How to Draw a Lily in Derwent Inktense

Lilies are among the easiest flowers to draw, with six large shapely petals and simple leaf patterns. Shading a white flower with light blue makes it seem even whiter. Finally, adding a soft parchmentlike wash background will complete this lovely ACEO project.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• 24 color set of Derwent Inktense ink pencils
• 140lb cold press or hot press watercolor paper
• Size 4 pointed watercolor round brush
• Water cup with water
• Pencil
• Grid ruler
• Kneaded eraser

1. 
   Lily sketch in Derwent Outliner

   Mark up your watercolor paper with a grid ruler and regular pencil to create an area 2 1/2" x 3 1/2" for ACEO size, or draw a larger picture area if you want to work larger. Do whichever is easier for you. Leave at least 1/4" matting edge around the picture area, or 1/2" for the gutter between two artworks. A larger border will let you test colors and concentration before doing anything to the art itself.
   
   Sketch the lily and leaves with the nonsoluble Outliner pencil included in the 24 color Derwent Inktense set. Copy the sketch in this illustration as carefully as possible. If you have trouble, use the grid method -- print it out, draw a grid on the printout and then sketch the lines that fall within each square of a comparable grid drawn lightly on your watercolor paper. Be sure to draw grid lines light enough to be erased on the watercolor paper, and use the Outliner only for the lines of the design.
   
   Misplaced Outliner lines can also be removed with the kneaded eraser, but that may be a little more difficult if they are darker. Be patient and they will come up completely.

2. 
   Dry shading in Inktense on flower and leaves

   Color the stamen tips with I02 Sun Yellow, then tip with I03 Tangerine and go heavily in these tiny areas.
   
   Then shade the leaves with I16 Leaf Green as shown, leaving some white highlights and shading lightly as you approach them.
   
   Last, use I09 Iris Blue to lightly shade the undersides of the turned over petals, the sides of the trumpet, the hollow of the trumpet. Leave some white highlight on the trumpet but get in a bit of shadow where the petals cross over it. Look close at the illustration before shading.

3. 
   Flower and leaf colors washed with clear water and a pointed round watercolor brush

   Using clean water and a pointed watercolor round, wash over the areas that have been sketched. A trick to get the lightest shades is to do the adjacent dark area first, like the darker part of a leaf, dip the brush again and then swipe over the still-wet dark area right over the highlight, this makes a lighter tint. Use a little light tint of the blue in the center of the lily to run some shading onto the edges of some petals, not much. Less is more with that.
   
   Definitely paint the shadowed area on the trumpet before going over the highlight with clear water letting it bleed into it. The darker blue center needs to be blurred out onto the petals softly by using clear water right after it's been wetted. Practice on a scrap if you're not sure of this dark-shading-to-light technique, it's not hard once you get it but it does take moving fast to go between damp dark and dry white with clear water.
   
   Let it completely dry before the next step.

4. 
   Border drawn in Inktense Willow color, shaded softly

   Draw a hard line with I19 Willow all around the picture area, just inside the line defining it. Shade slightly in from this, about 1/8" of soft shading. Add your signature where I put my monogram and the year, using the Outliner.
   
   This will start to give it a soft, almost fairytale look.

5. 
   Finished, ACEO Lily by Robert A. Sloan

   Work fast with the same trick we used on the other shading, this time use plenty of water. First wet the entire border all the way around, then before it dries slosh in enough clean water to bring it inward. Fill the entire background area with the thinned mixture but do not carry it onto any leaves or petals, especially not the petals or pistils. If it goes over the leaves, make sure it goes over all the leaves. Because Inktense dries waterproof, a warm pale brown wash won't change the leaves too much or make them dissolve into it, provided you wetted it enough in Step Three.
   
   If the background wash comes out too light, scribble some Willow on a scratch sheet, dissolve it into a wash and apply before it's completely dry so that it blends in smoothly. The slight brown wash should be distinctly warmer than the cold white petals with their blue shading when you're done, if you can't see the difference, then redo with another light wash.

Tips & Warnings

• Draw and paint in good lighting
• Use a magnifier with a stand if you often draw ACEO or ATC size artworks, it's easier to get the fine details when it's easier to see them.
• In washing the background layer, it helps to do the smallest areas first before tackling the large area around the flower.
• Try drawing the Easy Rose from "How to Draw a Rose Easily" here at eHow.com using Chili Red or Poppy Red and shading like this lily for a dramatic painting.
• Keep your brush wet and don't let it dry out when washing Derwent Inktense paintings, and clean immediately after use with a good brush cleaner and conditioner like The Master's Brush Cleaner. Ink painting will destroy a brush if it's left to dry in the bristles.
• Don't try to do small delicate artworks on Rough surface watercolor paper, the texture areas are so big that they'll break up the lines and shading. Rough is best for large paintings.

Resources

• Derwent site page on Derwent Inktense
• Derwent Inktense listing on Dick Blick

[jennhollowell]

on 10/30/2007 Another beautiful how-to I'm going to add to my collection of favorites! Thank you! Again, I'm learning SO MUCH from your talent!