Thursday, I went to Ippy's for our weekly drawing session. She cut some mahonia branches from her garden and placed them in a vase of water. She drew with charcoal on newsprint. I used pencil and wash on hot press watercolor paper.
While I waited for my cobalt turquoise background wash to dry, I quickly and loosely sketched Ippy drawing.
Here's my pencil and wash mahonia sketch. I've dripped some and splattered on this, just for fun. I should have made the background wash darker. The splatters would have had more reason for being if I had.
The charcoal drawing below is IPPY'S drawing from last week. Our styles couldn't be more different. Like me, though, she has several different styles she's developed. If you click on her name above, you can see some of her other work.
Today, I played around with my Kremer paints and a much warmer palette than yesterday. Kremer paints are very opaque, granulating and intensely pigmented. They are tricky and delightful, all at once.
Tell Ippy her drawing is wonderful!
Those Kremer paints are almost lush enough to persuade me to pick up a brush again! You've got some terrific saturation going with the clementines. I've heard granulating paints work better on NOT surfaces before.
Posted by: Katherine | January 30, 2007 at 02:23 PM
Thanks to all my lovely enthusiasts! The Kremer paints aren't gouache, though they border on that opacity. I found that the rougher surfaces of soft and cold press worked better than the hot press paper I normally used. Also, both of those clementine sketches were done on 'extra white' paper, so I think that lent more brightness to the final product. I usually use Fabriano's 'natural white.'
I've known Ippy for over 15 years, though we've wandered in and out of each other's orbits, as friends tend to do. I'm so glad we're on parallel orbits now! Lin, the charcoal drawing is Ippy's and it is beautiful, I agree.
Posted by: Laura | January 29, 2007 at 01:52 PM
Laura!!! They are all wonderful! I think I would very much like to meet your friend Ippy -- I'll bet the two of you are quite the dynamic duo!
;-D The Kremer paints look very interesting -- are they watercolor or gouache? What an amazing RED (SO hard to get with other watercolors, I think...)
And, BTW, you've got me hooked on WN cobalt turquoise. I'm trying to figure out a way to convince my watercolor instructor that it is really a puddle of mixed blues, but don't think I'm going to be very successful with that little scheme. (You know how instructors are about sticking with their palette recommendations!)
Posted by: Linda M | January 29, 2007 at 11:49 AM
I love the splattered paint. I should rename my blog "Splattered Paint."
But, I digress...wonderful pieces as always.
Posted by: Tom G | January 29, 2007 at 07:05 AM
Re: Your drawing of your friend - If that is a quick drawing then I am absolutely floored by your skill. The face particularly is so well done. A quick 'person' drawing of mine barely looks human! ;o)
Re: The Mahonia painting - I was really taken with the clarity of the vase. You achieve such beauty with a limited palette.
Re: The Kremer paints - Wow. The colour is so intense and punchy. So different from the mahonia painting above.
Posted by: Terri | January 28, 2007 at 11:37 PM
As always...great work and a delightful post
Chamara
Posted by: Gypsy Purple--Chamara | January 28, 2007 at 10:07 PM