Demo - Grisaille Using Water-Soluable Pencil - At Loose Ends

I've been working on new art for ConQuesT (Kansas City, Memorial Day Weekend) and SoonerCon (Oklahoma City, first weekend of June). I love a deadline, or as Douglas Adams, one of my favorite authors, said -- "I love the sound a deadline makes as it whooshes by my head." So much to do, so little time.

One of my first steps is the underpainting or "grisaille" -- developing the tonal qualities of the painting in monochrome using a watercolor pencil.  I then go back over the piece with layers of watercolor and, sometimes, ink.

The image at right is an in-progress shot of this process. On this piece, title "At Loose Ends", I used a Faber Castell Albrecht Durer water-soluable color pencil in Mauve, manipulated with a Niji water brush. Later, I applied Daniel Smith watercolors in Rich Green Gold, Quin Burnt Orange, and French Ultramarine.

"At Loose Ends", 2.5 x 3.5 inches, ACEO, watercolor, watercolor pencil, and ink. (c) 2009 Allison Stein

Silent Cat, ACEO

silent-cat-full
Originally uploaded by AllisonStein

I finished this tiny painting recently, and posted it to my Etsy shop (http://allisonstein.etsy.com) a few days ago. This one was created with Daniel Smith pigments -- the underpainting is Raw Umber Violet, with Undersea Green and Gold Ochre for the dominant colors. Some detail was added in pencil.

Whooo Me?

begging-owl-full
Originally uploaded by AllisonStein

I posted this cute little guy on Etsy this evening, and he sold within mere hours. Owls are incredibly popular. I have no idea why. But I'm not above following a trend when it presents an opportunity for Teh Cute.

This was painted using Daniel Smith watercolors on Arches 140# cold press. I especially like the raw umber violet -- the brownish purple color used on the wings.