Untitled Experiments

Today I'm home-bound by a pouring rain, so I've gotten into the creative mode. I'm trying to teach myself how to digitally merge ink drawings on flat illustration board with watercolors done on 140# cold press paper.

Yes, I am definitely too old to get a scholarship, but it's fun (sort of) to see if my sieve-like brain can master something altogether new.

A couple of years ago I was asked by a friend to do a freelance graphic-arts project--basically a set of colorized ink drawings of composers. Yes, it was a stretch for me.

Illustration board and an 005 black Micron pen worked great for the drawings but adding even minimal color to the set was a challenge-- first because illustration board isn't made for watercolor and second (and most important)--there was no room for experimentation at all. Put the color on the paper, and like it or not, you're done.

So today I finally merged Beethoven (above) with another watercolor painting, just to see if it would work. It's not too bad by my standards, which are low.

I spent the afternoon working on some small (5" x 7") abstract ink drawings and merging them with watercolor paintings of the same scale. For someone like me who is not a tech-head, it was hard work. But way more fun than doing the laundry.