New Venture Artworks

A PEN AND WASH painting, (also known as Line and Wash), is essentially a combination of a pen drawing plus a watercolor painting.  (The "wash" part.)

Usually, but not always, one or the other is dominant.  In other words, either the pen lines are dominant with the watercolor washes being subordinate, or the watercolor washes are dominant with the pen lines being subordinate.

I paint both ways, depending on which way I feel works best for the subject at the time. My usual procedure is to start with a loose pencil drawing, then add the watercolor, (leaving lots of white highlights), then finishing up with loosely-drawn pen lines.

You may notice that the pen lines do not always correspond exactly to the watercolor washes.  This is deliberate.  This kind of painting has a much more "open" and free look if the pen lines are added in a hit or miss fashion.

Pen and Wash paintings are my favorite kind of watercolors, and these are also the types of paintings that drew me to watercolors in the first place.  I also love painting and drawing them.