The inking is complete!

Steam Donkey

My progression since my last post is shown in the gallery below. I’ve included how I mount my paper for watercolor painting. Click on the images to enlarge.

The ink outline on the steam donkey was done with a Lamy All Star extra-fine point.

I did the black shading with the Yuretake No. 50 brush pen. Then started detailing with a Staedtler 0.05 pigment liner. It has a finer line than the Lamy extra-fine tip.

The donkey detail is mostly complete.

The inking is complete. Time to erase the pencil lines and mount the paper.

I soak the paper in the bath tub. The water was room temperature. Be sure to test your inks for running before you use this on an important piece.

Two minutes on the timer for soaking 90 lb paper. It came out a little too saturated. I should have used cold water. For 140 lb paper I soak for seven minutes in cool water.

You need a very clean surface, because the sheet goes ink down. On go the stretcher boards.

Staple it to the boards. Snug it as you go, but not overly tight or the paper may rip when it dries.

Use a paper towel to mop up excess water. Don’t push down or you’ll damage the paper. A feather light touch is required.

I elevate the mounted paper for good air circulation. Even drying makes for a nice tight stretch. Let it dry naturally. Using a heater or blow drier can cause ripples in your paper. It should thump like a drum when dry.

This old donkey wasn’t alone. Very nearby was a second steam donkey. It was another Willamette. These two machines worked together on the same logging site.

The second steam donkey. It’s had parts removed by collectors.

Mark, the photographer, commented on my last post:

“The historians on our Steam Donkey expedition had a schematic of this Donkey. The manufacturer (Portland Iron Works) listed the Capistan (an option used to guide the cables in and out) as weighing 2,200 lbs. This donkey and another smaller unit were used until the Depression when they were parked on the side of a hill. By the time the Depression was over, other methods to yard logs were discovered, so they sit in the same resting place today. The original steam donkey was invented by John Dolbeer in 1881 in Eureka, California.”

Look how steep the hill is. It appears, they stopped in the middle of moving this donkey. Things must have been bad for them to abandon this equipment in the woods.

Now it is time for me to start slinging a little paint. Stay tuned for the next installment.