Ink and watercolor

02 May 2026 by AK Krajewska

I started making a new kind of painting, mixing ink drawings with watercolor painting. I draw the contour with a fountain pen with black ink, and then I paint the colors with watercolor. I was trying to solve a painting problem: how do I loosely indicate the sense of rows of houses on San Francisco hills? While looking for techniques that might work, I came across the concept of urban sketching, which seemed promising. I examined many examples and watched some instructional videos, none of which helped with my problem. However, I learned a lot of urban sketchers first do an ink sketch of the scene, and then color it in with watercolor. I tried that, and liked the effect, especially for buildings. It's easier to indicate straight lines and sharp angles, and creates a different mood than watercolor alone. In this post, I've gathered a few sketches done in this ink and watercolor style.

Potrero Hill #

A painting of some modern houses at the top of a hill at night. The street below stretches out to a dark hillside with spots of light. The sky is vivid with sunset colors of red and purple near, and fading to evening blue above.

A view from Potrero Hill in San Francisco. Ink and watercolor on paper. Painted from a photo reference.

It was a beautiful scene in person, and I sat there for a long time on a warm night in March. I had my watercolors with me, but for some reason I didn't feel like painting. Soon after, I made this sketch from the photos I took as reference. I didn't know if I could manage all the angles and stuff, and I was pleasantly surprised that it looked nice. I'd like to go back and paint this hill from life.

City street #

A painting of row houses, all squished together, various shades of pink and teal. They are a bit messy and impressionistic.

City street. Ink and watercolor on paper. Loosely based on a photo reference from Noe Valley in San Francisco

Here, I mostly used the photo reference to help me understand how real building angles should look, but made very little effort to keep the scene realistic.

Alcatraz #

A painting of a imposing building seen edge on, three stories tall and receding into the distance. It's framed by walls and has large steps down the front. The sky behind it is purple and blue.

Alcatraz. Ink and watercolor on paper. Painted from a photo reference.

I took this photo of a building on Alcatraz some time last year. I think some famous skateboarding videos have been shot there. I loved the angles and harsh light when I saw it in person, even though (or perhaps because) I hate prisons and the glorification of prison, so I took the photo. Then, I thought it would also be a good image to practice the receding lines of a building seen side-on.

Hamburger #

An illustration style painting of a hamburger with a very large piece of lettuce. The burger is on top of a checkered piece of paper that curls up somewhat. The contours are painted in ink and the burger is colord in with watercolor.

My actual hamburger. Ink and watercolor on paper. Drawn from life and colored from reference.

The funny thing about this one is that I painted the ink sketch very quickly, so my burger wouldn't get cold. Then, I took a bite of the burger before I remembered to take a photo so I could have a reference for the colors later, but the burger in the photo already had a big bite. The checkered paper napkin that it came on was fun to paint, too.

Coffee cup #

A painting of an orange coffee cup with a latte art flower on an orange coffee saucer. The contours are drawn in ink. The colors are done in watercolor in a loose style that gives the impression of glints and shadows.

A coffee cup. Ink and watercolor on paper. Drawn and painted from life.

My routine was interrupted for a few weeks, so this was my first coffee cup in a month or so. I felt like I lost the sense of the cup's contours. One my way home, I was thinking about how artists and art studios often have collections of objects to paint as still lives, and that maybe I need to start such a collection so I can keep in practice.