WATER SOLUBLE PENCILS 2

These pencils are great.

Per the previous WATER SOLUBLE PENCILS page, I did what I said I was going to do. In the drawing at the top, I first wetted the paper completely. And then I did my drawing, using the 36 POETIC IMMORTALS as form inspiration.

And I was so surprised by the vitality and the energy of my line drawing, I scanned that first.  Which is the drawing above.  It really is amazing to draw into wet paper.  Notice that I said into, not onto.  You can feel the soluble pencil sort of dissolving as you draw.  And you get an unpredictable line quality as a result of the uneven amount of water on the paper as well as uneven drying.  And you have to draw rather fast, given the relatively quick drying time of the paper.

Actually, that is another thing to try.  Wet the paper.  Then budget say 5 minutes for the line drawing.  And as the paper dries, the quality of the line will change.  But I digress.

So I let the line drawing dry first.  And then I applied watercolor washes.  And just as before, the lines dissolve as you wash over them.  But since there was so much line to begin with, they remain visible.  And the result is the drawing directly above.

I really like the vitality of the result.  As before, the drawing remains transparent as the interdependence of the forms remains perceptible.  The drawing does not turn to mud.  And at least to my eye, I have gotten a vitality that I have not gotten before.

I guess that is what happens.  You get comfortable with your tools and your media.  And you along merrily on your way, doing your drawings, not aware, of course, of the range of expression that remains available.

Keep drawing.