Dark Skin Tones on the Old Gutenberg Paper

I love painting on the OLD Gutenberg paper. (See note at end of post if you don’t know why I’m calling it “old.”) Even the lightest weight Gutenberg came in would take watercolor beautifully; it just might buckle a little, but the heavier weights of the paper took water even better. 

The yellow-cream of the paper was also great for most skin tones. The flecks in the paper create a subtle background texture that adds visual interest.

In the detail from today’s sketch you can see how the light pebbly texture of the paper allows some interesting granulation in the cheek area. You can also see the thick and thin washes used in this sketch.  And of course the paper texture allowed interesting dry-brush textures.

I have some pages left in this journal I think I’m going to go get painting.