Watercolor Musings: My Almost Favorite Brush Pen

Watercolor Musings: My Almost Favorite Brush Pen: "Duomo, Siena, ItalySepia Ink & Watercolor Somewhat recently, I found a wonderful new brush pen with water-soluble ink in sepia. T..."

Watercolor Musings: My Almost Favorite Brush Pen

Watercolor Musings: My Almost Favorite Brush Pen: "Duomo, Siena, ItalySepia Ink & Watercolor Somewhat recently, I found a wonderful new brush pen with water-soluble ink in sepia. T..."

My Almost Favorite Brush Pen

Duomo, Siena, Italy

Sepia Ink & Watercolor 

Somewhat recently, I found a wonderful new brush pen with water-soluble ink in sepia. The ink is in the cartridge, which can be replaced very inexpensively. The sepia is warm in tone so it melds with the subsequent watercolor and is not so insistent at black ink. So, why is it “almost” my favorite? That will take some explaining.

I’ve been working in ink and watercolor for many years. It has morphed from a sketching tool in sketchbooks to an integral part of my painting. I draw very quickly and the brush enables me to draw with expression since pressure determines the thickness of the line. The best analogy is that the line “dances” across the page. I don’t begin with pencil, as that would inhibit the ink line – I just go for it and absolutely love the process.

When I was painting in Provence 18 months ago, I concentrated on doing contour drawing with my brush pen rather than working on paintings since the subject matter was so wonderful that I didn’t want to miss any opportunity to capture it on site. I brought home over 20 drawings, 14”x20”, some with a bit of watercolor but most with none. These drawings were done in black water-soluble ink…soluble, that is, for 2 weeks.

My first sepia ink drawings were done with a brush pen from Japan. I could not read the inserts but I didn’t consider that a problem. The brush handled beautifully and the warmer ink color made a better combination with watercolor. This was especially so when the landscape is predominately cool in temperature.

I’d used up several sepia cartridges when I happened upon one with English in the insert. There was a cautionary note about the ink being unstable in bright light. The result is that I’ll need to frame any paintings from this group with UV protected Plexiglas. I am so glad that I read that important note before I went any further.

So, yes, this is almost my favorite brush pen. I’m now experimenting with other brushes and inks to achieve the same results and have promised myself to be diligent in finding out information about any new tool.

Watercolor Musings: Good Advice

Watercolor Musings: Good Advice: "Line Drawing, Lucca About drawing: When you can just plop down and get a drawing, there is a real sense of freedom. Had I gotten a quick p..."

Good Advice

Line Drawing, Lucca

About drawing: When you can just plop down and get a drawing, there is a real sense of freedom. Had I gotten a quick photo, I would have missed a wonderful conversation with an elderly Italian woman, clad all in black, who had worked with the American Embassy in her younger years. While drawing, I can listen to conversations wash over me, smell the enticing food and observe all the activities surrounding me. I LOVE that. 

 

I found this quote on a daily calendar this past year. I keep it posted in the studio since it is such good advice for artists of all mediums as well as a guide for daily life.

"Be a first-rate version of yourself, not a second-rate version of someone else."

Judy Garland to her daughter, Liza Minelli

Several years ago I had a watercolor student who was painting quite well when she came to my beginning class. I found out why when she began to work through the exercises I presented. She had gotten into the habit of following the step-by-step photographs of paintings in books and became used to good results for each effort. She didn’t realize that all the decisions, which make painting a challenge and a joy, were made for her – subject, composition, color-scheme, value pattern, etc. etc. The only thing left to do was copy.

Please do not misunderstand. There is a valid reason to emulate the paintings of others. The trap is thinking that it is your own creativity working. Any painting taken from another should be signed with the copyist’s name followed by “after so and so.”  

Because she had gained competency, it was very hard to go back to the beginning. After I explained to her why she was feeling frustrated, she made the decision to go at it again, building her own foundation of skills. That was courageous on her part since she had many compliments on her work and she was giving paintings to friends and family. But they weren’t her paintings; rather they were a poor imitation of someone else’s work.

As in many aspects of our lives, short cuts aren’t always a good way to go. Building competency takes longer but the more you work at drawing, composition, and all the other aspects of painting, the better you will get. There is real progress in direct relation to effort and age is not a factor. I tell my beginning students that you don’t need “good knees” to draw and paint. And even arthritis was not allowed to stop Renoir…he simply taped the brush to his hand.

May 2011 bring out the very best of YOU!

Watercolor Musings: A No-Excuses Travel Kit

Watercolor Musings: A No-Excuses Travel Kit: "Materials with the first drawing of an oak tree outside Tablas Creek Winery This last weekend we were in the Central Coast with a group ..."

A No-Excuses Travel Kit

Materials with the first drawing of an oak tree outside Tablas Creek Winery

 This last weekend we were in the Central Coast with a group of University of Redlands Alumni on a wine-tasting adventure. I put this small kit together that would easily fit in my purse to have "just in case." I have been in too many places without materials and either waste time finding something to use or been frustrated. I included a "palette" of 6 colors (2 yellows, 2 reds and 2 blues) in a pastilles box. Empty pans are available at many art stores and online. Any metal box such as altoids work well. A white lid would be preferable since it would show the color better than this metallic one...but I had this one already. I also included a Niji waterbrush and a pentel ink brush with water soluble sepia ink. The Moleskin watercolor sketch book is 5"x8" and makes a nice wide panorama when opened. The book has an elastic band which holds it tightly closed. That's all I used for this work.

My chance to draw came with an "oops" on the bus drivers part...he took a corner a bit too close and got hung up. We later found out that buses do this routinely. When it looked as if we'd be there awhile, I got my kit out and drew the oak tree. As time progressed I began another drawing and had time to add color.

Tablas Creek #2

We stopped for lunch at Denner's Winery and I had just a small amount of time before we were off again. In this drawing you can see the advantage to the ink line. I only had time to add color to the central part of the drawing but I like the way the lines extend that. I later found out that my nephew's young vineyard is in the distance. I visited with my sister before we came home and hadn't realized the proximity when I drew this.

From the patio at Denner Winery

At the last winery, I let everyone else go taste and I just drew. Vines are in the foreground and the oaks with their dark foliage are a wonderful contrast to the warm tones of the vines and golden hills.

Last winery stop

Each of these drawings is as I left them at the time of drawing. The second image took about 30-40 minutes and the final two under 30 minutes.

Having a small, portable watercolor or drawing kit is a real advantage. I hadn't expected to have time to do anything, but have learned the hard way to be prepared.