I’ve made it into the new year, but I don’t exactly feel ready for it. Anyone else? It’s just been cold and foggy here and there are not very many inviting sketching subjects in my immediate surroundings. Plus I’m not very mobile right now.
At least my (hopefully last) surgery is behind me. Now I’ll just have to take it easy for a few months to heal. Thanks again everyone for your good wishes and kind words, this really brightened my days and helped me through the last weeks!
Anyway, I want to share some art with you. I’ve been sketching a lot in blue lately.
For this purpose, I’ve chosen Indanthrone blue (PB60), a pigment I normally don’t use much. It’s also around under the names Delft blue (Schmincke), Royal blue (Holbein) or Indanthrene blue (Winsor).
PB60 is a beautiful dark, intense blue pigment that I haven’t used so much in the past, although I’ve always looked for ways to incorporate it more. It’s very intense, great for storm clouds and creating really dark neutrals, or dark greens when mixed with yellow. Mixed with orange, you will get near black. For my way of sketching, it often feels overpowering.
Well, I’ve recently started to add pure Indanthrone blue to some of my ink sketches to turn them into more finished value studies. For these almost monochrome sketches, it works really well.
There’s something very relaxing about only using one color to create a scene. And this blue looks amazing as it is. Since it’s so dark, you can get a nice value range from it, and the dark tones are reinforced by the black ink.
I’m currently testing out which of my permanent black inks I like the most – Platinum Carbon ink and De Atramentis document ink are both great to use in fountain pens.
Back to the paint – PB60 is a very staining pigment, which I notice every time I try to put down a subtle light wash, or want to pick up paint again – it really wants to stay on the paper and spreads easily. It behaves similarly to Dioxazine violet, another synthetic organic pigment that’s very intense.
Here is one recent sketch of the aqueduct in the nearby park. I wanted to add a few finishing touches to bring out more of the volumes, but can’t do very long sittings yet, so it’ll have to wait. Generally, these kind of value studies can help a lot when figuring out how to show depth and volume, and understanding the underlying structure of the scene.
You can see how the blue bled out at the top of that stone wall structure where the sky area was still damp, this is not a very inert pigment, it wants to move around!
Maybe I’ll just continue to sketch from last year’s photos while the weather is questionable and I can’t explore a lot anyway (It seems I’m currently sort of the opposite of PB60..). You have to work with what you have sometimes.
Julia, I love these blue sketches! I would buy a print of that river one… ;)
Thanks for the info on the color, too; I’ll have to try it out sometime!
It’s currently 3 degrees F where I am (RI, USA) so I’m with you on the weather and just being cozy for now.
Thank you Dory! I’ll see if I can make it available as a print soon. :)
And yes, it’s definitely the tea and blanket time of the year right now.
These sketches in blue are inspiring. I’ve been experimenting with laying down values in pen, with a simple wc washes on top. I already have indanthrone blue, so I’m excited to try your blue monochrome technique!
Thank you Jaci! Yes give it a try, I find it’s a very enjoyable technique.
I love the Blue Julia! I feel the same, 4 degrees here in Biddeford Maine. Time to stay indoors, and yes a cup of tea or coffee. Sitting by my gas fireplace. Enjoying its warmth.
I pray your health is restored quickly. I’m sure this is a difficult time for you.
Thank you Margret! Oh a fireplace that sounds very cozy.
And I’m trying to be patient right now, and take everything slowly. It will get better soon.
I love your sketches in blue ❤️
Not only because blue is my favorite color, but because I especially love PB60! I discovered it only recently but have been using it often. My favorite subject is birds and lots of birds and PB60 finds its way into many
Speedy recovery, Julia,
Wendy
Oh, birds in blue is a great idea. I’m immediately thinking magpies and other birds with dark shimmering feathers.
Thanks for your kind wishes!
your blue period is masterful and inspiring.
Thank you Ronna! Haha, I have no immediate plans for a pink period or cubist paintings yet, but we’ll see where this goes.
These blue sketches are very effective for winter or early morning scenes! I’m inspired to try a scene with just the blues! Wishing you continued healing and recovery!
Thank you very much Karen for your kind words. Yes, winter or snow scenes with lots of blue light will work beautifully with this approach, though I’ve found any subject works: I often just turn my photo to black and white and work with that.
Wonderful blues. Thank you, too, for sharing your discovery of PB60’s desire to ramble, letting us see it on your page. May you be rambling, too, as soon as you’re ready. In the meantime, stay warm and safe, and may 2025 bring you good work and joy, even (as Ronna says) in your blue period.
Thank you so much Rebecca for your kind words!
Absolutely gorgeous!
Thank you so much for sharing.
