To grind the paint, add just enough binder to the pigment to make a workable mix and incorporate it with a palette knife until you have a wet, creamy mixture. This will be very coarse, so the next step is to grind it with a muller on a slab or with a pestle in a mortar, adding enough water to make it workable. Although most tap water is pure enough to use, it is best to buy distilled water to make sure the colour is not affected.
In the case of colours such as Burnt Sienna and Burnt Umber which are natural earth pigments, albeit already sifted and pounded, you will be able to hear their grittiness and you will learn to judge by ear how coarsely or finely you have ground them. Grinding the paint generates quite a lot of heat and dries the mixture, so you will need to add more water as you go. When the paint is the consistency you want, you can use it immediately or store it for later.
Grinding equipment
A heavy glass muller, available from the supplier of the pigment, is used on a ground-glass slab. A cheaper alternative is a glass, earthenware or porcelain pestle and mortar, available from hardware shops. Do not use a wooden pestle as you will not obtain sufficient grinding power.
Storing
Pigments can be stored in pots obtained from a pharmacist, in emptied pans from a paintbox or in shells – the traditional way to transport paint before tubes and pans were invented. The Cobalt Blue shown here is much more heavily granulated than you would find in a commercially bought form.
Paper
The prime concern when buying paper is that it will not change colour and darken as it ages, as this would drastically affect all the colour and tonal relationships of the painting. Cheaper papers made of wood pulp are suitable for drawing, but for your paintings you should always use acid-free papers. The best quality are handmade from cotton, but there are cheaper alternatives made of a mix of cotton and what is known as a woodfree ingredient – in fact, wood with the lignum that affects colour taken out.
Handmade paper is made one sheet at a time. The wet fibre is scooped on to a mesh in a mould and shaken to the extremities of the mould, which gives it a deckle edge. It is then interleaved between felt blankets and pressed several times to expel most of the water, in the process gaining its surface texture. Finally, it is laid on nylon netting and left for 4–5 days to dry. Less expensive mouldmade papers are made as a continuous strip and then trimmed into individual sheets.
On a handmade paper you can use either side, while a mouldmade paper has a ‘felt’ side to paint on with a ‘mould’ side on the reverse that has a slightly mechanical texture. If in doubt, look at the watermark; the side on which you can read it the right way round is the one to use.
The most popular weight of paper is 300 gsm (140 lb), and this will need to be stretched if you are planning to lay very wet washes; heavier paper will not require stretching. The correct way to stretch paper is to damp it with a sponge or run it lightly under a tap on one side until the water really soaks through. Lay it flat on your drawing board and allow it to expand to its largest dimensions, which will take 1–3 minutes, depending on the weight of the paper and how heavily sized it is. The paper will form ridges as it expands and you will need to lift it at one edge and drop it back down on the board, passing a sponge over it to flatten it again.
When it is fully expanded, lightly dry off a strip round the edge with a rag. Dampen four lengths of gumstrip so that they are tacky and place along each edge of the paper, burnishing them down with a fingernail. If necessary, put in staples every 10cm (4in) to reinforce the grip of the gumstrip while the paper dries drum-tight.
Care and storage
All watercolour paper contains size to give it strength. If you leave paper in a damp area the size will dissolve over the years and the paper will become as absorbent as blotting paper. Size is also damaged by washing-up liquid, even residual amounts in brushes. Store paper with silica crystals that will absorb any damp and do not allow the presence of mould in the same room, as the spores will find their way to your paper. Keep any strong chemicals such as acid elsewhere in the house.
A selection of paper lying on a beautiful wood and bronze handmade paper mould. If you see paper being sold at a bargain price, buy it – because it is a very labour-intensive product it will become more and more expensive.
Drawing tools
Your first approach to a subject is normally made with a linear tool, and more often than not that tool is a pencil. Although they are simple and basic, pencils are important because they are a very familiar item with which you will feel comfortable and you will consequently go straight to the heart of the subject when you are making notes rather than worrying about handling the tool that you are using.
Pencils range from very hard to very soft. A hard one will record absolutely precise detail but will be no good for blocking in tone, while a soft one is wonderful for making energetic notes but will not give you accurate detail, so carry one of each with you when you are travelling. A 2B will hold a fine point for quite a long time, while a 6B will give you all the tonal range and expression you need. A charcoal pencil is a step beyond a very soft pencil but your sketch will then need fixing and if you are travelling this adds to your burden.
Many of the sketches in this book were done with a pen and watersoluble ink, which gives the opportunity to make a line drawing and then indicate tone by adding a little water. This is an ideal way of making notes in a sketchbook, but if it is exposed to light the ink fades quickly. When you want a lasting image, use Indian ink or permanent markers.
Ink can be applied with a variety of tools, ranging from traditional metal nibs to felt-tip pens. The former are quite difficult to work with because you can pull them but not push them. Try cutting a point on a bamboo cane from the garden or on a quill – you will need to keep resharpening the point but you will get some pleasing splattery marks. With the quill, you also have the option of using the other end as a brush.
For colour notes, available drawing tools include watercolour pencils, oil pastels, chalk pastels and watercolour inks. The first are also useful if you want to put a drawing down that will not survive the washes in a finished painting. Be aware, though, that if you are using them for more permanent marks they will easily mix to a mud if you disturb them with a wet brush. Instead, give them a fine spray with a diffuser to wet the colour and make them spread without stirring them in together.
Rather than buying every type of drawing tool that is on sale in your local art materials shop, gradually accumulate tools that suit your temperament, style of work and subject matter. This box, which I have had since I was a teenager, has filled up over the years with tools that are particularly suitable for me.
Outdoors and indoors
The materials and equipment that you use, and the circumstances in which you use them, do affect the look of an artwork. Consequently, you should always aim to make specific decisions about your media and accessories rather than just employing whatever is to hand. Out on location, you will have concerns about weight and ease of carrying, while at home there are issues of lighting and space to be resolved.