Dining Room in Ink
I probably rushed this drawing of our dining room, but it was a fun way to spend part of a Saturday.
Abandoned Farm in Ink
This old farm is in the floodplain, and it’s been hit by high waters several times. It’s probably empty, and now I’m worried that someday I’ll see bulldozers in the yard. Take a picture now, because you never know. Years ago, I snapped a picture of a barn and painted it, never thinking the barn would be knocked down the next summer.
12″ x 16″, ink on Khadi handmade cold press watercolor paper
I’m truly enjoying taking Smoothie77’s patreon course. I think it’s giving me confidence to try larger landscapes and even tackle a complicated tree like the one on the right, something I would have avoided a few months ago. I’m also enjoying using handmade paper, even with its quirks. I like having to answer the questions that get asked when something is slightly unpredictable. I have to think through things, and this paper challenges me in that way. It takes water strangely, soaks in ink easier when it’s dry, and my Lumos Pro fineliner bumps across the textured surface, which creates interesting lights and darks. Love it
Sandhill Crane in Ink
Khadi Handmade Paper + Masking Fluid
Equals disaster! Using a fineliner pen, brush, and pencil all worked great on this lovely paper, but when I decided to test masking fluid to create grass and leaves on the ground, it wasn’t so great anymore.
This is Khadi handmade watercolor paper. I purchased a pack to use with ink and ink washes, but I could tell it wasn’t as sturdy as the handmade Twinrocker paper I used a few weeks ago. I’ll continue to use the Khadi paper (I have a small hardcover journal that I love), but I won’t be able to use masking fluid. Every blade of grass or leaf peeled off paper. That rough look to the edges of the grass blades is all torn paper. Running your hand across the surface feels like, well, lots of edges of torn and damaged paper.
The good news is that using a wax resist, like the white crayon I used to create the white markings on the bird on the top right, worked fine. Also, because the paper is so nice when used with ink, being patient and drawing around the highlighted areas, like I did with the other two birds, also works well. It’s nice to draw on and there’s nothing wrong with taking extra time to get it right.
