I re-read the articles in the Painter magazine last night and I also thought about my own sketchbook practice. So today, not using the Doodlewash Prompt of Lemon, I am going to describe my water colour practice.
Everything I do starts with a sketch. These are generally made on location in a little A6 sketch book. If not they are made from random photos that I take on my phone. I then use either pencil or grey scale pens to give my image some depth and tone.
Back in the studio, (very grand term for our small office), I will then make tiny water colour images, these are matchbox size off-cuts of watercolour paper. A tip I picked up from reading articles by Neil Meacher.
I will get a collection of these images in my sketchbook and they generally fall out and get very slightly on my nerves. I used to stick them in my sketchbook but I started to use both sides of my paper and I ran out of room.
Very slightly, side tracked there! I use these small images to paint the initial washes of larger paintings. I don’t refer back to the photo until the last detail stages of the painting. These enables me to simplify my image and concentrate on what initially drew me to draw a scene.
Working at a small scale with a big brush is very liberating.
Day 7 Complete.
