W AT E R C O L O U R : 4 T H I N A S E R I E S O F 8
Pencil drawings and
pen and wash
Jake Winkle underlines the importance of a sound drawing
W
hether you are sketching as part
of a painting or drawing for
drawing’s sake, it is important to
be able to capture the subject accurately.
Most of my subjects rely on sound
draughtsmanship and are usually
underpinned by a simple pencil drawing,
although I do occasionally paint directly
on to the paper. Sometimes I like the
drawing to be clearly visible and to play
an active part in the finished watercolour,
and for this I use pen and wash.
Draughtsmanship
At art school, through life drawing, I was
trained to observe accurately – to actually
study the figure. As I progressed I found
various techniques a great help in this
respect. Firstly, I was shown how to
measure: for instance to measure and
count how many times the head fits into
the entire height of the figure. This is
useful for generally getting the figure to
look like a person and especially useful for
positioning the overall drawing centrally
on the page. However, this technique
alone lacks subtleties such as quality of
line and contour and, ultimately, I find it
has limited use for capturing the real
likeness of the model.
The next technique I developed was a
system of measuring angles. So, with life
drawing I had to first find the position of
,e
26 May 2012
two points on the figure, perhaps the combining measuring and angling with
navel (point A) and a nipple (point B); general observation, such as relative
from these two positions any other height, width and so on, it becomes
location could be accurately mapped – in easier to make accurate, albeit time-
theory. I have explained how to do this in consuming drawings.
the panel (bottom).
As you find more points on the picture Quality of line and
you have more positions to angle from contours
and, as the drawing develops, this Nowadays I mainly draw as part of the
becomes easier. With practice this painting process. I do not want to spend
becomes a very precise method of hours on the sketch because I want to feel
drawing, although at first it can be fresh and invigorated for the painting, so I
difficult to plot angles accurately, so start use another technique known as contour
with regular-shaped objects such as drawing. For this, you concentrate on the
boxes. At art school my figure drawings overall silhouette of the subject rather
looked like sketches suspended in a than studying and relating disparate
spider’s web of faint construction lines. By elements to each other (see below left).
Contour drawing
Contour drawing of a
pack of hounds
Instead of completing
individual sections,
partially draw one
section and then move
directly on to another if
it overlaps the first.
When the silhouette is
complete you draw the
detail inside the shape –
as with the dog on the
far right
Measuring angles
This illustration shows how angles can be used
to plot the drawing. With this method you could
plot lots of different positions before ever
joining the dots together to form lines.
l Measure the angle from point A to the
desired position C and draw a straight
construction line between the two.
l Repeat from point B to position C. Position
•
C is found where these construction lines
intersect.
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Practical

Pencil lines
In this detail from a larger
picture you can make out the
pencil lines and see how the
paint seldom cuts into them
accurately

‘I like my pencil lines to be visible to the onlooker in a finished watercolour’

shade, detail and contour with the pen similar way to a dry brushstroke.
This is not a measuring technique and, as
and not have to rely as much on pure When drawing with ink I like to show
a result, sketches can look a little
watercolour. The pen can be added after the main silhouettes and shadow shapes
elongated or compressed until you
the wash although I usually do the of the objects but this time I hatch with
become accustomed to it but the
drawing first. Many of my students find lines to show facets that are in shadow. A
advantage is that the drawing happens
pen and wash very rewarding because the sense of light and shade is immediately
very quickly, establishing accurate
pen adds sparkle to the finished set up and by hatching in the direction
relationships between different objects
watercolour. that the object goes or flows it can reveal
within the composition. With practice, and
by combining this technique with other For pen and wash I use black waterproof
observational skills such as measuring and dipping ink and a wooden lolly stick
comparing, you can create very accurate sharpened to a wedge, which enables me Pen and wash sketch
drawings. to produce a variety of lines from thick to In this pen and wash sketch, hatching is
This technique, which is ideal for the thin. The wedge sometimes creates an used to show light and shade and to reveal
complex shapes of awkward perspectives, uneven line which breaks a little in a contours
such as those seen in figures and animals,
or even boats for that matter, involves
studying the exact contour of the
silhouette, including every little nook and
cranny. It creates a wonderful expressive
quality of line that pays as much attention
to the space shape as it does to the object
shape.
I like my pencil lines to be visible to the
onlooker in a finished watercolour.
Generally they are not noticeable from a
viewing distance but when seen up close
they show how the painting is
constructed. I seldom paint accurately
into the pencil lines and this shows that
the sketch is a guide rather than a target,
with brushstrokes often exceeding the
lines or not meeting them at all (above).

Pen and wash

On occasions I like the drawing to play a
more active role in the painting. Pen and
wash is a lovely way to explore the
medium of watercolour because you can
describe elements such as light and

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W AT E R C O L O U R

contours as well. When hatching shadows Woodbridge, Suffolk, watercolour on Bockingford paper, 121⁄2⫻19in (32⫻48cm)
in foliage you can use straight lines that
emanate from the trunk, as in the pen
and wash sketch (page 27), or more
descriptive leaf-type patterns that mass
together to form shadows and clusters of DEMONSTRATION Kersey, Suffolk
leaf detail. Pen and wash can also be
executed as wash and pen, allowing the
pen lines to give a little definition to a I chose this subject because there was strong directional light coming from the
lovely loose watercolour and to put left and from behind, resulting in large areas in shadow. There are also some
elements of detail into focus. TA interesting cast shadows from the cars, buildings and the figure

STAGE ONE
First, I very lightly sketched the scene with a
2B pencil, being careful not to be too
elaborate as I wanted to go over these lines
in an expressive way with the ink. I find that
sketching in pencil first allows me to plot
the composition accurately without fear of
making mistakes that cannot be erased,
which would have been the case had I gone
straight in with ink. I then redrew the subject
using my sharpened lolly stick and dipping
ink. Holding the stick away from the nib, I
was aiming to produce bold, quick lines.
Once the outline was in place I hatched all
the areas that were in shadow or were a
cast shadow. The hatch lines went in the
same direction as the object so that not
only was I creating a feeling of sunlight and
shade, but of contour too. Once this stage
was complete the drawing had a very busy
feel – lots of criss-crossing lines resulted in
definition being lost in places as shadows
clashed with elements of detail

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Practical
STAGE TWO

t
Once the ink was dry it was time to
start painting. Because there was a
lot of detail in the drawing there was
less need for it in the painting. Trees,
for instance, did not require dry
brushstrokes because they were
already described with the ink. The
washes go on simply and cleanly to
allow the ink to show through

Jake Winkle’s new book Light and

Movement in Watercolour will be
published by Batsford on May 16,
ISBN9781849940276, price £18.99.
Readers can purchase copies from
Painters'books at the special price
of £14.99. Go to www.painters-
online.co.uk and follow the links
to the bookshop, or telephone
0844 880 5853. Quote 201190
when ordering. Jake's new DVD of
the same title is available from
Townhouse Films, price £27.95.
t
FINISHED PAINTING Telephone 01603 259441;
Kersey, Suffolk, watercolour on Bockingford paper, 93⁄4⫻133⁄4in (25⫻35cm). www.townhousefilms.co.uk.
The first wash only takes a few minutes. You do not have to be too accurate because the
pen lines always hold a watercolour like this together. Next it was time to apply the dark cast
shadows and the deep shadow on the gable end of the main building. The painting was kept
very simple, with the pen lines used to unify the different shapes and add a little sparkle to Next month: How to simplify what
the finished result you see

www.painters-online.co.uk May 2012 29