Continuing On With the Northern Mockingbird

Northern Mockingbird in Tangle. Watercolor by Ken Januski.

I had no intention of moving from the sumi brush studies of the Northern Mockingbird, posted the other day, to standalone watercolor. But as I looked at some of my mockingbird photos I kept thinking that I ought at least try one watercolor. Maybe the freer use of the brush used in sumi would rub off on the watercolor. I also wanted to try out a small Isabey travel brush, which I thought might act a bit like a sumi brush.

In fact it did act that way to some degree but I would have needed a larger brush I think to have kept the identity of many of the brushstrokes here. The 300 pound Arches cold press paper just ate up the brush part way through all but the thinnest of strokes. Nonetheless I think it turned out well. In any case it may get me to experiment with a larger watercolor brush in future and see if I can accentuate at least some of the brushwork, as in sumi painting.