Joseph and I made a sketch trip to Kansas City the other day...he needed star anise for his Chinese 5-spice, I needed sketch time, so we invaded Planters Seed to inhale, browse, and shop, and then sat in the car so I could sketch the old buildings at the City Market. I love this area, the original downtown, near the City Wharf. Much traffic on the Missouri River, once upon a time, and barges still bring in this and that.
We just missed the farm-to-table lunch at The Farmhouse restaurant, so went on to Crown Center, a huge hotel-and-retail complex, and the Streetcar Named Desire, the entry of which was once part of the interurban line from KC to St. Joseph to Excelsior Springs. They have TERRIFIC burgers, so I try to get there once a year or so...
So. I sketched madly with my Noodler's Ahab pen and Lexington Grey ink, intending to add color, later. But...maybe not!
Love it! So beautiful, all details and pen work, love this ice cream so close to me. I think color is not necessary, because it is a pleasure to follow lines, thick and thin. Is Ahab better than Noodler's flex?
ReplyDeleteThank you, Nik! It's better in that it holds more ink, but actually I like both of them a lot once I got them tweaked to my satisfaction. The Ahab sometimes seems to make a finer line, and I think you have to press a bit harder to get maximum flex, but that's fine...
ReplyDeleteAddressing your question: Add Color or No? In me, you're asking someone who uses LOTS of and intense color. That said, Your composition is wonderful. The details so, so interesting (my favorite the texture of the ice cream cone)! Your line quality gorgeous. But if it were mine, I'd use selective color, perhaps radiating out from the label OR differentiating the ice cream from the streetcar
ReplyDeleteCathy, I really love your work whichever way you do it to be honest ~ and particularly like this one without (course I haven't seen it with...) But in answer to your question I have a friend who suggested to me to make photocopies of a sketch and then play with the photocopies to see where to go with it. I had to get past the "feels like cheating" but for me it helped to build experience and confidence, of which you need neither! But thought this might help others...
ReplyDeleteGreat sketch! My advice- follow your own impeccable instinct!
ReplyDeleteCathy, you say you did this with Lexington Grey ink, which is water soluble. Instead of color, could you just wash a few of the lines, making it more of a pen and wash composition?
ReplyDeleteLexington Grey's one of the few that DOESN'T dissolve for me, that's why I use it so much. Barbara, that's good advice...and in this case, for now, I'm opting for clean! Shena, good idea, I've done similar things, thanks!
ReplyDeleteSince my journal really IS my journal, and that was done days ago, I imagine I'll just move on. Sometimes I go back days or even weeks later and add, and I may, but...maybe not.<;-D