During an early morning walk along Bombo Beach at Kiama with my dog Mishka, I came across a newly deceased Sea Dragon. It was still in very good condition and the colours were bright. I raced home to take photographs of my find and to preserve him in the freezer for future reference! I thought he would make a good demonstration subject …
STEP ONE
I started by drawing the object onto the paper and applying some Brown Ochre along the back of the dragon. I applied it lightly at first, which allowed me to build up various layers as I went and also adjust the colours at the same time.
STEP TWO
I decided at this point to switch to the background, and (using the pencils at an angle) I worked across the paper as evenly as possible. For this style of work, I like to mix and blend the colours as I go; using a mixture of blues and sea greens.
Don’t be too heavy handed, as it will damage the paper – and once the water is added it will intensify the colours quite a bit.
Using the Number 12 brush, I dipped it in water and began to moisten the shading – blending the pencil marks and the colours together.
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