Sunrise in Phuket by Monika
I can tell we have all been dreaming of our summer holidays and wishing we were there! Monika has drawn this view from her room in Phuket. What caught her eye was the soft colours of the sunrise and the stark blacks of the silhouettes of the palms against the morning light. She has drawn this in her visual diary with Derwent HB, 2B & 4B, a paper stump in the clouds and Staedler Mars watercolour pencil washes.
I really like the dark graphic feel of the palms against the sky and the stark blacks of the islands fading into distant greys . The geometric shapes of the hut rooftops give a pleasing contrast to the more organic palms - the triangular roof top shapes are inverted and reflect the negative space triangles formed by the palm trunks. Man made geometry reflected by organic. That is a clever bit of composition!
The paper you have used here has let you down Monika - visual diary paper is not really suitable for the type of watercolour pencil wash effect you were hoping for - it is too absorbant and doesn't spread or blend the colours well enough. The water just soaks in and the colour sticks in place. Because of this you end up with bright splotches of colour rather than softly blended hues which is what you wanted. Also, I think you put the colour down after the pencil? I would recommend that you do it the other way, lay down the colour, wash it and then add the darker graphite on top. Don't be frightened if it is bright at first, watercolour always looks brighter when wet.
But these things are all learning experiments for us. I really hope you give this drawing another go on something like a 300gsm Lana or Canson hot press - something smooth but not a plate finish. Start with the colours and wash them in lightly, then build up your graphite features on top. Have fun!
'Phuket Sunrise' by Monika
No comments:
Post a Comment