Last May as part of my drawing research for a painting of the wisteria that grows in my back garden, I sketched a few continuous line drawings to help me understand the shapes of the plant. I enjoy using this exercise as for me, it is more about focusing on observation rather than being overly concerned with a correct drawing. I find my marks are much more fluid and expressive drawing this way.
Continuous line drawing of wisteria
Wisteria growing over the pergola
Generally when I print with the blotted line technique I select marks from a drawing and transfer them onto a sheet of tracing paper before printing. I thought it would be interesting to see if drawing directly onto the tracing paper would capture some of the spontaneity and fluidity of the continuous line drawings.
Continuous line drawing on tracing paper.
Printing with drawing ink using the blotted line technique
It was interesting to see the imperfections of the drawing combine with the printed textures. In some places where the ink didn’t quite print properly it captured the way the racemes blend into one another to form a blur of tumbling flowers.
Watercolour and blotted line painting of wisteria in progress
Using a limited palette, pale washes of watercolour paint were added to the print once the ink was dry. I very much enjoyed exploring the technique and it complimented the subject with out over powering the delicacy of the wisteria’s form or colour.
Wisteria i - watercolour and ink
Wisteria ii - watercolour and ink
Wisteria iii - watercolour and ink
