Nice - Painting Weathered Buildings in Pen, Ink & Watercolor

FILTERED LIGHT AND WEATHERED WOOD, 8 10 (20cm 25cm)
Layered watercolor wash and black and Sepia pen work. Crumpled facial tissue
blotting, masking and spatter techniques were used on the foliage.

Painting

weathered

Buildings

in pen, ink

& watercolor

CLAUDIA NICE

www.nlbooks.com

Painting Weathered Buildings in Pen, Ink & Watercolor With Claudia Nice. Copyright 2000 by Claudia Nice. Manufactured in China. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages in a review. Published by North Light Books, an imprint of F&W Publications, Inc., 1507 Dana Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio 45207. (800) 2890963. First edition.

Other fine North Light Books are available from your local bookstore, art supply store or direct from the publisher.

04 03 02 01 00 5 4 3 2 1

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Nice, Claudia.
Painting weathered buildings in pen, ink & watercolor with Claudia
Nice / Claudia Nice.
1st ed.
p. cm.
ISBN 0-89134-917-0 (pob alk: paper)
1. Pen drawingTechnique. 2. Watercolor paintingTechnique. 3. Buildings in art.
I. Title.
NC905.N529 2000
751.42244dc21 99045766

CIP

Editor Mike Berger
Production editor Amy J. Wolgemuth
Cover designer Mary Barnes Clark
Production artist Deborah Gonzalez
Production coordinator Kristen Heller

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Claudia Nice is a native of the Pacific Northwest and a self-taught artist, developing her realistic art style by sketching from nature. She is a multi-media artist, but prefers pen, ink and watercolor when working in the field. Claudia has been an art consultant and instructor for Koh-I-Noor Rapidograph and, more recently, Grumbacher. She travels across North America conducting workshops, seminars and demonstrations at schools, clubs, shops and trade shows. Her oils, watercolors and ink drawings have won numerous awards and can be found in private collections across the continent.

Claudia has authored fourteen successful art instruction books, including Sketching Your Favorite Subjects in Pen & Ink, Creating Texture in Pen & Ink With Watercolor, and Painting Nature in Pen & Ink With Watercolor, all of which were featured as main selections in the North Light Book Club.

When not involved with her art career, Claudia enjoys hiking and horseback riding in the wilderness behind her home on Mt. Hood in Oregon. Using her artistic eye to spot details, Claudia has developed skills as a man tracker and is involved, along with her husband Jim, as a wilderness search and rescue volunteer.

My thanks to Mike Berger, David Lewis, Greg Albert and my husband Jim, for all the help and encouragement they gave me

And to the Carpenter of Nazareth, who taught me to build my house on a firm foundation. Matt. 7:2425

Bright Wood Meadowsthe author's mountain home.

RED IRON DOOR, 10 8 (25cm 20cm)
Detailed with gray and Sepia pen and ink work.

CONTENTS

CHAPTER ONE
MATERIALS AND TECHNIQUES

CHAPTER TWO
SKETCHING THE SUBJECT

CHAPTER THREE
WEATHERED WOOD AND RUSTING IRON

CHAPTER FOUR
FADED AND PEELING PAINT

CHAPTER FIVE
WINDOWS TO THE PAST

CHAPTER SIX
BRICK, ADOBE AND STONE

CHAPTER SEVEN
PILLARS AND GINGERBREAD

WEATHERED WOOD VICTORIAN, 8 10 (20cm 25cm)
Watercolor painting enhanced with pen and ink.

INTRODUCTION

Why are old buildings so intriguing? Could it be the hands that built them, using simple tools and passed down skills, that garners our curiosity and respect. Or is it the earthy materials they are made fromwood, stone and brickthat reminds us of ancestral times when man and nature lived closer together? Whatever the reason, old buildings are fascinating. They have a beauty all their own, clothed in dignified, sun-softened colors and weathered earth tones. Some stand proud and true to form, a credit to their builder. Others sag under the weight of years with missing shingles and broken panes. Yet these imperfections only seem to add to their charm, drawing people closer, as if we could somehow gather ancient wisdom by peeking into dusty windows and abandoned rooms. The word describing this longing is nostalgia. For those who have felt nostalgia as they entered the cool shadows of an old barn, or marveled at the details of an old Victorian dwelling, or simply stroked a piece of sunwarmed wood for the feel of it, this book is for you. May it please the eye of the one who merely wants to ponder the past, and inspire the artist who wants to capture both structural shape and moood with his own hand.

Happy sketching,

Claudia nice

CHAPTER ONE

MATERIALS & TECHNIQUES

MATERIALS

Good tools and art supplies are essential to the success of a project. The learning process and the joy of creation can be greatly discouraged when the artist has to fight with his art equipment in order to succeed. One need not buy the most expensive tool, but he must learn the nature of that implement so as to choose wisely within an affordable price range.

Paper

The sketch paper should be polished enough to allow the pen to glide over its surface without snagging, picking up lint or clogging. The ink should also appear crisp. For mixed media, choose a paper that is compatible with pen work, as well as wet washes. The watercolor paper must be absorbent enough to avoid permanent buckling when wet-on-wet techniques are used. Taping the edges of the paper to a board while painting will help the paper maintain its original shape. My favorite watercolor paper is Fabriano Uno (Savoir Faire) 140-lb. (300gsm) cold-press.

Pen

The ideal pen has a steady, leak-free flow and a precise nib that can be stroked in all directions. This book was illustrated using Koh-I-Noor Rapidograph pens. Each pen consists of a hollow nib, a self-contained, changeable ink supply and a plastic holder. Within the hollow nib is a delicate wire and weight that shifts back and forth during use, bringing the ink forward. The Rapidograph comes in a variety of sizes, (0.25mm) being the one used most often in my work. (Nib sizes are noted throughout the book in parentheses.) Drawbacks: cost and maintenance. Like any instrument, the Rapidograph pen requires proper care and cleaning.

A more economical and maintenance-free version of the technical pen is the disposable Artist Pen by Grumbacher. It comes prefilled with a quality, brush-proof ink. The Artist Pen is similar in usage to the Rapidograph but differs somewhat in design, the inner workings being sealed. Drawbacks: The artist does not have a choice of inks and empty pens are not refillable.