Thank you so much Glauber!
These studies are gorgeous and inspiring! What a great idea to use the cold months to do value studies. It’s still mildly cold where I am but I’m such a wimp about the cold. ha-ha. I would also buy prints of your stream and aqueduct paintings! I am glad to hear you’ve had your last surgery (hopefully). I hope you recover soon and find many small pleasures in living at a slower pace, even though such strictures are painful and annoying.
Thank you so much Melissa!
I’m a wimp too when it comes to the cold, haha, I always wear so many layers it’s almost ridiculous. I’ll see how I can make prints available. :)
Hi Julia,
I hope you are recovering slowly but surely. I love the blue you are experimenting with. Particularly the viaduct one is very reminiscent of a photographic negative effect. I’d never really thought to use a different colour for the base of a sketch so the concept is very interesting. Thank you for your tips and advice. By the way I’m in the south west of England and the temperature as I write this is 3 degrees
Best wishes for your recovery.
Mike Billinghay
Thank you Mike, yes my recovery is coming along, even if it’s slow. But’s that’s okay.
I really like your mention of photo negatives, that’s a good comparison and a trip down memory lane for me (I used to do a lot of analog photography). Let’s hope for warmer days!
These are lovely, the blue so calming. A great color to work with as you convalesce.
Thank you Sheila! Yes it’s such a lovely color.
So wonderful that you embarked on your blue period. Your works are exquisite
Thank you so much Melanie!
The sketches in blue are beautiful, there’s a light in them & the blue itself is lovely. I specially like the Park scene with the stream. I wish you well with your recovery & hope the approach of spring will help, it’s cold here in England but bulbs are growing & the earliest snowdrops appearing.
Thank you very much Monica, I really appreciate it! Your corner of England seems to be milder than my corner of Germany, no sight of any snowdrops yet. But the hazel bushes are blooming like crazy, even with ice all around them.
These sketches in blue are beautiful! I love them.
Wishing you a speedy recovery, I’m sure some sunshine and fine weather would help with that – we can always hope for some
Thank you so much Helen!
Hi Julia,
Very interesting and inspiring post. I haven’t made monochromatic sketches in a long time, but blue was always my favorite. You have an excellent value range, all very calming and still. I realized they make me feel like porcelain China plates.
Ah yes, China plates or those fayence or Delft ceramics. I have to find out which blue they used for this. Thank you for mentioning this Jenny!
Julia,
I love these compositions in blue. Each piece having its own distinctive mood and feel, yet each linked by that wonderful pigment. Not too warm a blue, not too cool, but a blue that seems to morph into the perfect color: wintry, moonlit, bold, dreamlike.
I hope that you recover your strength and good health, burgeoning and blooming just as spring does. Thank you for sharing your incredibly lovely series.
All best wishes from Kansas, where we are having a few days of mild temperatures after two weeks of ice and snow and below freezing weather as 2025 tries to test us with its bluster!
Thank you so much Roy for your kind and poetic words. I hope you’ll have a beautiful, creative, and hopefully soon ice-free 2025!
A lot of times less is more!! Your work is very eye catching and so lovely to look at. This past week I saw light blue shadows on our snow (Pennsylvania, USA) and the deep brown seed heads of my wildflower patch and had to capture it in my journal. Such a simple page of my observation with cobalt blue watercolor and sepia ink but one of my favorites for this journal so far.
Best wishes for mending well! Thanks for giving all of us inspiration!
Thank you so much Audrey! Yes sometimes the simple observations are the most powerful. I also noticed I tend to remember those scenes for a long time when I journal about them, documenting something seems to anchor it in memory.
I like the blue sketches! Think I saw you post them on … Mastodon? It’s getting hard to keep track with all the new platforms ;)
About the inks, have you tried Platinum Chou Kuro? It’s similar to Carbon black but more black. However, I found fountain pens and such needs even more maintenance with it. But it’s blacker and I find it gives a better surface when dried.
Thank you Mattias! Yes, it was probably on Mastodon, I’m just on there and on Cara. :)
I love recommendations for new inks, thanks for that! Will try to find the Chou Kuro ink. I found the Octopus Write + Draw black also quite black, but it’s slightly drier than the Platinum Carbon, which works not so great in some fountain pens. It’s always a compromise, eh?
Dear Julia,
Thank you for sending the inspiring blog with your sketchs in Indanthrone Blue.
I am going to an art store here in Sarasota to look for it this morning.
I have used Ultramarine in January, Prussian Blue in May, and Cerulean in August.
It is nice to discover something new. Love it!
Many blessings, Julia, as you recover. Sincerely, Barbara Frickel, Sarasota.