One of the things I like to do and one that many artists especially illustrators do is mix different media together. It may not be as common now with the digital age upon us but it is still s great way of adding colour to a drawing or painting. To do so you have to be careful which medium you mix and how you mix them. My favourite for mixing is pen and ink, watercolour, acrylic, and coloured pencil. There are two ways to apply the mediums depending on the picture you are completing.
If you are doing something more fine art based then try finishing your picture in pencil, applying ink to the darkest areas of your picture, then add in the next darkest colour with watercolour, finally add in the details and blend with the coloured pencil. This will create a sort of paint by numbers type of painting style but turns out very nice if done well. I myself change it around and prefer to add the watercolour first, then add the ink, but instead of detailing with coloured pencil I like to add highlights with acrylic paint. To me there is something about ink that makes a picture pop off the page.
Different mediums give you different effects so by mixing them together you can bring your paintings to life. Try it for yourself and see where it takes you.
About the Author
Bruce Outridge is an illustrator, cartoonist, and art instructor in Burlington Ontario Canada. He is the creator of the Pride Junkie Series and the Drawing With Bruce Video Art Series. More information can be found on his websites www.bruceoutridgeproductions.com, www.pridejunkie.ca, and www.drawingwithbruce.com
