Sometimes change is in usage, not in decay or destruction. A charming stone building in our town used to be a funeral home and chapel. At one time it was to be a restaurant and a cooking school, and now it’s waiting for a new buyer with a vision and a plan!
assorted watercolor pigments, hot-pressed watercolor paper, ink pen with a flexible nib
STEP ONE: Draw and Ink the Image
I was going for a combination of unfinished areas and more detail, and I planned to let my later washes follow that same pattern. I applied black ink with a flex-nib fountain pen to suggest the texture of the stonework and the tile roof. It’s not necessary to draw every stone; a few marks will tell the story. Let the ink dry thoroughly before adding color.
STEP TWO: Apply Washes
I added the first loose, light watercolor washes in the sky, the grass and the red tile roofs. I kept the distant buildings simple and used a blue-gray wash to push them into the background.
STEP THREE: Add Final Washes
I added various warm and cool gray washes and allowed them to mix on the page before adding spatter. These washes stand in for the stonework, and the spatter offers some texture and spontaneity.