Painters Online Logo

Login/register

Studio

Pointillism drawing

Welcome to the forum.

Here you can discuss all things art with like-minded artists, join regular painting challenges, ask questions, buy and sell art materials and much more.

Make sure you sign in or register to join the discussions.

Hang on Studio Wall
Author
Message
My Profile pic16

Lewis Cooper

  • Prestige User
  • Reputation: 6309
  • Last active:
  • Posts: 2573
Posted
I think that's what it's called...producing a drawing, usually with a pen, that consists of dots rather than lines and shading. I've had a go myself, usually on a small scale (6 x 4 inches)...I love pen and ink drawing so I guess it's just another way of doing that. I've seen a new pen advertised that does it ten times faster than the usual one dot at a time...it sounds like some kind of mini pneumatic drill. Has anyone tried it? Here's a link..... https://www.saa.co.uk/cuttlelola-dotspen-rechargable-multi-speed-electric-drawing-pen-125821.html

Alan Bickley

  • Prestige User
  • Reputation: 11888
  • Last active:
  • Posts: 4488
Posted
Pointillism is rather time consuming and I'm not personally a big fan of the finished result, however, others will no doubt enjoy it. This does look like a rather expensive tool I must say Lew, I won't be buying one any time soon.

Edited
by alanbickley

My Profile pic16

Lewis Cooper

  • Prestige User
  • Reputation: 6309
  • Last active:
  • Posts: 2573
Posted
Yes Alan, it does seem expensive. It must be weird to use. I am a fan of pointillism, I'm just astonished at the things they come up with, I just wondered if anyone had tried it. For the time being I'll stick with my pen.

Peter Davison

  • Forum Expert
  • Last active:
  • Posts: 533
Posted
I am familiar with the pointillist paintings of Seurat et al I cannot say I am a fan. Interesting though it is as an experiment in colour theory I'm not sure how it would work in drawing and I wouldn't invest significant money in a drawing tool for the purpose, but each to his or her own.
My Profile pic16

Lewis Cooper

  • Prestige User
  • Reputation: 6309
  • Last active:
  • Posts: 2573
Posted
Wow. I'm not sure the strange pen I was talking about would be up to that. It comes with 4 coloured inks....so, who knows. Syd's picture makes me realize I've only dipped my toe into pointillism with a 6x4 picture...and that in black & white. I shan't be buying one, unless it becomes hugely popular and much cheaper...much cheaper. I was just hoping to hear from someone who'd used one.
With Sarah, Phil, Ellen, Rose the dentist, and the granddaughter whose name I forget.

Robert Jones, Napa

  • Prestige User
  • Reputation: 24793
  • Last active:
  • Posts: 8642
Posted
I can't even readily envisage how that pen would work .... I shan't be buying one, I know that! Somewhere or other, I have a section of an old Walter T Foster publication which covers the pen stippling process, very briefly; the result is certainly interesting, although it can get a bit repetitive if it's used in every drawing, but the time it takes is just not for me - the eyes and back (and hand) would give out and I'd just get fed up with it. Would there be a demonstration on video of this pen in use? Maybe take a look on the Google-machine and see if the maker has a website on which it's demonstrated or a Youtube link?
With Sarah, Phil, Ellen, Rose the dentist, and the granddaughter whose name I forget.

Robert Jones, Napa

  • Prestige User
  • Reputation: 24793
  • Last active:
  • Posts: 8642
Posted
PS - Incredible painting.

Pat Harrison

  • Esteemed User
  • Last active:
  • Posts: 310
Posted
Robert, you were looking for a link to the pen´s website. Lew has already posted it but here it is again complete with video and a juicy price tag.
With Sarah, Phil, Ellen, Rose the dentist, and the granddaughter whose name I forget.

Robert Jones, Napa

  • Prestige User
  • Reputation: 24793
  • Last active:
  • Posts: 8642
Posted
Pat - SAA promotional video, isn't it..... but actually informative - had I bothered to look earlier! Truth is, what I did look at was that juicy price of which you diplomatically speak. Well, it's a pigment ink pen; it carries a range of inks, requiring the barrel to be changed, and the intensity of the dots varies with the pressure applied. Because it's pigment ink, it will be lightfast, and watercolour or inks could be applied on top. Professional artists and illustrators who do a lot of this sort of work - those who don't just employ various computer 'apps' - would find it useful as an extension of their graphic abilities; I wonder if that's a large enough market to sustain it, but that's not my problem so I won't worry my pretty little head about it. What I also wonder is how much the ink refills would be in relation to how long they last; and whether the pen blots. Snag is that at £60 odd for the basic pen, it might be a good investment, or an expensive toy of which one would soon tire - so what we need is one of us to clench the teeth, unleash the credit card, and get one! You're, ahem, a man of substance, Pat - I'm sure you have the cash tucked away in a brimming ISA somewhere: I nominate you........ while for the time being, I stick to my collection of dip pens and Indian ink......... Financial adventurousness was never a key characteristic of the Jones family; mean as tongs, some have said...

Edited
by RobertJones

michael

Michael Edwards

  • Prestige User
  • Reputation: 3863
  • Last active:
  • Posts: 1556
Posted
Not sure if this is an aside or not but I have been giving a series of demonstrations recently to various art groups on painting without a brush. Part of this involves what I guess is a sort of pointillism - I use wire wool and scouring pads to apply the paint. So much quicker than dabbing it on with a brush. An example is shown below to demonstrate the effects although the image is not the best I could have asked for.
My Profile pic16

Lewis Cooper

  • Prestige User
  • Reputation: 6309
  • Last active:
  • Posts: 2573
Posted
Some interesting effects in your painting, Micheal. If the electric pointillism pen I asked about is a way of speeding up the 'dots' process, then wire-wool and scouring pads should be even quicker. And a lot cheaper. It's a process I may well be trying.
michael

Michael Edwards

  • Prestige User
  • Reputation: 3863
  • Last active:
  • Posts: 1556
Posted
I wish you luck with it Lew - the secret is not to get too much on the wire wool - just a thin coating. I use a large plate, put a blob of the chosen colour on the side of it , dab the wire wool into it then run the wire wool around the plate to distribute the paint evenly across the fibres.