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Description
Experimental still life using charcoal, ink wash, and Conte crayons.

Ink wash (India ink mixed with water) is WEIRD - it's not only unforgiving and un-eraseable, it does all kinds of bizarre fluid-based things. Too much makes puddles, in which the ink collects at the edges making a dark frill. Painting over a dry layer makes a combined darker stripe with sharp edges, but painting over a layer that's still wet results in blending, sometimes with the puddle-edge effect to boot. If two strokes get too close, the edges tangle up. All these weirdnesses show up in the left-hand object (which is actually the belly of a lawn flamingo) and in the shadows.

The Conte crayons, black and red, work sort of like pastels (so I hear) and sort of like charcoal, but water will pick them up and spread them. The funnel in the background was drawn using a black Conte crayon like charcoal, but brushing over it with water smoothed it out and made the funnel look a lot more metallic. The red highlights on the pear at right come from wetting down the red Conte crayon strokes.

I think I shaded the bowling pin at center with ordinary charcoal, then brushed it with water, which didn't accomplish very much past a little smoothing effect.

Description
Experimental still life using charcoal, ink wash, and Conte crayons.

Ink wash (India ink mixed with water) is WEIRD - it's not only unforgiving and un-eraseable, it does all kinds of bizarre fluid-based things. Too much makes puddles, in which the ink collects at the edges making a dark frill. Painting over a dry layer makes a combined darker stripe with sharp edges, but painting over a layer that's still wet results in blending, sometimes with the puddle-edge effect to boot. If two strokes get too close, the edges tangle up. All these weirdnesses show up in the left-hand object (which is actually the belly of a lawn flamingo) and in the shadows.

The Conte crayons, black and red, work sort of like pastels (so I hear) and sort of like charcoal, but water will pick them up and spread them. The funnel in the background was drawn using a black Conte crayon like charcoal, but brushing over it with water smoothed it out and made the funnel look a lot more metallic. The red highlights on the pear at right come from wetting down the red Conte crayon strokes.

I think I shaded the bowling pin at center with ordinary charcoal, then brushed it with water, which didn't accomplish very much past a little smoothing effect.