Ink washes

Matt and I are preparing to take our 20th Anniversary trip this Fall to Hawaii and I wanted to get some quick ink sketching techniques in the bag before we go. Now, I know what you’re thinking…beautiful Hawaii...that’s full watercolor territory…no? Well, of course it is, and I’m getting a watercolor palette ready for that too. But finding a way to do quick ink washes also seemed like a good idea, especially as I’m planning on making a handmade sketchbook of brown paper sometime soon. Before the trip ideally…but I'm not sure I'll make that deadline. ;-)

The sketches below were all done with an Itoya Doubleheader Calligraphy pen (thick and thin lines and it washes in water too!) and watercolor. I like the technique. It’s “quick and dirty.” Very good for gestural sketches. And I like the color of the paper. I've had this little sketchbook hanging around for years without much of a purpose. Because the paper is fairly thick, it can hold a wash pretty well. Even with it's small size (4" x 6.5") it's a great test size for these little sketches.