Watercolour Pencils: Various versions of the Three Sisters

June 3, 2009 | Leave your thoughts

Three Sisters Take 1

Expect to be bombarded with lots of watercolour pencil sketches as I do the course…

I do plan to upload a lot of all my exercises and experiments as well as the ‘assignments’ as I am trying to make all my scribble experiments into a journal page/ sketch.

Here is one which kinda resembles the famous 3 sisters in the Blue Mountains. Using the muted primaries as suggested by Kate…. but dark indigo just somehow made it into the mix as well!

I plan to do a more controlled version later this week.(ie. actually look at the shape of the rocks rather than just scribbling!)

But oh! I love scribbling!!!!

Three Sisters Take 2

Ok, I tried with a muted primary triad – only using three colours was fun. Right at the last minute I chose indigo rather than ultramarine (other two colours ochre and venetian red- this last colour is not quite doing it for me- as I have said before I have a real addiction to burnt sienna!)

This is a little more controlled than last nights scribble but not as controlled as I had planned… I really don’t have any more time tonight- or maybe this week… So this might be it….

I really thought this was a disaster when it was only pencil and then when I added the water I felt a bit too much out of control …but now it doesn’t look as bad as it felt when I was doing it – but still not sure about it as I could not get the colours I wanted with these three colours (maybe I should not have done that last minute blue swap!) But I am sure this will look different in the morning when I don’t have the reference photo in front of me!!!!

Just realised that I scanned the first stage of my previous sketch and thought it might be of interest….
This is the stage where I was seriously worried and had no idea what would happen when I added the water… that was when the fun really began!

Three Sisters Take 3

I just can’t help myself… I just have to try again.

Although Venetian Red might be a better colour to act as red in a muted primary triad… I just prefer burnt sienna (just can’t help myself… it’s that addiction again!) So here is ultramarine, burnt sienna, ochre. As my notes on the side state… I was way too heavy with the pressure of the burnt sienna – forgot how strong the colour is.

Now that I see the final scanned version I might add some final touches to this…

Ok.. I think I need to leave the three sisters there and find another subject!(even though I really wanted to try a version with inktense pencils!)

Daley Rowney Cartridge Sketchbook 11 x 8″ 29x21cm double spread
Faber Castell A. Durer WC Pencils

Inktense big sister

I just can’t stop… But this is the last of the three sisters…I mean it this time!

I quite like using these inktense!

In this sketch I tried to draw the planes of the form of the rock rather than just scribble colour everywhere A little abstract and showing my architects way of thinking in doing this…but very helpful- should have done this first time round!

Oh… if you are not totally sick of this rock formation here is a watercolour I did on location at Easter time...for those of you who haven’t already seen it

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