I just plan to do a sketch/study/drawing/painting in a sketchbook every day. If I miss a day, I'll do two the next day. Some will be started in pencil, some in pen, some with a wash. No rules :-) In the meantime, I also plan to 'try on' a couple of different drawing styles by other artists. First up - ball point pen, in the style of Andrea Joseph, famous for very detailed drawings that fill a page with ball-point pen studies. There is a great video of her drawing in ball-point pens here
This double page spread was done over a few days during the first week of August. I added another item each day, or a bunch of buttons. I am amazed at the sensitivity of drawing with a ball-point pen! Now I need to find a good brown one....apparently Fisher make a sepia...
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| Right side of the page in progress - Buttons, drawn with brown pens of various sorts and pencils - in a Moleskine Watercolour A4 sketchbook. |
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| Left side of double spread in progress - Red things. Drawn with red and black ballpoint pens, with the centre section in blue pens. |
This study of keys was started with a brown Pilot pen then black ball-point added over the top. I started to draw the pens in. It takes a very long time...like the one above, this is rather a work in progress. I love the Pilot for writing with but it is more like a felt tip pen for drawing. The ballpoint is wonderful for drawing but not comfortable to hold for a long time and I have never liked them for writing.
A tiny study of a piece of Pumpkin Crunch in ballpoint with some coloured pencil added. Drawn in Bic cristal black pen.
Cufflinks, made from bits of Swiss watches - really testing the limits of my medium Bic cristal pen. I had to add watercolour using a fine brush to get the finest details.
Jane, your drawings are so helpful for pen choice considerations, especially the pros and cons of each. Amazing what details and subtleties you can get with the BIC! I love the way your button sketch has a dividing line, past which the colors change from one to another. I need so much more practice with cross hatching. I'm a newcomer to it since SBS...since Tommy and Andrea!
ReplyDeleteThank you Elsbeth. I'll make sure I continue to add details on materials. I majored in etching at college, which is all about cross hatching! It's rather nice to get back to some fine detail drawings. In the button sketch I wanted to try as many of Andrea's techniques as I could, and she does a lot with blue pens so I thought it needed a blue section to try them out. I am also amazed by the Bic. I avoid writing with ball-points so actually had to buy one to try it out. Now I am adding it to my sketch kit!
DeleteJane, I enjoyed seeing more of your ballpoint sketches. I love the word "red" that seems to stand up on the page. Like Elsbeth, I never cross-hatched until Tommy's class. I didn't like doing it then, with a Micron, but I enjoyed Andrea's assignment with the ballpoint. I used a PaperMate Inkjoy 100 1.0M. I found it more comfortable to hold than the regular Bic. If you ever give the Inkjoy a try, I'd love to hear your take on it.
ReplyDeleteHi Susan. I want to explore more of that 3D calligraphy. Have to choose some easy words :-)
DeleteI generally use a very fine fountain pen for sketching and cross hatching rather than a rollerball like Tommy - it's a Sailor with an EF nib, or a pilot with a flex nib. Gorgeous and fine. I'll see if we have any PaperMates in the house. I really don't want to buy more pens but am intrigued at how nice they are to draw with. :-)
Yeah, I don't need any more pens either, but the PaperMates came in a pack of 8 neon colors for less than $2.00. I thought the colors might be fun. I should say, I don't need any more cheap pens. I would like to move into some dip pens or fountain pens; I haven't tried them yet.
DeleteDip pens are lovely. I use a 'post office nib' which you can see pictured in my current sketching tools at the bottom of this blog. You can use pretty much any ink or even mix a watercolour wash and brush it onto the inside of the pen nib. I'll do a post about pens eventually. I love the Lamy EF nibs and have really enjoyed the Naminki/Pilot flex nibs.
DeleteI saw an example of using watercolor in a calligraphy pen here:
Deletehttp://www.lesliefehling.com/2014/05/bleeding-heart-sketch-with-watercolor.html
I thought it was so pretty. Definitely going to try that!
Lovely Susan. Yes that's exactly what I do. Gives great detail and perfect colour matching :-)
DeleteGood luck Jane with the Drawing a Day - I will watch your progress with interest. I have good intentions with a daily sketch (and SBS helps) but I find that I take for ever to do just one sketch and those hours pass by ...... Love your drawings above.
ReplyDelete:-) Yes intentions are all very well. Notice I haven't said how long I plan to keep it up? Some will be very small like the ones above (which are about life sized). Some may even be adding a few buttons to the button page. I just think that if I set out to do it without any restrictions, and with the idea of trying out a whole range of different techniques, it will be fun. I will continue to post them up in groups rather than daily though.
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