I’m working with my Da Vinci “Juicy” Trio again today, using both Hahnemühle Quattro Skizzie paper and my Leda Sketchbook. I wanted to show that you don’t have to work like I do, this paint works in many ways and on many kinds of paper. This first piece is done on Hahnemühle’s Quattro Skizzie Sketch paper. It’s called Quattro because it’s square. There are two iterations of “Quattro” with Hahnemühle. One is this Sketch pad and the other is Britannia Quattro, which I’ll talk about later. Both kinds of Quattro come in the following sizes: 10″x10″, 12″x12″ and 15″x15″.
This Quattro Sketch Paper is 170gsm but it’s weight corresponds to a board of 250 gsm. The semi rough surface ensures good colour adherence and because of the extra high bulk it is also suitable for watercolors. It is natural white, acid free, sketching block in a squared format. It is not watercolor paper though and the watercolors didn’t move the same as they do on actual watercolor paper. But as you can see, I still got something fun and interesting. I would say the Quattro Sketching Pad is best for pen and ink with a wash of watercolor to add a zing. I have pushed it to it’s limit with this painting, using multiple washes and layers, black pen several times, white gel pen and gouache to top it all off.
The great thing about working on this kind of paper is the price point. You gat 50 sheets for around $14 or so, plus shipping. It can be found at Ken Bromley and Amazon. On the other hand, there is another Quattro from Hahnemühle. Hahnemühle Britannia makes a Quattro (square) also. It’s 300gsm and made for all wet media, watercolour – especially wet-in-wet painting, smooth wash and also dry painting – as well as lavis, gouache, tempera and acrylic. It is natural white, acid free, lightfast and extremely age resistant. I’ll be talking about the Hahnemühle Britannia Quattro paper in the near future as I’m using it for a future project. (The Hahnemühle Britannia comes in many, many sizes, including Quattro, in smooth, matt and rough surfaces)
Finally, I did some work in my Leda Sketchbook. I’m a brand ambassador for Leda and as I have said before (and here), I do love playing in this journal. The Leda sketchbook (CANADA) has 160 pages of cream 120gsm paper. This is another way of using watercolors. With the sketch/painting to the right, I did all the heavy lifting with a black fineliner (my Zebra Zensations Technical pens). Then all I did was use my “Juicy” Trio to splash some color onto the drawing. If you use waterproof ink then you can splash all you want, just remember (in the Leda) this is NOT watercolor paper either but it does accept watercolor as long as you’re gentle and let each layer dry in between applications.
There are so many ways to use watercolors. My friend Alice of The Creator’s Leaf uses them to make spectacular backgrounds for her tangling. I paint both intricate paintings and also fun “splash it around” drawings that transform watercolor into an easy system to add zing to any drawing. Many bullet journal enthusiasts do that same thing in their bujo, just add a little lift to their pages with the application of color.
I’d love it if you’d try my “Juicy” trio or if you’d like to try one of the other two trios that are available, then just click here. You can read all about the three trios here with links to Scratchmade Journal and Doodlewash where Tonya and Charlie chose their own Da Vinci limited palette and went to town with just three Da Vinci watercolors.
The sale of each trio supports the artist who created them so I, Tonya and Charlie appreciate your loyalty when you purchase one of our Trios.
If you’d like to enter my GIVEAWAY, there’s still time! You just might win my “Juicy” Trio of 8ml Da Vinci watercolor tubes and some other wonderful art supply goodies including a Hahnemühle watercolor book. Thank you to Hahnemuhle and Da Vinci paint for their generous support. It is such an honor to work with such spectacularly dedicated companies who support artists in their craft.
Nancy Sapp
Jennifer – I LOVE your beautiful tulips! Such a “play” of colors with just those 3 hues! I could do that – I KNOW I could…IF I had a set of Da Vinci’s Trios!