Mostly Overcast at Green Lake

2/11/15 Platinum Carbon ink, Caran D'Ache Museum water-soluble colored pencils, Fabriano Studio 140 lb. hot press paper

Today the temperature was supposed to get all the way into the mid-50s this afternoon – 55 is my self-designated lower temperature limit for outdoor sketching – so I bundled up and ventured out to Green Lake (below). I was a little cold, though, especially as I waited for my watercolors to dry. (It’s funny – while I’m sketching, I hardly notice the cold, but as soon as I have to stop and wait, I suddenly feel it.)

Chilled, I got back in the car and was about to leave when I spotted an interesting stand of trees bordering one side of the parking lot (above). I felt like my watercolor sketch of the lake lost all sense of distance, so this time I used pen and colored pencils with the goal of achieving more depth.

2/11/15 Platinum Carbon ink, watercolor

Technical note: I’ve always been a fan of textured paper with watercolors, but now that my favorite cold-press paper has become too toothy, I’m giving Fabriano Studio hot-press paper another try. Its smooth surface is especially pleasant to use with a fountain pen, so in the winter when I tend to use watercolor less, it works out well. I don’t like it much with colored pencils, though – for those, I prefer more tooth.