This week we discuss about applying ink to our contour shell drawings. After drawing our contour shell drawings, we will add ink to the drawing. Ink is similar to water. It has a natural flow that will help make the shell look as if it’s alive. Adding more than one color can help push the shell to become more alive looking. Colors that were suggested in class other than black are brown, sepia, red, green, tea, or coffee. Have more than 4 containers or tapper wares to store the ink and water. Try different amount of water and ink combination to get different shades of colors.
We will use bamboo brushes and/or other brushes to paint on the drawing. Perhaps a fine small or medium size will work. Using different brush size can give us different results in the ink size and stroke. A varnish brush will be good to use for covering large area of the drawing. Trying different techniques with different brushes can give more variety in the drawings.
A good tip before inking on the drawing would be to paint a light layer of clear water across the paper before inking. This will give the drawing a more natural look when the ink and water combines, which can also gives a different look to the drawing later it dry. While painting on the drawing, I should remember to use my whole arm to paint. This will give me more control over the area on the paper, especially if the size of the paper is large. Sometimes it is rather hard to control the flow of ink as it moves through the paper.
Start out by painting light tones on the drawing and add darker tones if necessary to enhance the shell’s look. Unlike the contour shell drawing, the lighter shade tones will be used in the background while the darker tones will be used in the in the foreground and shadow areas. The area where light hits the shell will remain the same color as the paper. If the paper is any color other than white, a white charcoal or conte can be use to highlight some of the features on the shell.
Here are examples of shell drawings with ink that other students drew.
