Читать книгу Painting Expressive Watercolours - Mike Chaplin - Страница 13

Your first approach to a subject is normally made with a linear tool, and more often than not that tool is a pencil. Although they are simple and basic, pencils are important because they are a very familiar item with which you will feel comfortable and you will consequently go straight to the heart of the subject when you are making notes rather than worrying about handling the tool that you are using.

Pencils range from very hard to very soft. A hard one will record absolutely precise detail but will be no good for blocking in tone, while a soft one is wonderful for making energetic notes but will not give you accurate detail, so carry one of each with you when you are travelling. A 2B will hold a fine point for quite a long time, while a 6B will give you all the tonal range and expression you need. A charcoal pencil is a step beyond a very soft pencil but your sketch will then need fixing and if you are travelling this adds to your burden.

Many of the sketches in this book were done with a pen and watersoluble ink, which gives the opportunity to make a line drawing and then indicate tone by adding a little water. This is an ideal way of making notes in a sketchbook, but if it is exposed to light the ink fades quickly. When you want a lasting image, use Indian ink or permanent markers.

Ink can be applied with a variety of tools, ranging from traditional metal nibs to felt-tip pens. The former are quite difficult to work with because you can pull them but not push them. Try cutting a point on a bamboo cane from the garden or on a quill – you will need to keep resharpening the point but you will get some pleasing splattery marks. With the quill, you also have the option of using the other end as a brush.

For colour notes, available drawing tools include watercolour pencils, oil pastels, chalk pastels and watercolour inks. The first are also useful if you want to put a drawing down that will not survive the washes in a finished painting. Be aware, though, that if you are using them for more permanent marks they will easily mix to a mud if you disturb them with a wet brush. Instead, give them a fine spray with a diffuser to wet the colour and make them spread without stirring them in together.

Rather than buying every type of drawing tool that is on sale in your local art materials shop, gradually accumulate tools that suit your temperament, style of work and subject matter. This box, which I have had since I was a teenager, has filled up over the years with tools that are particularly suitable for me.