My Pen & Ink Wreath (prompt)

I mentioned in my previous watercolor blog post that I wanted to create a pen & ink wash wreath, but did not have the right colors in my five (5) artsy fountain pens. I decided this morning to “just do it” and see what happens.

Instead of using my normal blue painter’s tape to tape off the edges of my sketch, I’m using my colorful washi tape to create the borders. I found my washi tape has less stickiness than my painter’s tape and reduces the chance of peeling off parts of my paper when removing the tape.

I started my wash sketch using Sydney Lavender for the bow. I made sure to leave a few highlights and not overdue by adding too much ink.

Next I used Steely Days for the greenery. I did a combination of fir and holly leaves and little bit of eucalyptus here and there. I sketched out the leaves and then took my water brush and lightly went over a few lines to create a light wash of color.

The greenery in my wreath is finished.

I could have stopped here, but decided to add some color. I used Cherry Blossom and Mariner 4 and sketched in the berries. I also used Morning Frost to create a few berries as well. Now, my wreath looks a bit fuller.

I wet my paper around the outside edges and corners of my sketch. While my paper was wet, I dropped in small bits of Morning Frost to give my sketch a hazy look.

Inks: Van Dieman’s Ink Morning Frost (shimmering). Robert Oster Sydney Lavender, Cherry Blossom, and Steely Days. Colorverse Mariner4.

Pens: TWSBI GOs with stub 1.1 nibs

Journal: Stillman & Birn Beta softcover A5