Princess Monomochi - I

martedì, 17 marzo 2026

After working on King Leo - I, I wanted to work on another furry friend — just to see what would happen with the furry textures. This piece was challenging in a different way, if for no other reason that Mochi is a short-haired cat, at least except for the hair flowing in and around her ears.

I started with a test sketch and then moved on to a light pencil outline before committing to the ink. As anyone who has ever worked with pen and ink before knows all too well, India ink, especially black ink, is a commitment ‐ once the mark is on the page it is impossible to lift and covering it over invariably leads do a difference in texture even if the mark manages to be completely covered.

One of the things that surprised me the most was how much my technique shifted even while I was inking the piece. Somehow, in some way, making minute marks is feeling closer and closer to using a pencil with a very fine point. At this point, I am going to see what happens when I add in the watercolor to create another iteration of Princess Monomochi, and perhaps King Leo too.