14x9 cm watercolour sketchbook from Zecchi
I took gouache rather than watercolours on my morning walk and then tried to use them as watercolour washes. I don't know what I was thinking. It was very frustrating trying to mix colours and then the paper in this new sketchbook stayed damp for a long time so when I came to add some detail with ink it ran everywhere. As a result I added a little transparent watercolour when I got home.
Lately I have become very interested in monotype prints using diluted oil paint. This iris print was the first large work which was produced in three stages. The first stage I used a japanese brush to paint the iris in black oil based ink. I pulled the print and loved it. Stage two I went back to the plexiglass plate and guided by the original sketch which I'd fixed under the plate I painted in the flower and leaves. I pulled the same print through the etching press again. Less certain about the result this time. Stage three I added the background. Horrible choice of palette. I should have thought a great deal more about this. End result - very disappointing.
Lately I have become very interested in monotype prints using diluted oil paint. This iris print was the first large work which was produced in three stages. The first stage I used a japanese brush to paint the iris in black oil based ink. I pulled the print and loved it. Stage two I went back to the plexiglass plate and guided by the original sketch which I'd fixed under the plate I painted in the flower and leaves. I pulled the same print through the etching press again. Less certain about the result this time. Stage three I added the background. Horrible choice of palette. I should have thought a great deal more about this. End result - very disappointing.
I'm not going to give up on this idea. Next time I'll work backwards through the three stages .
23 comments:
Great technique and for me a very pleasing result. Vibrant and striking. Thanks for sharing the process... but why reverse it next time round??
Didn't realise the small house was not a different post - so have come back to tell you how much I love this little piece of work. I am always a sucker for panoramic narrow compositions and this works wonderfully.
So sorry to hear about Snowy, always a blow when they go but always rememered too.
I am glad you are back walking and sketching, your work always inspires me
Joan - Thank you. The reason I want to reverse the process next attempt is because I can lay the background down first and then print the black on top. That is the traditional way to do it and it means the black stays crisp. I will still be able to pull out colour where I want white highlights.
I'm feeling excited about going back to this one.
Dear Penny, thank you.
I hope now that you have had all that walking training in Europe we will see you back on Sketchercise as soon as you are over your jetlag :)
The top sketch is very beautiful! My husband is very interested in working with gouache, but he seems to be so into his oils right now that he hasn't given it a try. Soon, I hope!
Beautiful print and I love the sketch! yummy!
Ok! I am calling the Paint Police on you and they are not going to allow you to critique your own work from now on. When you have completed a piece of art they will remove you from the premises so you cannot critique it. I'm sorry for doing this but there needs to be an intervention.
Oh Wait. Your right this is awful. You should probably send it to me just to get rid of it:). Send me the two awful paintings before this one and send me your sketch book, ya and well just send me everything you don't like.
Cool!
Ooh... Pat has the right idea! Can I be next in line? The sketch is wonderful... such nice atmosphere....well-balanced... lovely sense of distant hills to explore. Well done again!
What an interesting technique on that print - great experiment and I'll be interested to see where you take this! I love the little sketch too - think you make some super sketches on your walks!
Hello Robyn,
great water color/guache sketch.. please let us know what kind of blue you mixed for the sky!
Congratulations to your monotype experiment, a great start.Thank you for posting a big image so it is possible to have a look at the structures.
I am sure that your experience in watercolors helps a lot to control the results.
These are both wonderful, Robyn! I agree with the others ~ just send them my way. :)
Love, love the panoramic sketch. ..and the colors in the iris print are fabulous.
Robyn - I love the Tuscan sketch at the top...wonderful colors for this time of year. I like the monotype. It is very different. Can't wait to see what else you do.
Come visit my blog if you get time. I've started uploading some of the paintings I did during my 4 weeks in France. Right now I'm posting the ones from Paris. It was almost as much fun as painting in Italy.
Love your sketch Robyn. One of these days I'm going to try painting with gouche. I'm still fascinated with your print techniques.
I love the little building. Doesn't look at all like you had trouble.
I would just love to try to do a monotype, only I have no access to a press. I tried the back of a spoon once with no luck at all. Love the form. The flower is stunning! The way you ran it through in stages is very impressive. The background is so interesting with all of the layers, and bubbles, and texture, and lines. So do it again with a palette you like and send this one to poor old Pat. Or if you are upset with Pat for intervening, send it to me!
Psssst! Hey, Robyn... I tagged you with the Kreative Blogger Award. You don't have to play if'n you don't want to, but I thought you should know!
http://brushandbaren.blogspot.com/2009/11/kreativ-redirection.html
I love thse watercolour sketches you do on your walks...you bring Toscane into my home. I'm looking forward to seeing them for real one day!And your print is AS beautiful!
Ronelle
I really love the way the iris came out, Robyn - I agree that I'd do the background in different colors, but that's the beauty of prints isn't it? You can always do another one. Your sketching is wonderful, as always. I took a new sketchbook on a hike last week, and couldn't get anything to work!
These are wonderful! Your sketchbook is beautiful, and the iris really pops. I love that treatment.
YEs, don't give up. I love all your experiments!! I wonder how well this would work without a press.
I like the way your small house sketch turned out. It's not obvious to me that you had any problem with it.
I like the iris in the print and it sounds like it's worth experimenting on this technique.
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