The loose line and wash technique (often drawn with a matchstick instead of a pen) produces paintings with more detail than the pure watercolours, and are preferred by some collectors. In these paintings the ink line is dominant and the watercolour washes play a supporting role.

There are two approaches to line and wash – a pencil drawing overlaid with watercolour washes and then the drawing inked in once the washes are dry or the approach I use which is to draw straight in with an ink line and hatching and then to apply watercolour washes when the ink is dry.

I demonstrate my approach to Impressionistic Line and Wash in my DVD of that title.

An example of the two stages of this approach is shown here.  

Salisbury Cathedral - Line Drawing

Salisbury Cathedral - Line and Wash