Claudia Nice - Creating Textured Landscapes with Pen, Ink and Watercolor

APPLE TREE IN SPRING GREEN
pen, ink and watercolor

Creating Textured
LANDSCAPES
with pen, ink and watercolor

Claudia Nice

NORTH LIGHT BOOKS
CINCINNATI, OHIO www.artistsnetwork.com

Creating Textured Landscapes with Pen, Ink and Watercolor. Copyright 2007 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., 4700 East Galbraith Road, Cincinnati, Ohio, 45236. (800) 289-0963. First Edition.

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Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Nice, Claudia

Creating textured landscapes with pen, ink and watercolor / Claudia Nice.

p. cm.

ISBN-13: 978-1-58180-927-5 (hc : alk. paper)

ISBN-13: 978-1-60061-633-4 (EPUB)

ISBN-10: 1-58180-927-1 (hc : alk. paper)

1. Pen drawingTechnique. 2. Watercolor paintingTechnique. 3. Texture (Art)Technique. 4. Landscape in art. I. Title.

NC905.N518 2008

751.4272436dc22

2007061232

Edited by Kathy Kipp
Designed by Jennifer Hoffman
Photography by Christine Polomsky
Production coordinated by Greg Nock

Metric Conversion Chart

About the Author

Claudia Nice is a native of the Pacific Northwest and a self-taught artist who developed 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 Grumbacher. She is also a certified teacher in the Winsor & Newton Col Art organization and represents the United States as a member of the Advisory Panel for The Society of All Artists in Great Britain.

Claudia travels internationally conducting workshops, seminars and demonstrations at schools, clubs, shops and trade shows. She has opened her own teaching studio, Brightwood Studio (www.brightwoodstudio.com) in the beautiful Cascade wilderness near Mt. Hood, Oregon. Her oils, watercolors, and ink drawings can be found in private collections across the continent and internationally.

Claudia has authored twenty successful art instruction books. Her books for North Light include Sketching Your Favorite Subjects in Pen & Ink; Creating Textures in Pen & Ink with Watercolor; Painting Nature in Pen & Ink with Watercolor; How to Keep a Sketchbook Journal; Painting Country Gardens in Watercolor, Pen & Ink; Watercolor Made Simple with Claudia Nice; Creating Creatures of Fantasy and Imagination and her latest book, Painting Your Favorite Animals in Pen, Ink & Watercolor, published in 2006.

When not involved with her art career, Claudia enjoys gardening, hiking, and horseback riding in the wilderness behind her home on Mt. Hood.

TABLE of Contents

Introduction

L et me wander down a rambling country road where trees form arches overhead, and wooden fences give way to field and pasture. Better yet, let me turn aside onto paths seldom trod and discover hidden glens, tumbling brooks and distant mountain peaks framed by wooded hills and vast skies. I want to experience the beauty of the world with all my senses, and capture the essence of what I feel and hear and see with pen and brush. I'm a visual person and what I set down on paper will come alive for me over and over again, as I share my artistic endeavors with others. While it is true a good photographer can capture the beauty of a scene, the experienced artist has the ability to eliminate the unnecessary from his landscapes and to enhance the qualities that most appeal to him, making a very personal statement.

I like to bring out the texture of my subjects, as well as their distinctive shapes and colors, so that those who view my work can feel the scene as well as see it. Adding texture to a painting is like the chocolate chips in fresh baked cookies. Those sweet, gooey lumps make all the difference. Therefore, texture will have a special emphasis in this book. Most of the texturing techniques within these pages are tried and true favorites of mine, some of which I have used in new ways. I've also included some spontaneous experiments which have turned out well. The creative process is an adventure and I invite you to join me in the fun.

This small watercolor landscape was textured with brush stippling, glazing, Pitt pen stippling, spatter and wet-on-wet techniques.

CHAPTER ONE
1 BASIC TOOLS
and
Techniques

T here is more to creating a successful landscape than just copying a pretty scene from nature. It needs to have a center of interest and a well thought-out design to support the center of interest, consisting of the following elements:

1. SHAPES