Markers, ink and washes

Blog 18
March 18, 2016
Markers, ink, and washes

 
Marker Wash Project:
Supplies:

• Paper: Watercolor paper or smooth sheet of paper especially made for pen and ink.
• Brushes: There are paintbrushes made specifically for watercolor and ink. The bristles are designed to hold that type of media.   To cover a lot of large areas, then use a bigger brush;. For finer details, try a small and rounded brush.
• Water:  It will help give you control over your pigment and tone. Some people like to have two separate water containers. One stays completely clean and the other is allowed to get dirty as to not alter your wash.
• Palette:  For mixing and creating clean washes. You can use anything as your palette as long as it keeps colors separated.
• Markers: old, used, new they all work. I used Crayola, the washable type.
• Ink: There are a lot of brands and options for types of ink. Some have an acrylic base while others are resemble a dye.

 Project:
1. Draw a still-life (or the subject of the project)

Creating a wash





2. Put marker tip in small amount of water.  Use the wash on your picture.

3.The general idea is to work light to dark, and large to small. Don’t start with the darkest shade. It will be hard to do anything with that, like add variation in tone, detail or even other colors. Instead, work in layers.

4.Start with the lightest shade you see. Wait for everything to dry before proceeding to the next layer, which is going to be slightly darker than the last. Mix the wash and apply it to the necessary areas. Again, wait for it to dry and mix again. Repeat the process until you’ve added all of the tones so you have a nice balance of contrast.

5.If you have any fine details, like the edge of an object, you can use a tiny brush or even a nib to accentuate them.

 

 

Other ink wash options:  You want to create a some interesting, experimental washes that aren’t concerned with form.  One way to do this is a “wet-on-wet” technique. Wet the area of paper that will receive the ink. Make it as big or as small as you want. Then, using your brush, drop ink onto the watered spot. It will have a mind of its own and pigment will feather in multiple directions.  Alternatively, you can pick up the paper and guide the ink around the page.

 

Elements and Principles of design:

Shape / Form: Shape implies spatial form and is usually perceived as two-dimensional. Form has depth, length, and width and resides in space. It is perceived as three-dimensional.

Color: all come from the three primaries and black and white. They have three properties – hue, value, and intensity.

Value: refers to relative lightness and darkness and is perceived in terms of varying levels of contrast.

Space / Perspective: Space refers to the area in which art is organized. Perspective is representing a volume of space or a 3-dimensional object on a flat surface.

Unity: is achieved when the components of a work of art are perceived as harmonious, giving the work a sense of completion.