It was a difficult birth, but in the end I finished my first illustration for "Milkweed Manor" and I'm pleased with it in several ways. I like the decorative style, and the technique is one I'm comfortable with and look forward to using over and over for the rest of the illustrations - there may be as many as 30 to 40!
I was very careful with the drawing - completing it on a piece of sketch paper then transferring it to a piece of Strathmore Mixed Media paper. I applied four layers of pencil - HB, 2B, 3B, then a bit of 4B.. Most of the work was in the first two layers.
I had four choices for adding color, and I wanted the look of a tinted drawing. One choice was colored pencil which I decided against. I have found colored pencil to give a grainier result than the graphite and I wanted the smooth look.
The second possibility was watercolor pencil. But I've found that some of the colors are much more intense when you apply the water than when they're dry. I'd have to test each color before I applied it. That seemed like too much of a risk as one the water is applied, you're stuck with whatever you've got!
The third choice was watercolor. A down side is that I don't have a lot of experience with it. But up sides are the beautiful, wide array of colors, and the possibility of adding more graphite over the watercolor if I felt I needed to.
The final choice was acrylic washes. I'm very comfortable with acrylic, but I don't use washes on little spaces but over wide areas.
So I chose watercolor and I'm glad I did. I did chose to add a bit of pencil afterward. It was a good choice!
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