Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Winter Trees with Watercolor Background

This is my progress through an 8"x10" piece similar to the winter tree ATCs you've seen me do.

Answers to some of the questions I received from you:

  • PAPER: this was done on Arches watercolor paper - rough - 140lb
  • PEN: I used a Koh-i-noor Rapidograph .30 size pen for the pen & ink work
  • TIME: it took me 9 hours to create this piece

My notes: I should have used a smoother paper since the rough watercolor paper was a bit too rough for the pen and ink work. As for the size of the pen, I could have used a larger size for the thicker branches of the trees (or even a brush)... just didn't feel like it - go figure! As for time, this was the first time I actually jotted down how long it took me to create a piece... it was quite an eye opener as I tend to lose track of time when I'm creating; I didn't think it would take this long!


If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to email me.




This is the watercolor background that I painted. I wanted a lot of different colors, but wanted them pretty light as I will do a lot of pen and ink work over the watercolors and don't want the overall effect to be too dark. We'll see how it goes :)










I've added the frame of the picture (8"x10") and started drawing in the trees.











I've started going over the trees with pen and ink. The pencil marks are obviously just a guide for me since my trees seem to take a life of their own and most of the pencil branches are soon forgotten.












Most of the second tree is now done.













All three trees are now finished.












I have started cross-hatching with the outside circle and will work towards the inner circle so it is easier to see the pencil lines. This darker circle has four layers: horizontal, vertical, and diagonal - both ways.













This next circle is lighter as it only has 3 layers: vertical, and diagonal - both ways.

The next circle has only two layers - diagonal from left to right, and right to left.

And this is the finished piece!! The last circle only has one layer - diagonal from left to right.