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Playing with Inktense pencils - ICABOD
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Posted
Mostly, I like sketching; painting, with all its potential pitfalls and disasters, is almost a sideline as far as my personal art activity is concerned. Inktense pencils have impressed me, they are great for sketching. And, it must be said, for finished drawings (paintings?) if you're that way inclined.
It's said that an under-drawing, if left to dry thoroughly, remains fixed and is not affected by further applications of pencil and water. I've never really tested this, usually I've not had the patience to let it dry properly. So I thought I'd give it a go with a fairly simple drawing.
As is my whim, I like my drawings to be 'about' something...I find it helps. So this is a cartoonish visualisation of Icabod Crane. He of the Legend of Sleepy Hollow, the headless horseman and all that. I didn't want to copy the Disney Version, or the Johnny Depp live-action version, it's much simpler and easier to produce my own version. It matters not a jot who it is, as far as this goes.
So, I'm going to draw with an Intense Charcoal Grey pencil...I already know I like doing that. Then I'll take clean water and a damp brush and 'paint' over
my drawing. When it's thoroughly dry it ought, or may, be fixed. I'll then lay transparent watercolour washes over it and see how it goes. (I've done all this before, except the 'letting it thoroughly dry' bit.) Here we are so far...
On the left, just drawn with a dry charcoal grey Inktense pencil, I've suggested some shadows. On the right, the same drawing, after being 'gone over' with clean water and a brush. Anyone who's done this knows the damp brush allows you almost to paint as it picks up pigment. This far, it's a fun and quick way to sketch.
Now I'm letting it dry overnight. Tomorrow, with any luck, I'll lay on the watercolour washes. You may have done this often, but I haven't yet...and I like messing around with pencils and pens.
On the left, just drawn with a dry charcoal grey Inktense pencil, I've suggested some shadows. On the right, the same drawing, after being 'gone over' with clean water and a brush. Anyone who's done this knows the damp brush allows you almost to paint as it picks up pigment. This far, it's a fun and quick way to sketch.
Now I'm letting it dry overnight. Tomorrow, with any luck, I'll lay on the watercolour washes. You may have done this often, but I haven't yet...and I like messing around with pencils and pens.
Posted
Thank you folks, for your interest. Dixie, I've not made it clear. I'm not using inks...inktense pencils are water-soluble coloured pencils, very like the graphite pencils you mentioned. I have some of those too, they would produce the same result shown in these drawings...so far. Great for sketching. But I find even when they are dry if you add a watercolour glaze over them, it still lifts some of the dry pencil work...the tone is weakened, and too much water will cause the underlying drawing to smudge. Although used in exactly the same way, Inktense pencils, when dry are supposed to be waterproof, so subsequent layers shouldn't effect them. I guess I'll soon find out.
Posted
Early start today, so I've laid the colour washes on the drawing. I use White Knights watercolour. Being a lover of bright colour I often use pure colour, and that's what I've done here as it's merely a sketch I'm fiddling with.
I've shown it alongside the previous stage. All I've done is lay the washes over the whole area, including the darks, I've attempted nothing else save to leave a few white bits. These are thin washes of pure colour, I've included colour swatches to enable me the compare the actual colour with that laid over the drawing. Titian red for the skin, Bright Blue for the clothing, Mars brown for the hair, Cadmium Lemon (semi transparent), and Green for the eyes. (All these as named by White Knights.)
You can see the colours on the drawing are different...they have picked up some of the dry charcoal grey underdrawing. This is most noticeable on the lips...Titian Red, as for his skin.
So what have I learned? The underlying inktense drawing is not waterproof. I also have Faber-Castell water-soluble coloured pencils...these Inktense pencils fare a little better when used this way. (I still like the Faber-Castell). In fact, although this is only a quick sketch, I rather like the effect. So I'll use this method again...you get a better result if you let the drawing THOROUGHLY dry. I wanted to see if I could draw the shadows, lay a colour wash, and not have to redo the shadows. I guess I can, which gives my picture a more subdued look (I tend to go mad with colour), but that may be what I want some times.
I may fiddle with this a bit more, and if it's of any interest I'll post it here.
I've shown it alongside the previous stage. All I've done is lay the washes over the whole area, including the darks, I've attempted nothing else save to leave a few white bits. These are thin washes of pure colour, I've included colour swatches to enable me the compare the actual colour with that laid over the drawing. Titian red for the skin, Bright Blue for the clothing, Mars brown for the hair, Cadmium Lemon (semi transparent), and Green for the eyes. (All these as named by White Knights.)
You can see the colours on the drawing are different...they have picked up some of the dry charcoal grey underdrawing. This is most noticeable on the lips...Titian Red, as for his skin.
So what have I learned? The underlying inktense drawing is not waterproof. I also have Faber-Castell water-soluble coloured pencils...these Inktense pencils fare a little better when used this way. (I still like the Faber-Castell). In fact, although this is only a quick sketch, I rather like the effect. So I'll use this method again...you get a better result if you let the drawing THOROUGHLY dry. I wanted to see if I could draw the shadows, lay a colour wash, and not have to redo the shadows. I guess I can, which gives my picture a more subdued look (I tend to go mad with colour), but that may be what I want some times.
I may fiddle with this a bit more, and if it's of any interest I'll post it here.
Posted
I've done a little more to this...here it is with the last picture.
I've strengthened the skin tones on the face. A thinnish mix of cad lemon, titian red, and a tiny bit of cobalt blue. I also darkened the shadows on his coat with a mix of cobalt and a smidgeon of neutral black...thinish again. I could work on it more, but it's only a sketch and I've learned what I wanted. I can still see the original charcoal grey shading from the first drawing.
This was drawn in a Strathmore coloured pencil sketchbook, quite good paper. It's 163 gsm, I'm fairly certain I'd get even better results when I try it on 300gsm paper. It's been nice to be able to look back at earlier stages...a bit like digital, where you can undo/redo to your heart's content.
So I'm wrapping this up now...thanks for having a look. I'll be glad of any tips from more experienced users of inktense.
I've strengthened the skin tones on the face. A thinnish mix of cad lemon, titian red, and a tiny bit of cobalt blue. I also darkened the shadows on his coat with a mix of cobalt and a smidgeon of neutral black...thinish again. I could work on it more, but it's only a sketch and I've learned what I wanted. I can still see the original charcoal grey shading from the first drawing.
This was drawn in a Strathmore coloured pencil sketchbook, quite good paper. It's 163 gsm, I'm fairly certain I'd get even better results when I try it on 300gsm paper. It's been nice to be able to look back at earlier stages...a bit like digital, where you can undo/redo to your heart's content.
So I'm wrapping this up now...thanks for having a look. I'll be glad of any tips from more experienced users of inktense.