When We Stayed in Lisboa - watercolor on Aquabord, step by step

hostel room lisbon portugal ink and watercolor on aquabord painting This is another commission that I got through Etsy.com. It is an 8x10" ink and watercolor on Aquabord painting of a hostel room in Lisboa (Portugal).

ink drawing on ampersand aquabord

Step 1 - Ink drawing

hostel room lisboa portugal ink and watercolor painting

Step 2 - color. I could  have easily stopped at this point and I'm still wondering if I should have.

hostel room ink watercolor aquabord interior painting

And step 3 - detail and deeper values. After finishing, I sprayed the surface with clear gloss fixative and brushed on two layers of gloss varnish. While Aquabord is not my favorite surface to work on, it is extremely easy to frame (or display without frame if it's cradled) and, enhanced by gloss varnish, the colors on Aquabord look vivid and rich. Ampersand Aquabords