Process - part two

The next thing I do is to trace the image onto a piece of bristol board using my tracing box. My tracing box is actually a box designed to hang on a wall in a doctor's office and used to view x-rays. My wife found it at a garage sale years ago. It's lightweight so I can put it on my drawing table to use and lean it in a corner the rest of the time to save space. I don't pencil directly on the board because I want to avoid any erasing that might roughen the surface and effect my ink washes later.
I trace most of the lines in ink using a crow quill, trying to leave areas that will be completed in wash. The fisherman and the stream are traced in pencil instead of ink. I'm hoping for a sense of depth, so I don't want hard edges in the background.
Next, I go over the lines with ink using a #2 watercolor brush. You get a more expressive line inking with a brush. Some of the pen lines are left as is. I start to fill in darker areas with black and add texture with dry brush.
I then go over the drawing with a wash (ink diluted in water). Textures are added in wash. For example; the creel, Steve's hair and the background. Sometimes the wash is put down directly in one go and other times areas are built up in successive layers. I find that ink wash can result in a smoother finish than watercolor but it is not forgiving. Once it is down, it is down.

Lastly, I go over the drawing again in ink with a crow quill and brush, adding more leaves and textures. Then I only have find a place to hide my signature.