Art Journals and Agaves -Shana

Hello! It’s me again! Today I wanted to share with you how awesome it is to use the Speedball Elegant Writer with the Koi watercolors Pocket Field sketch box.

I live in Phoenix now but I am from the Midwest so the desert plants here are still a bit of a novelty to me, they amaze me how they can last through the brutal summers here. My favorite is the Agave plant.

When I went on my road trip with my sister up to the Grand Canyon and Sedona I took this picture because I knew I wanted to try to somehow create it in my journal. I love the spikey leaves and the contrast of the shadows near the heart of the plant.

Using this picture as a reference I rough sketched out the plant in my art journal made with hot press watercolor paper.

I then used the Elegant Writer to place the darkest areas of the plant.

The fun begins when water is added to the Elegant Writer ink, the water activates the ink and you can move color around, with the black marker, different colors can appear, purples, greens, blues and pinks depending on the amount of water used and the age of the marker.

I then went in with my watercolors adding color, once the ink in the Elegant writer has been activated then dried the ink is water resistant so the color from the marker will not move when layered with watercolors. I also grabbed my marker a time or 2 more to add more deep shadows.

If you would like to see the full process here is the video!

Big Hugs and Mushies!

Shana Banana

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