Cassowary Experiment - Part 1

Tonight I'm trying a little artistic experiment. I have this old set of watercolor pencils that I've never used, so I figured this was as good a time as any to try them out.

These are the questions I'm trying to answer:
- Will the ink run when it gets wet?
- How will the paper react to getting wet (how much will it curl/wrinkle)?
- How vibrant will the final colors be?
- How well will the colors blend together? Will they look like a real watercolor painting?
- And basically, how good are the results from this technique?

Here's how it's going to work. First, I'll draw something with my good old standby Staedtler pigment liner pens on the nice, white 5x7 cardstock I typically use. I chose to draw a cassowary. (I didn't put much time into this step, I just needed something for the experiment.)

Next, I colored it in with the pencils. I started with the lightest colors filling large areas, then added darker, more vibrant colors on top of them. I wasn't trying to be particularly careful with the coloring or blending the colors because I wanted to see how the water would affect it. I also added the clouds and grass to see what it would look like without the ink outlines.

Finally I got a cup of water, a couple of brushes (one medium-small, one very fine) and some paper towels and started wetting it down. I used the very fine brush on the head and leg details, and with wetter, broader strokes on the feathers. I used the medium-small for the clouds and grass. It's drying now, and you'll get to see the final result tomorrow! Stay tuned!