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Ink and Wash painting of the Brooklyn Bridge

I had asked our teacher to go over some ink and wash techniques with us. Instead she showed us outlining as a means to "rescue" a painting we weren't happy with. I read about this technique in an issue of Watercolour magazine last year, but it wasn't really what I wanted to work on, so I struck off on my own.

Source

The source image came from an old calendar. It has lots of spectral qualities, which is probably the main attraction of the image as a photograph. I was struck more by the structural elements of the bridge, the skyline against the horizon, and the diagonal parking area.

Ink Drawing

I was initially pretty pleased with how the inking turned out. I used a Sharpie writing pen, rather than my usual Sharpie markers. The ink was drying out with the near constant use on the very absorbant watercolour paper, so it's not nearly as I'd have liked it. Still I do like the way things look at this point.

First Wash: Sky

Second and Third Washes

Darken Elements, add some details

Fourth Wash: Deepen Values

Redraw Bridge: Better Perspective

Reflections

I'm hoping I can manipulate the bridge deck to return some perspective to it and make it actually look like it's moving into the picture.

Finished this today. I'm okay with it, I want to do more with the weeds, but I'm afraid if I do I'll destroy the saved white.

Snow and Barn in Winter

Watercolour on Arches 140lb cold press. Tamara Temple

cross-posted from journal.

It’s been quite a while since I had a class — missed the August session for C&N’s wedding — so it’s been over a month since I’ve seen our teacher. I had some questions on the waterfall I’ve been working on, but I put that aside as we had a new project to start out the new session.

We are working on a copy of a winter snowy scene by Zoltan Zsabo, who was a really really great watercolourist; we’ve done a few other things by him (Sunset Through Trees).

This was rather fun, I love doing big huge sky washes, mixing very wet colours (Permanent Alizerin Crimson at first, then going back with French Ultramarine) right on the paper. There was a flaw in the paper, though, as some part of it wouldn’t take paint — I guess it’s a cloud now! I tilted and moved the block of paper so the paint would just flow around — I love doing that!

The background forest was also fun. While the paper was still damp, started using a 1/2 inch flat with Quin Burnt Orange to make some orangish trees, then went over that with a mix of French Ultramarine, a tad of QBO to darken it, and some Sap Green. I ended up also doing just straight French Ultra to give it a little kick.

Then I started in with the blue shadows in the snow. This was fun; I kept the lower edge hard, to make a deliniation for the snow drift that is in front of the shadow area (negative painting to define shape). Also, a very pale, uneven wash over the snow area of Permanent Alizeran Crimson to give the snow a very slight pink cast as it is reflecting off the sky.

For the shadow parts, I gave the area in question a coat of clear water, then dropped in wet French ultra along the hard edge and let it flow into the softer areas. In some of the cases, I also dropped in some very tinted, wet Permanent Alizerin Crimson to give it a blue to purple cast.

That is what I got done today. I’ve really quite happy with it so far.

Mirrored from Tamara Temple's Blog.