I’m in between World Watercolor Month and Inktober now so what to do, what to do? As those of you who follow me on a regular basis have seen, July was devoted to watercolor and I’ve pretty much kept up a routine working with watercolor this month as well.
What you haven’t seen, since I haven’t posted anything about it, is my pen & ink work with a new pen I recently purchased. The Koh-I-Noor Radiograph pen is actually technical pen used by draftsmen and artists. I wanted to try this little gem because October is also Inktober. That’s a challenge of 31 days of pen & ink, and watercolor.
Once again I’ll be shooting for quantity over quality…for the most part in this competition.
The Koh-I-Noor Radiograph
The Radiograph pen has a small (.25mm) nib and uses a refillable cartridge inside. What I like most about the pen is the smooth draw and consistent lines I get as I draw.
As is my custom if I’ve been working on other projects I’ll grab my pen and a sketchbook and doodle as I watch television. The purpose is to practice textures, subjects that challenge me, and sometimes to keep a record of what I’ve been doing.
For example, on this page I drew portraits from the films Les Miserables, Empire of the Sun, and Blackhawk Down. I also worked in some landscape textures from places I’ve visited or seen. If you look closely you can see a sketch of the monastery I painted above. These doodles were all done with the Radiograph pen; note the line consistency.
Watercolor Wash
So I may be in between challenges but I’m not resting on my laurels. I’ve been practicing washes this week and trying different texture techniques and colors. The Monastery Ruins above was one of my works this week as is this little gem Nightbirds that got a good reception on Instagram.
All of these wash paintings are done on 5 x 7 inch Arches 140#, 100% cotton paper. I’ll be placing this original art up for sale at our annual Die Künstler von Fredericksburg Fine Arts Show & Sale on November 8th through 11th and I’m hoping to have quite a number to sell then. Wish me luck!
That brings me pretty much up to date on what I’ve been working on. I hope you like the new paintings and sketches. Now…go make some art!