the beauty of pen and water

I am often asked what kinds of supplies I use and while other artists and crafters may love collecting all of the latest and greatest materials- I actually prefer to limit my supplies. When given the challenge of " how creative can you get with not much" I tend to become the most inspired! A few of my favorite supplies are a water soluble pen (any kind), a brush and a little water. These simple materials will go a long way in sketching and are perfect when you don't have the time or space to use paint.

If you are limited with time or space to create I have found over the years that a pen or marker that will dissolve with water (anything not permanent) is a great tool to have on hand. I used to carry a few pens, a pad of paper and a little brush to work and when nobody was looking or when things were slow I would create fast little paintings with my pen and a brush!

A line on a page is just a line...

But when you add water you can dissolve that line and pull away pigment to use for shading. Before you know it you can create beautiful sketches and paintings with just two supplies!

I typically start with a line drawing. I use both light/airy lines and bold lines throughout my sketch.

Then I use my brush to dissolve those lines (much of the time I use a water brush), I pull pigment away and then use that pigment to shade, add contrast and bring my line drawing to life.

After a little practice it becomes an easy alternative for paint!