Studio Log: Gouache Lily sketches

I noticed in my last sketchbook painting session that I was getting a bit of a drag on the paper, like it was soaking up a lot of the water and drying things out. I remembered seeing Dina Brodsky using acrylic ink as an underpainting, so I thought I’d try it out and see how it went.

I used a very thin layer of Light Rose, Amsterdam Acrylic Ink, and then used M. Graham gouache paints on top. It definitely affected the flow of my paint. Generally I ended up with either too much water (paint pooling) or not enough (paint clumping). You can see in the final pictures, as I start to rough in a background, I often use a thin wash in the back and build it up until I’m happy, a carryover from my watercolor practice. The wash was breaking up over the top of the acrylic ink, and I’m not super patient in my sketchbook so I just slapped some more in there to block the color in, lol.

Knowing it feels a bit different though, I am intrigued. I think it may still give a little more control over flow if I practice a little. My next step will be a series of swatches, testing paint consistencies and layering over just paper, and paper with acrylic ink over it.