Feature Image: My pen and wash sketch inspired by Alice Loves Drawing

I treated my quarantine period in Istanbul as a reclusive art retreat and spent every day engrossed in watercolour painting and sketching. And when I wasn’t creating, I was watching YouTube tutorials of other artist’s creative process. It was a complete immersion in pen and wash and urban sketching technique and style.

I continued to create while I was packing up our Turkey home and putting our personal belongings in storage, but I was distracted and only dabbled occasionally in my sketchbook. Instead, I focused on learning how to bind my own art books (shiny ball, shiny ball, distraction!). And now I’ve landed back in Los Angeles I have the space, time, and energy to focus back on art for extended periods of time.

Here’s the problem … I have a style, but I don’t want it to be my style. I want to develop a new one. I love the combination of fine liner pen and water colour. I’m a self-taught artist, and although I’ve attended a few community art classes for water colour, most of my creative inspiration and skills acquisition has been through online art tutorials and YouTube videos.

I’ve tried most mediums. I had a hard and soft pastel phase about 25 years ago where I worked my way through a series of Van Gogh portraits. This was followed by a messy and stinky oil painting phase. Then I went back to basics and attended life drawing classes and only drew in charcoal and pencil. I finally landed on watercolour and although I spent a few years creating with it, I never really understood it’s versatility and complexity…until now.

My Natural Artistic Style

These three examples are indicative of the subjects and style I’ve been pen sketching and applying a watercolour wash over.

1. Yalikavak Fisherman painted from a photo I took

I’ve got a long history of urban sketching from photographs I’ve taken during my travels. I’ve held this romantic notion of being a travel writer and illustrating my own books, but haven’t been confident enough to include any.

This fisherman is the first of my sketches to be included in one of my book—it’s in my 2021 Bodrum Peninsula Travel Guide. I like him, especially the monochromic nature of this pen sketch with a light wash in W&N Cottman Paynes Grey.

This is indicative of my usual subjects and the style. I favour pen sketches, but usually ruin them by filling them in with watercolour and ruining them because they end up looking overworked.

2. Floral Study painted from an Instagram Tutorial

I’ve always taken closeup photos of flowers. I just love the shapes and the light and shade aspects of them. I never got around to actually drawing any of them because they seemed too intricate—until quarantine. I discovered an artist on Instagram (@alicelovesdrawing) who provided detailed tutorials of different flowers, and she broke the process down into easy to follow steps.

I had a mini-phase creating blooms in my style (precise pen sketch and filling in with watercolour), and I like the end result. But I don’t want this to be my style, and I don’t want to draw flowers and nature, as I’m more drawn to scenes and people.

3. Self-Portrait painted from a photo I took

There’s something about a portrait that helps viewers connect with a piece of art. Over the years I’ve done Van Gogh and self-portraits in pastels, and famous people in charcoal (here’s my Bob Marley). Portraits are challenging, but I really enjoy the process of trying to master a likeness.

I did this self-portrait in quarantine, showcasing the mask I made for myself. It’s in my usual style. Precise pen sketch with a watercolour wash. The washes on all three of these images are similar because I did them in my art journal sketch book. Although the paper is robust, it isn’t watercolour paper, so I had to do a light watercolour wash. But as usual, I coloured my image in with paint.

What’s Wrong with my Artistic Style?

I’m at the crossroads in my creative journey. I’m don’t want to settle on the style I’m comfortable and familiar with. I know what my current style is, but I’m not satisfied or excited by it.

My creations are very precise and laboured. I enjoy creating detailed pen sketches, but when it comes to the applying watercolour, the end result is laboured and stiff. I want my paintings to look effortless and loose.

The irony is that this loose artistic style takes effort to achieve.

My Creative Journey so Far

There was a time when I was content with the art I created. During this phase I was honing my drawing skills, and really looking at what I was seeing, rather than letting my brain tell me what I was seeing. I spent a lot of time understanding and interpreting light and shade, and that was really key to creating art that didn’t look flat and lifeless.

I’m technically confident about cranking out a picture. The more I draw the more my sketching skills will develop and improve (that journey is continuous and will never end). I feel my drawing skills are at a stage where it’s ok to start working on an artistic style that pleases me.

It’s no fun churning out art that disappoints. As soon as I get on Instagram and see other artist’s work I admire, I get discouraged because my creations pale by comparison. There are so many different interpretations of pen and watercolour wash out there, it’s a little overwhelming.

Discovering my Artistic Style

I’m not sure how I get from where I am now:

Drawing and painting in a style that is consistent but underwhelming

To where I want to be:

Drawing and painting in a loose and dramatic watercolour style that excites me

I’m not an intuitive painter. I’m not bursting with natural creative talent. So it’s going to take practice and an analytical approach to uncover my natural style. This seems counter-intuitive to the freedom and creativity of the artistic process.

I’m going to have to break it down using a methodical approach. This is the only way I know to master this creative step.