Working in watercolour or ink wash (diluted ink) is sometimes a step towards an oil painting. Working in wash can help you understand the tonal range of an image and allow you to gauge who painterly (or how tightly) to paint. Sometimes I work in wash without any thought of a later version. Ink behaves very differently from oil paint, so the effects don't usually transfer between mediums. I generally sketch out forms in light pencil then work over in washes, moving from lightest to darkest. As I can work fast in wash, that encourages me to produce variants, each developing a different element or mood.

Out of all my art, the washes and watercolours have been exhibited least, which is a shame. I sometimes work in colour but I prefer to hold back those pictures until I have a large group that I am satisfied with.