Matt's watercolors (4 Viewers)

[phil baber]

A veritable iridescent inlaid jewel of a piece!

 

[RussB]

Matty, just checked out some of your work, for the first time I think. I love the boldness and acuracy of your sketches. I'm trying to learn about how line, or the lack of it, can really make or break a drawing. These have bold lines in all the right places, though. Did I read it right that you use 4H or 6H? To work so quickly with extra-hard lead is amazing.
Very fine indeed.

Russ

 

[mattybohan]

thanks all for the nice comments!

Russ, For sketching I almost always use 6H or 4H pencil leads in a drafting pointer. Those super-hard leads are really hard and not necessarily that easy to find for pointers. I got into the habit of using those for transferring sketches to watercolor paper using tracing paper. The harder leads never smudge which is a nice feature.

I guess there is one "trick" that I use. After resurfacing my drafting table I had some leftover formica laminate. I cut some scrap on my table saw to fit the exact dimensions of my sketchbook. I start the sketches normally working very light and loose. Once I start to refine the lines that are correct and start getting darker I slip that very hard, thin sheet of formica behind the page I'm working on. Now I can bear down on the pencil and darken lines up really sharpening up the sketch with out fear of ripping through the paper or embossing the page behind it. The pencil lines are nice and tight because it is a 6H, yet pretty dark because they are done on such a hard surface.

Although the 6H doesn't smudge easily, it also can be hard to erase. For me, keeping the sketches light and loose early on is easier with a hard pencil. I'm less committed to a line when it is really light, so I'm more likely to spend time revising and refining, rather than settling on a line for a form unless I'm really happy with it.

Obviously there are people here on the forum getting INCREDIBLE sketches with soft and medium pencils, charcoal , pens, and watercolor. There certainly are a lot of great ways to get the info onto the paper!

 

[RussB]

Thanks Matty. Most informative.

Keep up the excellent work.

Russ

 

[mattybohan]

another bird on a stick...
Common Redpoll
transparent watercolor
5x7 inch on Lana 140lb HP paper

A WIP of the painting can be found here...

Also, two Cedar waxwing sketches.

 

[colleenc]

a wonderful wip Matty, very complete and instructive....was looking at the eye on this lovely piece and thought it must be maybe 1/8 inch or so, and OMG you got so much detail in, you must have incredible eyes or a magnifier

really amazing and beautiful little work.

 

[phil baber]

Lovely Matt!

Love the 3rd pic...strong and great composition here!

 

[Woody]

Always such beautiful colour in your work Matt, and the and your line is elegant and precise. Superb.

Mike

 

[mattybohan]

Thanks for the nice comments... I do tend to work really small, there is only so much time, so less square inches to cover means I can finish in a more reasonable amount of time. I decided that to streamline things for a while I'd only work as large as what will easily fit on the flatbed scanner.

 

[buzzard12]

Lovely Redpoll Matt, love the sulphur pink tones on the breast, you have managed to render this little guy so well you fell you could reach in a feel the softness of the plumage. Terrific little painting...

 

[Redolance]

Great art!

 

[mattybohan]

White ibis landing...

 

[Woody]

No more required, a great drawingt as it stands (or flies!?).

Mike

 

[colleenc]

a subtle moment captured well....

 

[buzzard12]

a Tour de force in anatomy, lovely drawing, the bird is so focused it's utterly convincing...

 

[timwootton]

Superb!

 

[Andrew Ellis]

white Ibis is a treat!

 

[phil baber]

You do SPECIAL things!

Admirable Matty!

 

[mattybohan]

Thanks for the nice comments! I've been away from the drafting table for a while. Here is the most recent effort a male Eastern Forktail Damselfly on jewelweed. Its a 5x7 inch transparent watercolor on 140 lb Lana paper.

A WIP can be found here.

 

[timwootton]

Another superb piece of illustration work Matty - you really do have an uncanny knack of making these insects shine like the little jewels they are.