Adding greys and darks using ink wash.

As we begin to add light and dark to your drawings, it is important to try and add

these tones in a convincing way.

Working with two-point perspective you can easily guess at how to apply your grey tones. In this

image you can see that the sides of the forms facing the same direction have all been shaded in the

same way.

In this image a dark shadow has been added to help further create convincing space. The shadow

was found by following the vanishing point that was used to draw the tall building which is casting the

shadow.

The shadows cast by the buildings are also following the vanishing points and

they occur on the same side of the buildings that are shaded.

We began our drawings with simple

outlines.

The next step is to add a few different tones of grey, providing some definition to the drawing.

Our final step will be adding blacks to the drawing using pen and ink to show detail

and dark shadows.

INK WASH: THE BLACK AND WHITE "WATERCOLOR"

Black ink is a powerful and unpredictable ally that when tamed, produces delicate gray washes that are very unique. They can be

controlled as smooth layers just like watercolor applications or allowed to "do its thing" by

giving it motion freedom. Let's look as some typical wash samples. Above each is a small

brush application of that technique.

A blended wash can have value contrasts very tightly (left) or less controlled (right). Ink is applied first. The resulting grays are pushed and pulled into smoothness by additional water and brush containment.

Wet ink on wet paper is "runny". Bold thrusts of black swirl into the water ending in smokey tendrils and feathered grays. Each touch of new water and ink causes new stirrings. The brush merely applies and lets the unexpected happen. Ink paper is best for this effect.

Wet into partially wet background forces grays to have a hard white line where it hits bare, dry paper spots. This increases the reflection effect and affords whiter "whites" in the drawing.

Salt added to wet washes (top left) creates a spotted texture (top right). Some salt absorbs the wash and makes those spots lighter. Some ink settles around the salt grains and effects a black pitted texture. This can add nice texture to the ground or a building.

Dry brush is a less detailed, broad stroke application. The brush is dabbed on a towel to remove excess ink and immediately stroked on the paper in several directions.