Experimenting with ink wash

I need more practice with full color pictures, and I figure that before I can do decent color, I need to learn decent Black & White


I drew a layout and traced it on watercolor paper, I mixed India Ink with water to reach 3 variations- light/med/dark/

When applied to the paper, more variations can be reached. India ink dries fast, and doesn't re-ignite when you apply water on it, So you can mix Gouache and water to apply on the ink. Below are 2 tones of Gouache- brown and green, applied to an ink wash, I left the bird in ink, as a reference to how the tree looked like before the applying Gouache.

Now to color the busted living room scene, My first attempt included too many unrelated secondary colors, It chilled my blood just to look at it, So I put it to rest. Backgrounds made of opaque saturated colors set a barrier between the cartoon and the viewer, they hold a 3 year old's attention, but that's about it.

In my second attempt I wanted more contrast, and more muted colors, as if you could walk right in it. The result was mostly pee and poo colors, but it's a step in the right direction since they are earth tones, and you can imagine lying in your own filth.


Now I'm trying to copy one of kristy Gordon's amazing backgrounds from Ren Seeks Help, What will I think of next? It'll take many more tries to get it right, The benefit is-- copy studies train my eyes to see things I wouldn't have noticed otherwise.


Critiques Welcome

Btw...school starts on Tuesday!