This one was a commission that allowed me to go wild with all sorts of newly-found textures. It shows Tancred of Hauteville, an 11th century crusader.
Before I used them on paper, I tried them out on a separate sheet. The three things I used were: white spirit, effect spray, and granulation medium. The latter are specifically for watercolour and are available in art supply stores or online. The white spirit was a leftover from my hubby painting the garage door. ;)
The granulation medium – top left – is a rather soft way for textures. For sharper edges, white spirit was a nice one (bottom row, left and right). But if you’ve ever worked with white spirit (Terpentinersatz), you know it stinks.
I’d had this effect spray from Schmincke for years, but never really used it as you have to spray it across the whole image. You can see what it does in the bottom row in the middle. It’s a rather nice “starry sky” effect.
Now, as I had all sorts of little bottles with eyedropper lids, I thought: Why not bottle that stuff for more exact use?
So I found myself patiently spraying effect spray into an eyedropper bottle. XD The result was great – see it at the top right. Little starry, hard-edged blotches, more random than white spirit, but smells far nicer.
Jenny Dolfen Art 
I had to google what white spirit was supposed to be. XD In the end, good to avoid it anyway, it comes with 0.1% benzene, which is goddammit carcinogenic – and volatile. The textures look great, I loved that of effect spray! I liked Tancred’s decided expression and the lighting of his hair looks great too.
This is awesome but who is it?
An 11th century crusader. Sorry, I should have said so.
A companion in arms of William the Conqueror (or of his son Robert Curthose?), and ancestor of the kings of Sicily, I seem to remember.
No, I’m wrong on the first bit, he was more of Robert the Devil’s (William the Conqueror’s fahter) generation.
Yes, a very early one – the first crusade, it was.
I think some people are confusing this Tancred with his great-grandson of the same name, who fought in the First Crusade and became Prince of Galilee. The original Tancred de Hauteville had twelve sons; and because they had few opportunities at home, eight of them went to the south of Italy. One son, Roger, was the first of the family to rule southern Italy, as Counts, later Kings, of Sicily, from 1071-1198, as Mithrennaith correctly said.
As far as I remember, this is the grandson. :)
Ah, yes, I was thinking indeed of the elder Tancred of Hauteville, who was a contemporary of Robert the Devil. Murray points in the right direction, the crusader and prince of Galilee is the great-grandson (in the female line), and indeed more the contemporary of Robert Curthose.
Genialst!!!!
Ich bin grad stolz auf mich! ich hab kürzlich Blending Sticks und nen richtig guten Knetradiergummi gefunden… Doch leider leider leider, immer noch keine Spur von Maskierflüssigkeit.. Wenn cih deine Bilder sehe hab ich immer wieder Lust zu aquarellieren oder besser noch: Zu zeichnen!
Sag mal sind die Lineouts getuscht?
Nein, die Lineart ist Bleistift :)