Step-by-step ink n' watercolor

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This is a test version; when all the bugs are worked out it'll be posted both on my website (darienart.com) and at ~silvergrey

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The beginning step to a good painting is getting a good design, one that you are really exited about. Inspiration is your friend. Be sure you have a good idea of how you want your focal point of the image to look, as well as where all the back ground elements will be placed and how they are to be formed. Once you know what you are going to make, you are ready to jump into the next step. In fact, it’s crucial that you start in on the next stage immediately, so the enthusiasm for your idea doesn’t wear off.

The first concrete thing to put down on your paper is the primary sketch. Be sure to sketch lightly and use hard pencils, such as Ticonderoga Hard, which deliver a fine, consistent line and have a good eraser that won’t leave marks. As for paper, try Arches Coldpress Watercolor paper, with a minimum weight of 140 lbs. Start off by putting in the central feature in first. Be sure not to put too many details on it yet; more than likely you’ll end up smudging it. Then lightly etch in the background elements. Now that the backdrop has been laid down, you can go back to the focus of your picture, carefully drawing in the details. It’s best to darken the lines in areas that you feel turned out especially well; this will lessen the chances of you inadvertently changing it.

Now to proceed to inking the image. One pen that I find to work particularly well are Sakura Micron Pigment pens. They are fade-resistant and waterproof; an important attribute seeing as layers of watercolor will be placed over the drawing. It is also important that you don’t get overly happy with the pen. Sometimes it’s best to leave some areas done only in pencil so that you can add shading with the watercolors later, especially when dealing with skin tones or facial features. Also be sure not to outline the scenery at the very “back” of the painting if you are doing an outdoor landscape. This is because you can’t see the detail in far away things, so fuzzing it out and using no pen, only watercolor, will make your picture more realistic and have more depth. Once you are done with the inking you should have a crisper and more detailed version of your original sketch.


Now to move onto adding the first layers of watercolor. These will be the light areas of the picture, things such as sky, background, and skin tones. The best brushes to use are those with sable hair, for they hold the most water/pigment and come to the finest point. Since the lightest areas can be covered up by darker swathes of color, it’s OK if your colors bleed a little outside of the lines. Most likely you’ll be able to fix any mistakes at this point. The only part you have to be careful of is the skin tones; they are the hardest to get right and the easiest to screw up. Be sure not to let ANY other colors bleed into them, otherwise skin has a tendency to turn into a muddy mess.

At this time the fun part begins: adding the vibrant subject and foreground colors. A good brand of watercolor to use is Graham Watercolors, they have the best consistancy and color for their price bracket, with most paint tubes costing around five dollars. Daniel Smith is another very nice brand with close to 140 lovely colors, but they are a bit more pricey. You want to either have your center of attention done in the brightest colors or paint it with a color not found in great quantity in the rest of the picture. This will make your subject pop out and draw the viewer’s eye to it. At this stage is additionally when you add the final details, such as finishing off the texture on the bark of a tree. That should finish off the picture.