FINDING FREEDOM in Pen and Ink #8 of 9 (cont’d)

§ February 19th, 2010 § Filed under Art, Pen and Ink, Pen and Ink / Watercolor, Tips and Techniques § 3 Comments

 

TRY A NEW APPROACH TO THIS EASY-TO-USE MEDIUM THAT ALLOWS YOU TO CHANGE YOUR COMPOSITIONS AS YOU WORK.

By Ron Colgrove

Knowing when to stop

Once I’m satisfied with my overall composition, I put in the last of the details. If I’ve decided to silkscreen a drawing and sell the limited edition watercolors, I’ll draw the subject with less density and let the color I added later finish the work. Otherwise, I continue to enhance the textures and patterns with various dashes, dabs and marks. I may even darken some of the existing shadows by making the lines heavier, but not by filling in the space between the lines. That would cause the lines to lose their sharpness. With pen and ink, it’s important not to overdo things. I like to leave some white spaces and stop while the drawing is still fresh.


The importance of subtlety

I generally use a lot of ink when I’m creating a work of art, but in the case of Horseneck Beach (pen and ink, 18 x12).
I wanted to create silkscreen prints embellished with watercolor. When I plan to do that, I keep my lines simpler to allow the color to show.

3 Responses to “FINDING FREEDOM in Pen and Ink #8 of 9 (cont’d)”