From sketch to watercolour - the perfect couple

Today I am going to use a sketch from one of my sketch books.I really enjoy getting out sketches that I may have done some time ago, and turn to these when I want to paint a little 'warm up' doodle painting, or just to browse down memory lane.

This sketch is a combination of line and hatching with using a 2B pencil.


It is as much to do with looking at light and the tonal areas as it is to do with colour. It wouldn't matter what colours these people were wearing at the time, I could translate that into anything once I have my sketch.

I am using just 2 colours. Blue and Sienna.
They are both Daniel Smith colours, which heavily granulate, so using a textured paper helps this process.
Here I am using Bockingford 140lb not surface, ideal for this fun little exercise.When these two colours are mixed they give me a variety of colours including a lovely dark that naturally granulates onto the paper creating a sumptuous texture. 

Using my Classic 12 brush I painted the two people at the same time, keeping everything nice and wet, so they merge into each other creating the "perfect couple"

Everything touches at some point. There is no island of paint that is not connected in some way to an adjoining section, thereby creating a unity throughout the picture.

if you have a sketch you could use then do have a go at this, if not, you are welcome to use mine as your reference point.
If you have never bothered with sketching, it might inspire you to begin a sketchbook once you realise how useful having these drawings can be.