120905 St Leonards Naremburn

120905 St Leonards Naremburn, a photo by borromini bear on Flickr.

Here is the scan from this mornings effort. The Burnt Sienna marker is a little strong..so I have now replaced it with one that I got from the set we got at the symposium.

Summary so far (I am comparing with ink and watercolour)... I am rushing tonight so not sure if all of these will make sense...

What I love
- so easy to get clean fresh colours (no messy, dirty mixes)
- very little drying time (I can sketch more as can almost instantly turn the page and start sketch no. 2 or 3 or 4!) Also nice not to have to walk the streets holding my book open and checking to make sure I have not unexpected runs of wet watercolour paint
- it is the same action as when I am drawing – ie. I am using a pen. it is the hand/ head dialogue that gives me great joy in exploring an object. I don’t quite get the same experience when I painting- I love splashing pigment and water around, but it is the drawing side (as an architect) that is my foundation
- solid block colour rather than linear/stroke based colour of a wc pencil... Easy to colour a large area quickly and can produce a perfect solid uniform wash
- overlaying of colours is very exciting ... No murky mixes!
- blending opportunities to explore
- I am loving using these markers in a loose way (rather than the traditional polished manner) and seeing how my personal watercolour style is translated to a different medium
- I am really want to explore the massing of colours that Eduardo does – so amazing his work – and using markers I think will be a great way to explore more painterly work which I can then translate back to watercolour

What is not so good
- They are expensive and you need a lot of them as there is a limit to how much you can layer.
- The colours are so nice... That I want MORE... I have bought more than I need already and still need to go to my art store to get a rose/magenta colour... Will I come away with only one ...or more?
- Good to have wet and old dried out pens for some effects – =more markers...
- They bleed through the paper... Almost any paper
- Not as convenient to hold many colours when on site (vs my little watercolour kit that I can create unlimited colours from) and you MUST put the lid back on immediately after use. Of course I am working fast (very fast) and constantly changing pens (sketching like a mad woman even more than usual!). This adds a little to the adrenalin rush that I get from sketching (so this is a positive, I suppose... I come into work pumping as a result!!!)
- Need a range of light.mid and dark colour... = More markers....and be careful with the dark ones... Once on the page you are stuck with it!
- Fumes? Not an issue outside but could be an issue inside (the old yoken pens were far worse)

Ok.. That's all that I can think of after a few days of using them ( only 5 days worth...seems longer than that!) I am NOT trying to convert everyone to rush out and buy a heap... I am not sure that they would work for many of you....but I just can't help sharing my excitement with you all!