Drawing with pens, Rotring, Lamy, ballpoint, Sharpie and Tombow

Sketches with a variety of pens, Rotring and Lamy fountain pens, a Tombow double ended brush pen, a Sharpie and a Parker ballpoint pen. In S&B Zeta A4 sketchbook, ideal for ink as it's smooth, heavy paper lets the pen flow.

Examples are for a forthcoming class, showing some of the marks each pen can make, alone or with a water brush to create washes of tone with the water soluble inks.  I simply drew items from my pencil case.

The last sketch, of scissors, uses a mix of fountain pen, Sharpie and Tombow. The grey Tombow giving varied washes of tone, the fountain pen with black ink for fine lines and the Sharpie for flat, even, intense black.



These are the pens I keep in my pencil case.  The Rotring pen I bought many years ago nd I've never had any problems with it.  I'm giving the Lamy a second chance, the first one started off ok but the the ink just refused to flow no matter how much I cleaned it.  It did not impress me.  Friends like theirs so I bought another to try ... so far so good but the jury is out until it stands the test of time.

The Tombow pens are a favourite, especially the grey as you can build up washes of tone and the dual ends give a good range of marks.

The Sharpie for me has a more limited use but when I want large areas of dense non-streaky black, it's perfect.

Biro (ballpoint pen)is another I like.  It flows across the paper and can be used to create delicate, pale marks as well as bolder line.  Here I've stuck purely to ink but biro is great with coloured pencil for a line and wash effect.

Of course all of these can be combined with other media, as I frequently do, charcoal, watercolour, acrylic .... anything.

Work in ink:

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXMRQfKrngMzjL2vxin6qMmGTeYudHkVw4Cv3s-Be7UFZoSpop531LQDuJpgCqKCwXT9Tiah90lnRZ4gB_DS2h4vXbJ3MOeLcgKbp9Lk9YMrd_O7R_g_UqQo49_Cc1qZtAku-GFQ/s1600/e++evening+against+the+light+from+rose+cottage.jpg

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipkNBnvzCU7GwP8l1WqSUnFp4XSmR0d1S-5qItu1J6aWEUnIG6Wecuoiic982FyX7iKIWgBO1B1ExGqLxvfI4_Irp5I3alg0h_gxJ-YJGXW4GmokLUrcQSQx2MUk1ZkzPMzLOi/s1600/e++peacock+feather+and+random+stuff.jpg

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSbHxB0r-8mwSn8YYkV6HG4n_PcC4FkhImS84iRvsUBtC3ZYXfB-CFfF-_TF5gNT0ElovzjAIiOVdDRtFS6daw12UDx0c9MKGVL6IAb5e_Z26JnsrAbxn6lsYB1ZH11u4DGgh4PA/s1600/e++inks+in+derwent+landscape+book.jpg



I don't particularly enjoy metal dip pens though I have a couple somewhere, not sure where though!  I prefer the lively organic marks of twigs, bamboo pens, brushes and sticks with bottled ink but that's for another day ....


Comments

Anonymous said…
Silly I know, but somehow for me items of stationery are objets worthy of treatment by the artist. I very much enjoy these sketches of yours.
3:11 pm
vivien said…
not silly at all :>)

thank you
9:59 am
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Eye, Urban/Rural exhibition

Image
Vivien Blackburn's work in the Urban/Rural show We've just hung a group show at the The Eye Project, Urban/Rural show.  If you want to come and see it it's on for a month - well worth seeing, 11 lovely artists and some fabulous work. Those large canvasses are 40 inches square. There are rural landscapes, flowerscapes, intriguing textile work including a large knitted building, abstracts .... something for everyone. It's in the gallery below the cafe in the Adult Education Centre at the top of Wellington street, Leicester, opposite Fenwicks.  Meet the Arttists day is Saturday 1st April 10-2.  Come and have a chat with us?
Read more

Hedges silhouetted agains the snow, winter light: watercolour and Derwent tinted charcoal pencils in Stillmand and Birn Beta Hardback sketchbook

Image
 Detail  I have always liked the calligraphic tangle of the hedges when they are sihouetted against the sky.   Recent snowfall meant even more opportunities with amazing light and the landscape simplified and hidden by the snow, throwing hedges into relief. Above is a detail of a double page sketch in the lovely Stillman and Birn Beta A4 hardback sketchbook.  This paper is so forgiving and the watercolour works beautifully with it.  It allowed me to work through wet washes with charcoal pencil - something that tears many papers, leaving holes.  Some of the hedge is paint, some tinted charcoal. First snow, more on the way, winter light: silhouetted hedges in watercolour and Derwent tinted charcoal in a Stillman and Birn A4 beta hardback sketchbook The earlier warm golden glow of the low sun is covered by clouds, threatening more snow to come.   The spiky calligraphic marks of the hedge and the underlying form of the bank, with some of the taller dried grasses showing
Read more

looking at non traditional composition and quiet vs busy areas in paintings

Image
Paul Klee I thought I'd look at non-traditional composition - where the rule of thirds isn't the key but the painting relies on different compositional methods. in response to an excellent series of posts on the various ways of looking at composition by Katherine (link at end). These alternative considerations or breaking of rules - but making it work - appeal to me more than too heavy a reliance on the rule of thirds. The painting above, by Paul Klee is a 'field' painting' - the composition is overall, the eye travels around enjoying the glowing colour that he creates by juxtaposing complementary colours, subtle greyed greens enhancing the oranges/reds/pinks. Most of the image is composed of the various greens, greeny browns and khakis, with accents of the warm colours. When working this way it's important that the balance is unequal and that the accent colours are placed carefully to keep the eye moving in the way the artist wants. A couple of the brighter
Read more