Mark Hewatt

Tag: faber-castell

  • Evening’s Quiet Unrest

    Evening’s Quiet Unrest

    Today I am sharing a new mixed media piece that explores a specific memory—twilight in a silent meadow. This composition, based on a low-light photograph taken a few years ago, was an exercise in capturing a delicate visual tension. The scene possesses a profound tranquility, yet beneath that stillness lies something subtly unsettling—a feeling I wanted to preserve and amplify.

    While the original photo provided the structure and the quiet posture of the figure, the translation to paper was driven entirely by a need to dictate emotional weight through medium. I build the density and movement in the foreground undergrowth through networks of energetic, scratching lines using Sakura fineliners and Faber-Castell Pitt pens, contrasting against the still, flat fields of color in the sky.

    By utilizing a Post-Impressionist or Synthetist palette—swapping natural colors for a heavy, low-light atmosphere of muted purple, cool blue, and an unnerving yellow-green—I aimed to create a psychological filter. This piece combines the raw texture of graphite and ink from my earlier studies with the bold, non-naturalistic color blocking I’ve been exploring recently. It is a portrait of solitude, suspended in a vibrating, eerie twilight.

    Technical Details:

    • 9×12 140lb cold press
    • Faber-Castell Pitt pens
    • Shuttle Art paint pens
    • Staedtler Pigment Liner
    • Sakura Pigma
    • Evening's Quiet Unrest - Distance
    • 2026_Evening's Quiet Unrest_det1
    • 2026_Evening's Quiet Unrest_det2
    • 2026_Evening's Quiet Unrest_det3
  • Spring Vetch

    Spring Vetch

    This study captures a spring field in Georgia, where the greens and yellows feel like they arrived overnight. I used India ink to build the colors in layers, following an Impressionist approach where the depth emerges slowly through repeated marks rather than solid lines. Against that translucent ink, I used acrylics sparingly as a solid, opaque counterpoint.

    I applied them specifically to the purple vetch in the foreground and a few select leaves to give the eye a place to land. The cold press paper captures and holds the ink exactly where I want it, keeping the pigment in place while allowing just the smallest edges to blend into the tooth. It’s a fast, rhythmic way to work that records the spirit of the place without getting bogged down in every individual blade of grass.

    Technical Details:

    • 8×10 140lb cold press
    • Sakura Pigma pens
    • Faber-Castell Pitt pens
    • Acrylic swipe
  • The Reader and the Statue

    The Reader and the Statue

    I’m sharing a new piece today, built from a reference photo I took on a cool spring afternoon at the Georgia State Botanical Gardens in Athens.

    Walking through the grounds, I was immediately drawn to the relationship between these two figures—a man reading on a bench and a nearby sculpture. I loved the accidental, imitative gestures; both the living man and the stone figure seemed equally invested in their quiet activities. The contrast between the fleeting stillness of the reader and the permanent stillness of the stone was a dynamic I wanted to capture on paper.

    For this piece, I wanted the technique to reflect the atmosphere of that afternoon. Instead of rigid, heavy linework, I relied on quick dashes and the natural, expressive tendency of India ink. My goal was to give the illustration a whimsical and impressionistic sensation, capturing the feeling of the garden rather than just mapping out its exact details.

    To balance that loose, kinetic energy, I brought in acrylic ink very sparingly. It was used just to provide some opaque grounding in a few sparse locations across the piece, anchoring the expressive ink lines and giving the composition a bit of weight.

    It’s a quick study of a quiet moment—where life and art happened to be doing the exact same thing.

    Technical Details:

    • 9×12 140lb cold press
    • Faber-Castell Pitt pens
    • Shuttle Art paint pens
    • Staedtler Pigment Liner
  • Snow Day in North Georgia

    Snow Day in North Georgia

    I’m sharing another new piece today, this one capturing a completely different kind of stillness. Based on a cold, snowy day up in North Georgia, it depicts a few figures standing right in the middle of an iced-over road.

    There is a very specific kind of quiet that happens when it snows heavily around here—the cars stop, the world slows down, and suddenly the middle of the street becomes a place to just stand and take it all in. I wanted to capture that rare, communal pause.

    To get the atmosphere right, I used the same technique as my recent Botanical Gardens piece. I relied on the expressive, fast nature of India ink, using quick dashes rather than rigid lines. This approach gives the illustration a whimsical, impressionistic sensation that mimics the raw, biting energy of a freezing winter afternoon. The scratchy ink work was perfect for mapping out the bare, shivering trees and the heavy tire tracks carved into the ice.

    Just like the last piece, I used acrylic ink very sparingly to provide some opaque grounding. The bright hits of color on the winter coats and the deep, rusty reds in the background tree line help anchor the composition, allowing the white of the cold press paper to do the heavy lifting for the snow.

    It’s a quick snapshot of a rare winter moment, frozen in ink.

    Technical Details:

    • 9×12 140lb cold press
    • Faber-Castell Pitt pens
    • Shuttle Art paint pens
    • Staedtler Pigment Liner

  • Small stream at Little Mulberry

    Small stream at Little Mulberry

    This illustration comes from a reference photo I took years ago during a hike. I’ve always loved how the water in this small stream cuts through the heavy rocks and fallen debris.

    To capture the richness of the season, I used pen and ink for the structure, but relied on an acrylic wipe and india inks for the color. I feel this perfectly mimics the texture of mossy stones and the deep, rusty tones of autumn leaves on the forest floor. A permanent record of a fleeting season.

    Technical Details:

    • 6×9 140lb cold press
    • Sakura Pigma pens
    • Faber-Castell Pitt pens
    • Acrylic swipe
  • Hidden Falls

    Hidden Falls

    This hidden waterfall in North Georgia was difficult to find when I photographed it years ago, and today, it’s impossible to reach. It exists now only in memory and in this illustration.

    Technical Details:

    • 6×9 140lb cold press
    • Sakura Pigma pens
    • Faber-Castell Pitt pens
    • Acrylic swipe
  • Unicoi, an Interior Study #01

    Unicoi, an Interior Study #01

    Some rooms are like crystals; they hold and refract the light of past moments. This latest piece in my “Chambers” series focuses on a small seating area at Unicoi Lodge, treating it as a container for the very atmosphere of the place.

    The warm, glowing light from the fixtures mixes with the cool, bright daylight from the windows, filling the space with a unique, nostalgic energy. The rich textures in the chairs feel like the imprint of countless conversations. It’s an exploration of “Interiority”—not just of a room, but of the memories and light it holds, making it a true chamber of memory.

    Technical Details:

    • 6×9 140lb cold press
    • Sakura Pigma pens
    • Faber-Castell Pitt pens
  • Illustration of Dragon Tree

    Illustration of Dragon Tree

    Illustration of Dragon Tree

    Technical Details:

    • 9×12 140lb hot press
    • Sakura Pigma pens
    • Faber-Castell Pitt pens

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