MATERIALS
• Whatman watercolour paper – lightweight for ease of penwork. This painting is on a full sheet of watercolour paper.
• Pen: Uni-pin 0.8, waterproof pigment ink.
• Rowney watercolour paints: Olive Green; Raw Umber; Yellow Ochre; Van Dyke Brown; French Ultramarine Blue; Purple; Rose Carthame; Cobalt Blue.
• Paper Towel.
• Size 12 brushes (four).
• Easy to remove masking tape.
• Easel (optional)
STEP ONE
I taped the watercolour paper to a backing board to make it easier to move about. I tend to alternate between using the table top, balancing the work on my knee, and working on it at my easel. I took time to look at the paper and decide where the lilies were going. I didn’t use a grey lead outline, as I didn’t want to be trying to rub it off later (or having to think about covering it up). I began to sketch with a waterproof pen (I used Uni-pin 0.8). At this point I did not want to draw in every detail of the entire artwork. I just wanted to set the stage.
STEP TWO
I put watercolour paints into individual jar lids. I used only one colour per lid. This came in handy for drippling and throwing paint. I applied the first wash while aware of the desired flow and movement that I had in mind.
STEP THREE
After letting the wash dry, I did some more drawing with the pen. I drew quickly in a motion that looked and sounded like scribbling. I choose to use one pen for each of these types of artwork … because it is quicker and more calming to me not to have to keep swapping pens (and re-capping a mix of them). I drew in the hanging roses when I could confirm where the washes were taking shape.
STEP FOUR AND FINAL STEP
I switched back and forth between paint and pen. I let the details become more obvious, and worked towards finishing the painting. I had to keep checking that it was capturing the atmosphere I intended, and that all areas of the painting were in balance. The petals that landed on the corn looked desperately pink with the first layer of paint – but this was adjusted in further washes and pen work.
At each stage, I was checking for the flow I wanted – the sense of movement – like a ‘whispering’ was moving through. I spent a lot of time just looking at it and “talking’ it into the form I wanted.To conclude, I drew in the fish hook and signed the painting.
ARTIST’S HINTS AND TIPS
• Don’t draw corn if it doesn’t mean anything to you. If it frustrates or inspires you, then sketch it, but if it doesn’t bring any reaction,
choose something else.
• Follow your own instinct.
• Be confident.
• Don’t press too hard on one section of the tape while you are drawing. Relax.
• The best way for grey graphite lines not to show, is to not put them there in the first place.
• Let the washes and splatterings dry before using the pen again; and this tip is recorded for myself to read as it is something I don’t always remember in the excitement of the process. Who wants to wait for paint to dry?
• Practice selecting subjects to paint, regardless of whether you end up painting them.
• Don’t be restricted by only colouring the subject, or sticking to the colours that you see. Create want you want.
• If you think that you are really stuck or confused, let the paint dry; take the tape off and look at the work freshly (you can re-tape the paper to the board if you decide that it needs more work).
• Please yourself. Only you can paint your art.
