JOANA MIRANDA STUDIO

Yesterday I did my first ink and gouache rendering (or design).  Because the technique used was quite different from other rendering techniques I’ve used to date, I decided to re-render the same brooch this week in different media to compare and contrast results.  Today’s version was done with ink and gouache as well, but I added an overlay of permanent yellow ink over the sepia ink to create “gold”:

Although using ink (I’m working with the Speedball series of nibs and holders and Higgins permanent inks) is still a technique that I need lots of practice to master, I do like the simplicity of the steps and the vibrancy of the outcome.

The steps I used to render today’s brooch are as follows:

1. Using brown pencil, sketch the design on gray Canson art paper (use charcoal pencil if you will be rendering silver metal)
2. Go over the outline using a fine nib tip and sepia ink (use black ink if you will be rendering a silver metal)
3. Fill in the graded shadows with a wider tip nib and various dilutions of the ink (I dip my nib in water and test the concentration on a scrap of gray Canson art paper)
4. Cover entire area with a very thin wash of white gouache paint.  (Very important:  Make sure that the ink is completely dry before you proceed to this step!)
5. Add gouache highlights (If you are rendering silver metal, this completes the rendering; for gold metal, go on to steps 6 and 7)
6. Once the gouache is dry, add a thin wash of permanent yellow ink.
7. As a final touch, and only when the yellow ink is dry, add a few carefully placed white gouache highlights

Tomorrow I’ll be posting this brooch rendered in watercolor.   Come back and decided which version you think is more successful!