Natasha

Following last week experiement with the fountain pen, I decided to crank up the difficulty level, and add some colors this week. I went there with a limited palette. I mainly used Venetian Red and Ultra marine blue with very light touch of Yellow Chrome and even lighter touches of Ivory black. The last week exercice, working with india ink only, helped me seeing value instead of local colors. Charles Reid is right, tonal value is more important to understand a shape than actual hue. Therefore you can make abstraction of colors hue and work only the value. I've read this a thousand time... but if you dont experiement it... you're doomed to fail.

Back in Asia

So everything is cleared, I will be moving back to Asia end of June. I will leave the pretty mountains of the french alps, for the sunshine and lush sceneries of Singapore. I've been very fortunate with my job and my family, to be able to travel around the globe. Following the advice of John Singer Sargent, "Above all things, get abroad, see the sunlight, and everything that is to be seen...". I'm very excited about it, painting outdoor can be done all year. Plus it's a very nice city, a lot of subject. Annecy is very nice too, but unfortunetly to many tourist during the summer make it quite difficult to find a quiet place to paint alone. I hate having someone over my shoulder talking about his nephew studying fine art in Paris. There are times I'm glad to carry an ipod. Anyway... end of June, Back in Asia, and very positive about it.

Johanna and my Custom 823

Yesterday was quite exhilarating, Johanna posing was superbe, and I was in the zone. I left all my watercolors gears at home. I just had a pad and a my new foutain pen, Pilot Custom823. Medium nib. Expectations were low. I was there just to draw. During longer poses, I borrowed from Yannick a brush and few drops of india ink, 2 smalls glass container, one with clear water and the other with diluted ink. I believe yesterday was one of my favorite session so far. Directly drawing with ink is unforgivable, so one really think before touching the paper with the nib. Once the line is on the paper, it is there to stay, so you have to deal with it, and compose with them as you proceed in the blank of the paper. The lines drawings are 1 minute poses. and the inked ones are 5 minutes poses. I like the way the non waterproof ink smugded when I passed the wet brush. The paper is Lana Esquisse sketchpad, 96g/m², not made for watermedia, but still held pretty well.

Fat Mobster