I began to create watercolor and ink paintings in the 1980s. They sold so successfully that I do not own any from that time period. Combining the paint with ink gives me a freedom from wanting to create detail with watercolor, thus making my watercolor better than straight watercolor. I also like the "graphic" quality that the ink gives to watercolors.
This piece began with a photograph that I took in June, 2009. I love the detail of the hay bale and the bright colors of the plants in the field.
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I always begin with the ink portion of the painting. I used Rotring rapidograph pens, points .35 and .5. As mentioned in a previous post, when ink is used on watercolor paper (in this case, Arches hot press) the paper sizing has two effects: 1) the ink does not spread out making it necessary to use larger points than on other paper, 2) the ink sits on top of the sizing and takes longer to dry so the artist must be careful to avoid smudges.This was the first time I have used hot press paper. It ended up being an excellent surface for both the ink and the watercolor, and I highly recommend it.
It is often recommended to not use multiple ink techniques in the same piece. however, I decided that I wanted this piece to be about the lines I found interesting in the original photograph. As can be seen in the ink enlargement, I used angular scribble, writing scribble, and contour lines, along with some cross-hatching. This combination gave me the effect that I wanted.-----------------------------
Looking at the photograph. I found the single pieces of hay in the bale that showed as white in the sun light fascinating. They gave a very "sunny" effect. I decided to use mastic to give the same effect in this painting. This can be seen in the enlargement of the bale to the right.I used Winsor and Newton yellow mastic, and I applied it on top of the ink, prior to any watercolor. I wanted to create the white pieces in the bale and some white areas in the plants in the far end of the field. I then applied the rest of the watercolor. In a watercolor class taught by Eleanor Cox, I learned the importance of always using fresh paint. She also stressed the importance of using good quality brushes and paper.
For this piece, with the exception of Leaf Green which is Holbein, I used Winsor and Newton artist grade watercolors. My primary palette was Yellow Ochre, Raw Sienna, Quinacridone Gold, Raw Umber, Lemon Yellow, Cadmium Yellow, Winsor Yellow, Leaf
In the enlargement to the left, can be seen the watercolor over the ink. I worked in layers with the lighter colors first. The ink prevented me from needing to work with very dark colors as they helped create the dark while preserving the freshness of the paint.
