Almondell Park, West Lothian – Inktense/ Graphitint/Ink on a Watercolour Moleskine This is the view from a wooden seat next to the River Almond in the Country Park. I used to sit here, some years ago, when recovering from a long term illness so, when I was recovering from a horrible virus recently, it was seemed logical to re-visit the place. I sat and sketched for almost three hours and the only sounds were the river and the many birds in the woods. The birdsong seemed to echo throughout the trees. Very relaxing. Guarantees a good night’s sleep.
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2009Apr 26
tags: River Almond | Scotland | West Lothian
roseindigo 12:11 pm on April 26, 2009 | #
What a lovely scene, and what a lovely place to sit and relax and recover. Loved your story.
trebor61 1:13 pm on April 26, 2009 | #
This is amazing. Having had a “sleepy” day I picked up the itouch to see if anyone had even seen this wee drawing. As I watched the screen changed from “O” comments to “1” comment – yours! According to my device you sent this at 12.11pm – just after your midday. It was 19.11 here in Ratho. I never am failed to be amazed at the speed this internet thing crosses all boundaries and am also grateful and humbled when folk, such as yourself, take the trouble to comment on drawings and stories I post. Be rest assured that this has made my day and given me incredible pleasure. My kindest regards and best wishes to you and yours all that distance away in the mountains. Bob McDowall
roseindigo 9:54 pm on April 26, 2009 | #
Well, I think in this drawing you once again got the feeling of distance down very well, and I love the light behind the dark tree trunks, as well as that fresh spring green which is like no other green on earth. I finally got a sponge and will try to do some foliage with it, although when I went out today to paint I forgot it. So it will have to go into my painting kit, which keeps getting smaller and smaller because I streamline it more and more. You did do that foliage with a sponge? Or am I all wet?
By the way, I think there’s nothing quite like sitting by a river and watching it flow by to practice internal peace and healing. I do a lot of that, except our rivers tend to be very wild and turbulent and full of huge boulders, sometimes as big as houses—they are young rivers, and rage in the springtime and turn into a trickle by late autumn. But still, I love to sit on the banks and watch and hear the water. And in the autumn the water is finally even warm enough to dip my toes into it. In the spring it’s all snow run-off and my toes turn to blocks of ice.
Sophie Brown 10:20 pm on April 26, 2009 | #
Not the most astute comment but I “love all of the purple stuff”.
trebor61 3:40 am on April 27, 2009 | #
Hi roseindigo. Thanks for this. You are partially correct about the foliage. Some was applied with a sponge but I’ve also discovered that, when using these “watercolour pencils” (Inktense/graphitint etc) if the page is dampened first it will receive a small amount of colour when the tip is “dotted” against the wet surface. Seems to work best against a lighter wash of the same colour, having been allowed to dry, and is especially good if this wash leaves a hard edge where you merely “disguise” this edge with stronger colour. Hope that makes sense!
Your description of the way rivers speak to us is so good. When I was seven years old my dad took me camping for the first time to Glen Clova in Perthshire. We camped beside the River South Esk which made a noise like nothing I had heard before as it found its way past the boulders embedded in its bed. Even now, 55 years later, I can hear these magical tones and often fall asleep with the sound flowing through my mind. God’s music!
trebor61 3:51 am on April 27, 2009 | #
Sophie. Nice to hear from you. Thanks for taking the trouble to comment. I used the “purple”, both to complement the dominant “Greens” as well as to hint at a more shadowed area. My favourite “Shadow mix”,when using watercolours, is a combination of Ultramarine Blue/Burnt Sienna with a small amount of Alizarin Crimson to knock back the darkness. This can be applied as a thin wash, glazed over large areas and seems to bring everything together. A wee bit harder with watercolour pencils however- Ive probably overdone the red tone. I’ve stuck a picture on flickr by the late Scottish painter, James Mackintosh Patrick which, I hope, illustrates this. His use of shadows is far superior and much more subtle than anything I can do but, nevertheless, is something to aspire to.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/28475994@N00/3479687350/
Margie 3:42 pm on April 27, 2009 | #
This is beautiful Bob! The story and the painting. And Sophie, I enjoyed reading your comments – they relaxed me!
Margie 3:42 pm on April 27, 2009 | #
Oops – I meant that RoseIndigo’s comments made me relax – sorry!
roseindigo 7:00 pm on April 27, 2009 | #
Thanks for the tip Bob. I must confess, those Inkense and Graphitint pencils have me stymied, although I’m getting better with them.
trebor61 2:54 am on April 28, 2009 | #
Thanks Margie and roseindigo. Roseindigo, Its quite a coincidebce to have the pair of you commenting at the same time as I have, in the past, threatened to give up with Inktense but was scolded by Margie (in a friendly sort of way). I urge you to persevere with these things as the colours are so brillant. You could do worse than look at some of Margie’s posts as she seems to have conquered them.
Nick Powell 12:58 pm on April 28, 2009 | #
Hi Bob do the inktense work in the same way as normal watercolour pencils? Saw some the other day in London and was tempted but chickened out after your previous comments about how hard they were to use.
Nick Powell 1:00 pm on April 28, 2009 | #
Bob I think the may theme might be on its way
trebor61 1:57 am on April 29, 2009 | #
Hi Nick. Don’t be put off trying Inktense because of my comments. My previous experience, art-wise, has been with watercolours and my efforts tend to be quite muted with “delicate” colours. Inktense is completely the opposite of this the colours being VIVID, STRONG and PERMANENT. Its just that I’m taking lots of time to get used to them. They are great for making a statement on your painting or for applying an initial wash of permanent colour which can be glazed over with watercolour after the initial colour dries. Give them a go. Don’t, however, be tempted to buy an expensive set until you are sure they are for you. Derwent offer “singles” from their site
http://www.pencils4artists.co.uk/
and you could always start with 3 or 4 individual colours to test the water. Even the smallest set (6 [pencils), on sale, might not have the colours which suit you.
roseindigo 9:08 am on April 29, 2009 | #
Nick, like Bob has said, don’t be put off by them. If you are used to the delicacy of watercolor you just get a bit of a surprise by the intensity of color of these pencils, but it all depends on what you use them for. I’ve seen some stunning work done with them. Of course, I’m still frustrated by them because I’m only just learning to control them, but have done some creditable work with them that gets better all the time. So do like Bob says, buy a few and give them a go.
Yes Bob, I have studied Margie’s work and am amazed at how well she controls all that brightness with the Inkense. I also bought a set of the Graphitints and find them even more mystifying, except when I use them dry. I love just that tinge of color in the graphite. But they surprise and actually shock me when I wet them and have to cope with the intensity of the color when it’s wet. But I guess it’s all a matter of practice.
So go to it Nick. If nothing else, they are different and can be quite exciting and surprising to work with.