus for the month, but I've still done a couple of pencil sketches each week.
July is the seventh month of my challenge to draw on every day in 2015. I've come closer to skipping a day in July than in any previous month – largely because I've been travelling and working hard. The main things that have stopped me from lapsing are:
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| Coriander 5 July 2015 Graphite Pencil Winsor & Newton A5 Heavy Weight Sketch Book 21.0cm x 14.8cm (8.25" x 5.78") |
July is the seventh month of my challenge to draw on every day in 2015. I've come closer to skipping a day in July than in any previous month – largely because I've been travelling and working hard. The main things that have stopped me from lapsing are:
- I know I will enjoy the drawing once I get started
- I've seem improvement in my drawing that is the result of daily practice
- I've passed the half way mark – it seems crazy to give up once you've done the hard part
- Elaine’s encouragement - in the first few months she may have been a bit sceptical, but she doesn't see the point of giving up now
