Stonywold

ZenDruid

ZenDruid

Supporting Member
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I'm putting this in Mixed Media because it involves a road trip, digital photography, photoshop editing, ball point pen, ink brushes, graphite and colored pencils and computer paper. First, the picture I finished this morning:
1690041745171.jpeg

And the original photo:

1690041687403.jpeg



So why and how did I make a mess out of a perfectly good photo? Because, and it was 5:30AM. To go back, a friend and I made a road trip several years ago to Stonywold, the last building of an old (circa 1900) tuberculosis sanitorium on Saranac Lake, NY. I took digital photos with my DSLR camera and put them into my computers photo file. This morning I had an idea. I dropped this photo into Adobe Photoshop and using the Brightness/Contrast tool, I faded it down to a faint image. Then I printed it off on inkjet paper. I used a ballpoint pen to trace it out and then used my new ink brushes to fill it in, followed by blue and green watercolor washes for sky and grass. This photo should explain it:

1690042479038.jpeg



I'm not happy with the washes, they look messy, this was my first time using watercolor since grade school, I need practice.

Tools and material: Digital camera, Adobe Photoshop, Staples 24lb inkjet printer paper that doesn't bleed through; Pilot G2 .7mm ballpoint pen; Faber-Castell ink brush pens; graphite and colored pencils; no-name watercolor set inherited from my daughter's school days.
Comments, critique and suggestions are very welcome, thanks for looking. :)
 

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Wow! That's a lot of different mediums- wonderful how they all worked together so nicely. Well done!
 
Jo Castillo said:
Lovely, can't believe you did it on printer paper. Applause.
Click to expand...
Thank you Jo! I've been saving my computer paper that has mistakes and using the clean backside for scribbling and sketching practice. This brand has a smooth texture, not glossy, takes marks well. When I got into ink brushes, I discovered that they did not bleed through on the 24lb inkjet paper I use. Watercolor and alcohol markers do bleed through a little bit, just put a piece of scrap paper behind it. I'll continue experimenting with it.(y)
 
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ZenDruid said:
Thank you Jo! I've been saving my computer paper that has mistakes and using the clean backside for scribbling and sketching practice. This brand has a smooth texture, not glossy, takes marks well. When I got into ink brushes, I discovered that they did not bleed through on the 24lb inkjet paper I use. Watercolor and alcohol markers do bleed through a little bit, just put a piece of scrap paper behind it. I'll continue experimenting with it.(y)
Click to expand...
You did a great job with this paper! Of course your work might be easier if you felt like switching to a watercolor paper, or heavier weight paper to take in all the various media. But you got a very good result with what you had on hand, and the more you play with it the better you'll discover what it will give you. Terrific work! Love this building, how fun to have it as your ref photo. :)
 
ZenDruid said:
Thank you Jo! I've been saving my computer paper that has mistakes and using the clean backside for scribbling and sketching practice...
Click to expand...
Ah, at last I found somebody else who does the same.
I also use the reverse of all my no-longer-needed printed matter to write and sketch my notes and ideas on.

These are leftover beliefs from when I was young, before photocopying paper was readily available. I also used to regularly beg a few sheets of large butchers paper from the butcher and hotel bottle shops to sketch on.

Now, after all these decades, I have collected many sketchbooks which I still have not yet used... how strange that is!? I might as well get into them while I still got time to do so.
 
Terri said:
You did a great job with this paper! Of course your work might be easier if you felt like switching to a watercolor paper,
Click to expand...
Thanks Terri, I'm sure I will do that. I'm sure there's art paper that will work in a printer. This was just a spur of the moment effort to see how it would turn out. :)
 
On printer paper?! Amazing result, Zen! I like how you use so many different media - and have a good time doing it!
 
Donna T said:
On printer paper?! Amazing result, Zen! I like how you use so many different media - and have a good time doing it!
Click to expand...
Thank you Donna! :) I'm using ink jet paper which is made to be printed on two sides, so it has to resist bleeding through. Of course my ink jet printer does not lay down as much pigment as I'm doing with an ink brush and water colors but it seems to work and dries flat. It has a decent weight, a smooth tooth and takes marks well from pencil, pen or brush. Computer paper is used by schools, business and industry for important documents. They want quality, I wouldn't, and don't, dismiss them, especially since I'm just making quick sketches. I understand the fine artists here will want to use quality art materials when dealing with galleries or discerning collectors and clients who will ask them about it. Meantime, I still have my fair share of artist sketchbooks from pocket size to 18x24 inch that are still waiting to be filled. :)
 
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My! That certainly is mixed media! You handled it all very well. ❤️ Now get busy and do some more!;)
 
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