Question for all watercolour sketchcrawlers.

[Bezman]

I'm just wondering - do you normally draw with pencil when sketchrawling and then paint on straight away? Also, do you sorta mix the paints to make a wash before you apply any colour? Or do you apply the paints straight from the slab things of paint?

I recently bought a small Windsor-Newton watercolour set thingy and it had an included leaflet suggesting that most people make 'washes' before painting.

Before that point I had always applied watercolours directly from the slab of paint (if you see what I mean) and was wondering what most other people do.

Sorry if my questions seem idiotic, but I never did art at school or anything and until late last year never even knew what watercolours were tbh...

[tobias]

No rules.
You gotta experiment to find out how YOU prefer to work.
So get some papers. Wash, paint, ink in any order.
Draw with a pencil. Get a small water spray container and spray water on the paper. Not only is it good practice but also fun! As it should be.

So go for it!

/tobias

[Bezman]

Thanks a lot for the encouragement.

What's spraying water on the paper good practise for? Sketching whilst it's raining a tiny bit? :-s

[Blackmago]

i use pencil at first
and then the wC

[rainboy]

For sketchcrawl, I usually sketch with my fav ink pen (sepia waterproof pen, Faber-Castell) then wc. But I'll use straight from e colour when I want to emphasis on certain parts of my sketch.

[mdog]

I don't like to sketch in pencil because it makes me want to correct things. I find that sketching in waterproof fine tip eliminates the fear of making mistakes & wasting time erasing. it is what it is. Then I like to paint on top. sometimes in wash & then straight from the paint pans. I have also painted washes & then drawn on top of them. It is a matter of prefference. Try sprinkling some salt on wet washes (you can bring packages from McDonalds) or put wrinkled plastic wrap on the wet paint. The important thing is to play & have fun. See what effects you can get.

[emma]

I like to mix the colors from the cakes of paint to make colors more towards what I want. When I just paint straight from the cake to the paper, I always feel like it looks like a kindergartener did it with one of those Crayola sets- the colors are just too bright, too pure for my tastes.

Do some experimenting with mixing - I stay away from the fancy terms like wash and mix and I just paint, however it comes out. Just grab a brush and a pencil drawing and get some cool colors!

[lexidawn]

Haha, I made the mistake once of using a pen to do my sketching and then watercoloring. Where was the problem you ask? It was the fact that I didn't use a waterproof ink pen. It was quite drastic. Lol.

But I do agree with mdog, I like pen because then I won't correct things. But also, if I'm going to spend a bit more time on something I tend to use a pencil. Haha, I change my mind a lot if you can't tell... Honestly, that's what I would do - change your mind and try all different ways and materials and whatnot.

Haha, I wonder if any of that was worthwhile!

[littleweaver]

I tend to sketch with a pencil that doesn't have an eraser (so I can't keep erasing and not get any painting down). Then I will either keep the paper wet enough (if I am using cakes) to mix the paints together on the paper (I use medium weight sketchbook paper or watercolor tablets), or I will make a wash if I don't have the colors I want. It depends on what colors I need if I mix first or just paint. I also will use watercolor pencils and ink pens that aren't water proof because I like the bleed effect for some things. It is really hard to control though, so I'd practice that with just lines and water if you want to try it out.
But I agree, the best way to figure out what your style is and how you like to paint is to grab your gear and go do it.

[Sonia_Sulaiman]

I've tried a few things. You can draw with a waterproof ink, pencil, I've even tried coloured pencil too. They have have a different look to them.

I always mix my paints before I make a stroke. Which Winsor and Newton set do you have? I have the sketcher's box. There's three little mixing areas in the lid. I very rarely use colour straight from the pans (those slab things!) because the colour is too strong for my tastes (usually!).

It sounds like the 'wash' technique from the booklet is the "wet-on-wet" method? I sometimes brush water onto the paper where I want a sky, for instance, and then touch it with the paint-loaded brush. The paint gets drawn out in a feathered, soft way.

Does that help at all?

[CyberDave]

During Sketchcrawl 35 I used two different methods

1) for some Artist Trading Cards I used coloured inks and applied with a chopstick. I just sharpen the end with a regular pencil sharpener and use it to apply the ink. Cleanup is a snap, just wipe the chopstick off, then sharpen it again ready for the next colour. You can really go to town and use a separate chopstick for each colour. Woohoo

2) I was too lazy to haul water pots and my watercolour palette so I decided to use Derwent watercolour pencils. I find these great for sketching. You can apply the watercolour pencils dry as if you were shading with regular pencils. Light lines and cross-hatching works great. I then usually take a Waterbrush filled with clean water and run it lightly over the dry pencil and then blend the colour. You can apply more than one colour in the same area and mix. Adding more wc pencil to the still wet area yields a brighter / more intense colour. And no you don't have to stay inside the lines.
People passing by comment on the magic, when I paint with clear water over the wc pencil lines.

Cheers
Dave