Leaf Ghost #181

Two new inks from the Shikiori set: Yozakura “Evening Cherry Blossom” and Chushu “Mid-Fall Grey.”

I create the thicker lines by rotating the page 90 degrees clockwise and drawing lines from the left-top to the bottom-right using the flat part of the tip of the nib like a paintbrush. Then I rotate back and draw the thin lines from left-bottom to right-top using the edge of the tip more like a knife.

I’m pleased with the result and curious about what a leaf looks like with the colors reversed. We shall see.

Leaf Ghost #180

Another color study, sort of the reverse of #160. Not exactly the same colors, but the same organics-vs-metallics except swapping foreground and background.

 I love how the painting looks completely different when viewed from the side, the reflected light on the gold and bronze clearly revealing the leaf that’s much harder to see straight on.

This is likely to be the color combination I use when I do another version using an airbrush.

Leaf Ghost #179

Poe ghost humor: this came from the same kind of tree as the last one, but the upper right part of the leaf was missing. It looked as if it had been sliced off, which made it a particularly good choice for this point in “The Pit and the Pendulum.”

Also the Ides of March, come to think of it.

Leaf Ghost #178

Back to Copics. Orange ran dry (wouldn’t want to go a whole leaf without a dead marker), but Vermilion stepped up and finished the job.

Leaf Ghost #177

Back to the water mister. Two new tricks this time:

First, I drew the leaf on the masking film before removing the backing. That allowed me to cut it out and then stick it down, saving me from turning the drawing into a doily. It worked reasonably well, so I’ll probably keep doing it this way in the future. If nothing else, this allows me to work on paper rather than using illustration board every time I want to try this technique.

And second, I sprayed the water on gradually, two or three squirts at a time. Letting it dry between applications gave me the drops I’m after without the pools that turned the last one into a mess.

I told myself that I wouldn’t do any additional sprays when I first started seeing the drops merge together, which you can see a little toward the top. I think if I’d been a bit more careful about keeping the mister higher above the surface, I might have gotten in at least another round or two.

One of my favorite things about this technique is how the water brings out the color. The ink as first applied to the paper looks black, but thinning it out with water droplets brings out the “copper pheasant.”

Also for the record, the smudge on the border at the upper left was an accident during the inking phase and wasn’t caused by the water.

Leaf Ghost #176

When I finish an ink ghost, one of the last steps is to remove the pencil sketch with an eraser. Specifically this eraser, which I’ve had since I was in art school many years ago. It’s still working well, though its wrapper finally came apart.

“The Pit and the Pendulum” continues. It’s starting to get good again.

 

Leaf Ghost #175

Yet another snow day provides time for yet another leaf ghost.

This one continues techniques tested in #172. While that one didn’t have enough water, this one had a bit too much. Perhaps next time I’ll find a happy medium.

I used hot press illustration board this time, which worked much better than the Bristol board from #172. If nothing else, it was thick enough that slicing the masking film didn’t cut all the way through. Plus the water didn’t warp it at all.

The ink is new too: Shikiori Yamadori “Copper Pheasant.”