I didn’t start a drawing tonight until late, but I was anxious to try out the tube of watercolor I purchased today.
I really didn’t think my living room was so messy until I looked at this picture. I’m going to have to clean it this week, I have too many art supplies everywhere. Anyway, the at least the lighting was interesting enough to inspire a drawing.
This is my first drawing with watercolor. Previously I was using some watered down India ink to do a sketch of my kitchen. It worked OK, but I found it difficult to adjust the value without putting on a bunch of washes down. So, I went to A&C Supply and picked up a watercolor sketchbook (because my current book couldn’t take the water well at all), one tube of Holbein Lamp Black watercolor, one white watercolor pencil and a acrylic paint marker for highlight details.
I really enjoy working with these materials. I use a hard graphite pencil to do the initial drawing, getting all of the angles and measurements down and everything in its correct place. Then I wash in a light gray over most of the image, being careful not to touch any of the lighter areas. I then continue to build up the values darker in areas, and usually hit the dark blacks right away with more paint. After the wash I let it dry for a minute or two then I go back into the picture with more graphite focusing on edges and values trying to get them as correct as possible.
This is a great way to work on my drawing, while at the same time introduce myself little by little to watercolor. The best part though is the setup, clean up, and portability. I can take these materials anywhere and start a drawing instantly.
