While browsing Khadi Papers online shop one day when I needed to purchase some more cotton paper I came across some beautiful looking paper which was handmade in Bhutan. I decided to buy a couple of packs in two different sizes to experiment with. When the paper arrived I admired its unique surface; smooth to touch on one side and slightly rough on the other side with flecks of natural material and a deckled edge. I thought that ink might work well with the paper so I took out my pot of black Indian ink and a selection of fine brushes. I decided to use some photographs from my trip around Argentina’s Lake District as inspiration, the flora of the area combined with the lake shores, water and mountainous landscape seemed like it would work well with the materials.
I used a watered down ink wash to depict the water of the lake with concentrated ink to draw the trees with a super fine brush. With each drawing I tackled a different viewpoint, mountains with trees bordering the lake edge, beautiful wild trees with boulders, delicate grasses and flowers, rickety old gates. The paper gives the drawings an antique feel, as if they’ve been stashed away inside an old book and left inside a cabinet for a number of years.
The first couple of drawings were quite restrained but as time went on I allowed myself to be more expressive and to embrace looser marks. My pen drawings are so tight and so detailed that I relished letting go a little bit, allowing the ink to splodge and utilising dry brush technique to create interesting textures.
This is a series that I really enjoy working on between making detailed pen drawings and watercolour paintings. There are several original drawings from this series available to purchase at claireleach.com/shop.
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