Sketching Along the Coquille River

This will be a short blog ... a peek in my sketchbooks from a wonderful day along the Coquille River.  I’ll type the text basically as found in my journal, along with the art.  Only the first pileated woodpecker was drawn on location.  I juggled my sketchbook, binoculars, and camera in order to get him fairly well penciled.  Then I finished him at home.  That evening I sketched the rest of the drawings from the images we took that day. ..... such a nice day!

Nov 2:   To the coast....

Beautiful, beautiful fall days this past week – freezing nights and clear skies.  But we’ve been stuck home while our new windows get put in.  Today is Saturday and we have more nice weather ahead of us.  

Sturdivant Park, Coquille River, Coquille:  I walked to the river bank and thought I heard a pileated calling.  Found him on a small alder a little downriver ... just close enough I am sure it is a pileated!  Don’t see those often.  Always exciting.  I think there are two down there, but maybe the second is a Stellar’s jay.  Just too far away.

But then, with lots of calling, the pileated wings his way upriver and lands on a large alder across from me.  When the sun catches his red crest, it almost looks florescent. 

The pileated lands fairly low – just above the thick blackberry bushes lining the river.  He inspects here and there and then starts to pound.  Sunshine catches golden wood chips floating down.  When he moves to the far side of the tree, his hammering reassures me he is still there.  Three or four little birds (kinglets?  chickadees?) come over, perhaps hoping then can grab a morsel. 

We watch for nearly an hour.  He is still hard at work on the same tree when we leave. 

Coquille River, near the mouth of the river:  The western grebe looks sound asleep, yet every so often, head still tucked, he paddles furiously against the current – back to where he started, then bobs gently as the river gradually floats him downstream.  Over an over again.  It is a young grebe – grey, not black and white. 

Usually I’m not quite so close to a pelagic cormorant.  With binoculars I see he has a suggestion of alizarin, blue, and green iridescence.

We found the otter in Seven Mile Slough, part of the Coquille River, near the coast.  No place to park, so we turned around and came back, camera ready.  The buffleheads hugging the far shore and on high alert told me exactly where to find the otter again.  He spooked the buffleheads.  Soon found a crayfish to munch on. 

Musings on Water Soluble Ink: Part II

I got so long winded on last week's blog I decided I'd better cut the blog into two parts.  If you are interested in the subject, be sure and read Part I first.  These two posts are my thoughts on sketching / drawing with water soluble ink.

Have you heard of the book "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain"? The author, Betty Edwards realized one half of our brain is very verbal and analytical, and the other half is more visual and perceptual.  When I was working on this blog I was very aware how true this is.  When I went to write about the sketches, I realized I was so focused on what I was doing when I did them, that I didn't remember exactly how I did it.  Did I bring the grey tones in from scribbles off to the side, or did I just take my darks from dark areas of the drawing?  How often did I let my ink dry and bring fresh ink in, or did I work quickly enough to use my original ink while it was damp.  Often I couldn't remember.

When I went to do this great blue heron demonstration for the blog, I found it distracting to think about the process while I was working.  I just wanted to do it ... and not to think about it.  I only mention it because I found it rather fascinating to be so aware of the difference between the two halves of my brain.  I think, when a technique is new, it requires that analytical thought; but, with experience, sort of a Zen sets in.  Long years of practice makes me aware something subconscious is at work when things are going right.

What I think I'm trying to say, is if you like the results of this technique, and it is new to you, don't give up.  At first plan and think, and gradually you'll get a feel for it .... and you just might find you love working with the grey tones as much as I do.  If you usually work in color, I think the challenge of working in just grey tones will bring new life to your work in color. 

Now for the demonstrations:

I recently photographed this heron so I opened the image on my laptop.  First I sketched  lightly in pencil.  My initial sketch usually looks a little lighter than this.  It didn't scan well, so I beefed up the contrast so you can see the pencil lines. 

Next I inked the important lines using my fountain pen and a mix of 1/2 Pelikan Fount India ink and 1/2 Platinum Carbon ink.  I waited about 5 minutes for the ink to dry and erased my pencil lines.  I often don't bother waiting.  I sketch lightly and don't mind a few light pencil lines showing. 

I got this far by adding a little ink, and brushing it with my waterbrush.  I'd ink a little, and brush a little, then ink a little .....  No scribbles yet.

Eventually I reached a point where I wanted more grey tones, but I didn't want to add any more black ink to the heron.  That's when I started making scribbles on the side of my paper and bringing the grey tones over.  A little ink goes a long way when making grey tones. 

Here are two more ways you can experiment with water soluble ink but not take the plunge of buying a fountain pen and bottles of ink.  .. and, of course, you can use any ink line plus watercolor. 

The pen in this photograph is a Pilot Razor Point.  I ordered mine from Staples.  The water brush is my favorite, a Niji mini medium.  The round container is a 'Convenient Ink Cake with Case' from blueheronarts.com ($7.99).  It is lovely, fine, ground ink that does not require a Sumi grinding stone. The little case makes it handy for field work.  There is even a little reservoir designed to hold a dab of water while you are working.

BUT, and this is a very big BUT.  But I don't know if these inks are lightfast.  Will they fade?  I suspect they'll hold up just fine in a sketchbook, but every artist should be aware that some inks fade horribly.  They can fade to nothingness!    I suspect the ink cake is fine. After only a week on a window sill, the Pilot Razor Point is starting to fade.  See my two posts in March 2011 if you want more information on pens, inks, and my window sill test.

My little chickadee was sketched with the Pilot Razor Point.  This ink dries quickly and remains very water soluble.  I sketched the whole bird, let it dry a few minutes and then added the water. I always enjoy seeing my drawing come to life when I add the water. 

To do the bird I didn't need any scribbles, but to get that wisp of soft background, I did my scribbles off to the side. 

Pilor Razor Point pen ink looks black when full strength, but purplish when watered down. 

Demonstration #3:

I drew the thin lines on the coot with a fountain pen and Platinum Carbon ink.  All the greys are painted with the ink cake.  So far this is the only piece I've done with the ink cake, but I think I'm going to enjoy using it.  It seems to be ground finer, to give a more even grey, than my watercolor black.  The reds are a touch of watercolor.  

Feel free to ask questions!