Leisure Painter - UK (2019 - Summer)

http://www.painters-online.co.uk SUMMER 2019 21

Hand Book Journal Co. and is 8x 53 ⁄ 4 in.

(20x15cm), which has a good quality,

thick, slightly textured paper. Fluid

produces a 6x6in. (15.25x15.25) block

of Hot-pressed smooth paper, and

Pink Pig’s spiral-bound smooth

cartridge pad is fine, providing not

too much water is used. My smallest

watercolour pad, 5^1 ⁄ 2 x 31 ⁄ 2 in. (14x9cm)

made by Moleskine is great for

making spontaneous little sketches

when out and about.

BrushesPick out one Round brush. I use

Prolene by Pro Arte, No. 6 or 8 will be

sufficient providing it has a good point,

otherwise an extra No. 4 is useful.

PaintsFor ease of use, a small travel

palette with half pans of paint, which

can be mixed in the lid, is ideal. I

suggest Winsor & Newton Cotman

Watercolour Sketchers’ Pocket Box or

an alternative small Artists’ quality box.

Choosing a scene

Sometimes this can be overwhelming,

as there are so many different views to

choose from. Burrswood provided a

combination of architectural structure

against natural forms of nature, hard

lines against soft, variety and pattern.

A sketchbook is a means of capturing

images and recording them in that

moment in time.

Looking back at sketches I made will

often bring memories and feelings

flooding back, more so than by looking

at a photograph.

Although pen and wash sketches can be

developed into finished larger paintings,

this method is a way of painting in its

own right, providing glimpses of different

scenes. Look for focal points, such as

planters, paths leading into the picture,

horizontal lines contrasted against

verticals, varying colours and textures. A

small viewfinder will help in finding a

balanced composition. Imagine the

viewfinder is divided into thirds; the

intersecting points provide an

approximate area to place a focal point.

Basic techniques

My preferred method of pen and wash is

to apply the pen first followed by

a wash of watercolour. An alternative

is to apply the paint first then to define

with ink. In all of my illustrations here I

started with a permanent ink pen sketch.

In the following exercises I have

illustrated two different ways of working

in pen and wash: line sketches with more

detailed colour to suggest tone and direct

tonal pen sketches followed by a light

wash of colour. I hope you enjoying

practising these techniques this month

and follow my step-by-step painting from

the photograph (left). LP

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Paint along with LP

1 LINE SKETCHES

The pen can be applied purely as a line, which can

be broken and loose indicating patterns and shapes.

Whatever the thickness of the pen, the thickness of the

line can vary slightly depending on the pressure applied.

In the following sketch I used a No. 0.5 drawing pen.

1 Pen and wash is a very liberating medium, but to

begin drawing directly with ink can feel rather daunting.

Initially, you may feel more confident making a light

sketch in pencil to guide you, but keep it very simple and

just suggest basic, almost geometric shapes and avoid

detail. Too much detail can reduce the fluency of working

with the pen and can be quite inhibiting, resulting

in an interpretation lacking in movement.

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2 Here I applied

the line in ink using

a 0.5 pen. I looked

at the characteristics

of the plants, which

I interpreted as

differing marks –

circles, loose shapes

to suggest flower

heads, wavy broken

lines, small textural

marks, spikey long

strokes – and

increasing the scale

towards the

foreground where

the characteristic

shapes of the leaves

are more apparent.

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