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Pen and Ink Drawing
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Message
Posted
Some of you will know that I’ve recently started to use pens to draw with , it’s something I tried a very long time ago and had little success so abandoned the idea totally. Overt the past few months I’ve taken particular interest in the sketch’s posted by Alan Bickley and the very fine artwork that Lewis Cooper produces using pens and pens and ink . I started using fineliner pens to sketch out the scenes I wanted then added a watercolour wash , I found that I really liked the process and have posted several on the gallery . I will include a couple here as it will provide background information for those who may not have seen them before.
Since completing these I bough a dip pen and some India ink as Lew and Alan mentioned them several time , I wanted to see what it was all about and what the difference was between them and fine liners . The last time time I used a dip pen and ink was back in the fifties early sixties at school, scratching out in my school books , more in on me than the pages at times .
To my surprise I found that I actually liked the feel of the pen and oddly the scratching sound was quite comforting, reminding me of school , and yes I did get it on my finger until I started drawing slightly differently to a pencil , more upright.
This was my first full drawing to which I added colour and I will later discuss how I managed this and what lessons I learned from doing it .
Since completing these I bough a dip pen and some India ink as Lew and Alan mentioned them several time , I wanted to see what it was all about and what the difference was between them and fine liners . The last time time I used a dip pen and ink was back in the fifties early sixties at school, scratching out in my school books , more in on me than the pages at times .
To my surprise I found that I actually liked the feel of the pen and oddly the scratching sound was quite comforting, reminding me of school , and yes I did get it on my finger until I started drawing slightly differently to a pencil , more upright.
This was my first full drawing to which I added colour and I will later discuss how I managed this and what lessons I learned from doing it .
Posted
I like to start by sketching in the main features lightly in pencil, two reason for this
1) I don’t yet feel confident enough to go straight in with the pen as there is nothing I can do to remove the line other than change the area slightly .
2) By working in pencil first I can make changes before I’m committing to the layout and I can do some fine tuning with the pen if I notice anything I’m not happy with.
I’m sure as I get more confident and learn more about using the pen I will make less mistakes and so do more straight off in ink. Two sketches that I’ve been working on the boat scene is complete and on the gallery.
I then start to add bolder lines and more detail, working in small areas as I found when I did the pen and wash with the India ink I keep touching the wet in , not a good idea as it soon transfers to the nice white paper. I’m using watercolour paper not cartridge paper,
1) I don’t have any decent cartridge paper
2) if I decide to add a wash it’s in the right paper from the start .
3) I like the slightly rough texture of the watercolour paper I’m using.
An example of the reason behind using pencil first is the telegraph pole in the sketch above, I decided it looked better without them in the scene in the next stage so rubbed it them out .
I then start to add bolder lines and more detail, working in small areas as I found when I did the pen and wash with the India ink I keep touching the wet in , not a good idea as it soon transfers to the nice white paper. I’m using watercolour paper not cartridge paper,
1) I don’t have any decent cartridge paper
2) if I decide to add a wash it’s in the right paper from the start .
3) I like the slightly rough texture of the watercolour paper I’m using.
An example of the reason behind using pencil first is the telegraph pole in the sketch above, I decided it looked better without them in the scene in the next stage so rubbed it them out .
Posted
Thank you both for your kind comments. I set time aside to sketch in the evenings , I don’t watch tv and I need less equipment to sketch unlike painting, I set myself up at the dinning table. Sketching is something I’ve always during and since childhood, I first painted as an adult when recovering in hospital from a spinal injury, then stopped painting until the late nineties when my eldest daughter bought me a beautiful boxed painting watercolour painting set . What is new is using dip pens and ink rather than pencils and fine liners . Less of the history and more artwork, I’ve completed the boat pick as I said earlier and added it to the gallery, one thing I did do was using the ink with water to create washes for shadowed and clouds.
The finished piece in a mount the in a frame it’s surprising how different they look , the frame cost under four pounds and is made for students to display there work , easy release system on the back , I put my current paintings up in my studio area to see how they look .
What I did discover was that it’s better to wet the paper and add diluted ink as the paper soaked in some ink and left a darker mark than I wanted , example is the area on the filed to the left , part way up the slope
What I did discover was that it’s better to wet the paper and add diluted ink as the paper soaked in some ink and left a darker mark than I wanted , example is the area on the filed to the left , part way up the slope
Posted
Well I’m really pleased that it’s inspired you Denise , makes the thread worthwhile. I did a little bit more last evening on the landscape , I was doubting whether I could do a landscape so big with the pen and ink , I will add some colours to this one.
I used watered down ink to cover the road more as an experiment but I think it looks ok.
Posted
Thank you George and Sandra, I’m still in two kinds to add a bit of colour despite almost completing it a pen and ink .
I’ve added diluted ink to shade areas , create cloud and darken the hill , I like it as it it’s but think the sky need a bit more darkening and possibly a very thin line around the edges to contain the scene. Time to think about the next move , including the idea of some colour.
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