Sketchers work in a variety of media, but usually default to using what works best for them, whether it’s pen and pencil, or going straight for the paint. Some prefer to draw with watercolor pencils, then use a brush to add water to transform the pencil into watercolor. However, when the color from pencil dries it is permanent and cannot be removed, so is less forgiving than real watercolor. I personally like to use watercolor over fineliner pen.
A sketching companion of mine selects from a whole range of sketching media, including compressed charcoal pencils and willow charcoal, soft pastels, acrylics, colored pencils, ordinary graphite pencils, pen and ink, and oil paints, depending on the weather and the subject matter. Other sketchers mention the following: pastels, ballpoint, felt-tip pens, watercolor markers, oil pastel over acrylic paint, and even collage. It depends on what you’re comfortable with, how important the color is, and perhaps most importantly, how much time you’ve got.
Mixing colors can sometimes be muddy, too, so take care when adding different colors to a sketch—it’s a shame to spoil a good drawing with overworked color.
My own approach varies according to my mood, or my response to the weather. If I’m in an upbeat frame of mind, I’ll see brighter, “happier” colors, and the colors I choose on a bright summer’s day might be different to those I pick on a cold, overcast day.
ALASTAIR PRICE
Preston Estuary, England
Alastair Price applied a backdrop of “sky-colored” watercolor across the page (above) before drawing the buildings, shading them, adding detail in ballpoint pen, fields in oil pastel and highlighting in white. The use of white for the clouds is inspired and breaks from the tradition of leaving a white background. The choice of mixed media results in a uniquely vibrant sketch.
Lots of sketchers use aqua brushes because they are convenient, refillable, come in a range of thicknesses and can be used for both drawing and painting. If you’re new to sketching, give them a go! Their specially designed nibs hold paint or water for longer, giving you more control than with a normal paintbrush.
PETER RUSH
Brunswick Street, Fitzroy, Melbourne, Australia
The gray of a cardboard box is certainly a refreshing change from normal white paper in this sketch by Peter Rush, and it’s good to see white “added” as a color in itself. You can also see the texture of the diagonally slanted pencil marks very clearly—maybe the surface of the cardboard was slightly waxy? Colored pencil is a great medium for decisive mark-making and adding depth (i.e., black).