Capturing Malham: A Brush with Tradition and Modernity | Murray Ince

Initial Sketching: Malham on Bristol Board

My initial drawing of Malham village in Yorkshire is lightly done on a sheet of Frisk A4 Bristol Board using the Uni-ball – M5-450T and a mechanical pencil. The lines are kept as faint as possible, so once the drawing is completed with the pens, these pencil lines can be erased with the putty (kneadable) eraser if desired. I also often use a good quality Hot Pressed watercolour paper for these techniques, but the glassy smooth surface of the Bristol Board is great for pen and ink work.

Ink and Graphite: Background Trees and Twiggery

Next, I draw in the background trees, outlines of the major tree and buildings with the 0.1 Graphik Graphite colour pen. I also start establishing some of the middle distant trees with the 0.3 Pigma pen. At this stage, I gently shade in the ‘twiggery’ of the distant trees with a B grade watersoluble graphite pencil, using the waterbrush to go over it and turn it into a subtle grey wash. When this is bone dry I go over them with the 0.1 size Graphite colour pen, putting in more branches and twigs.

Building Detail in Middle Distance: Graphite and Ink Finesse

I continue to build up the detail from distance to middle distance, mostly using the 0.05 black ink Pigma pen. The stonework of the cottages and tiles of the roofs are suggested rather than drawn: less is more. The windows are put in by hatching lines closely together leaving the white of the paper to indicate the glazing bars and frames and are only suggested rather than painstakingly drawn. Some of the darker trees and the underside of the bridge are drawn in with the 0.3 black pen. Meanwhile, the finer lines of the grass, stone wall and edging stones on the top of  Malham bridge are drawn with the 0.05 pen. Detail with Precision

Precision Detail with Black Ink

The next stage is putting in the detailing of the middle distance, all done with the 0.05 Pigma black ink pen. The stonework of Malham bridge and wall to the right is put in fairly loosely, indicating stone shapes. The grass on the left is a series of short, upright lines. The same method can be used for drawing fur.
In this case, I draw from the top down so that the grass appears to be layered as it would in reality. I also start to draw in some of the reflection of the bridge and the stones in the river.

Reflected Details with Ink and Graphite

Here I continue to establish the reflections of Malham bridge, right-hand wall and trees using linear strokes of the 0.05 sized black pen, which are kept parallel with the bottom edge of the paper. I also put in some more stones and their reflections.

Tree Detailing and Finishing Touches

In the final stages, the big tree, its branches and twigs are drawn in with the 0.3 and 0.8 black ink pens. On the main trunk and branches, I use wiggly, short lines drawn up the tree trunk the way it grows. The lesser branches are put in with more solid looking colour, the lines being drawn closely together. I draw the fine twigs with the 0.05 pen.
Lastly, I put in some shading with the water-soluble graphite pencil on the main tree and in the reflections, and finally erase any of the original pencil lines that are still visible.