Last October I participated in InkTober and found I really enjoyed working on pre-painted backgrounds. The added bit of color and pattern seems to really make pen and ink sketches pop.
For this spread I used a mixture of shimmering FW Acrylic Inks sprayed over one of the dried oak leaves from the garden. I love the blue splatter!
What goes with oak leaves? A bird of course!
Happy Spring!
I was cleaning out my sketch bag when I found a pen in one of the pockets… totally forgotten. I also forgot how much I enjoyed working with it for fast sketching. It’s Speedball’s felt-tipped calligraphy pen, the Elegant Writer.
I don’t know if you can purchase them separately but I bought a set of four at my local art supply store. There are two 2.0mm Fine pens, one 2.5mm Medium pen and one 3.0mm Bold pen.
This is the 3.0mm nib.
It has a lovely chiseled tip which gives great line variation.
And the bleeding! Did I mention the bleeding?!?
The black ink bleeds into gorgeous pink, blue and purple when hit with water.
I don’t think I’ll forget it any time soon!
I learned two things this October… but did I internalize the lessons? Oh no, I let them slide.
It’s time to revisit those lessons.
First, InkTober taught me how much I enjoyed fleshing out and shading a pen and ink sketch with crosshatching. I thought I didn’t have the patience to achieve volume hatching all those tiny curving lines. Don’t get me wrong, I’m nowhere near proficient but I’ve enjoyed the process way more than I thought I would. I’m going to make sure I keep practicing.
Secondly, I love, love, LOVE posting with the WordPress app for my iPhone. I posted most of my InkTober sketches with the app. I look forward to using it more and more.
That’s it for now… have a great weekend!
Time and time again I’ve tried to work consistently from prompts and time and time again I’ve consistently failed. That’s why I’m planning to do InkTober! It’s a month long challenge but there are no pre-assigned prompts! Just make a drawing, post it and link it with the hashtag #inktober.
Yipee! Who knew I’d be such a rebel… I like choosing what I want to draw!
Today is the very first International Coffee Day… I celebrated. Did you?
Yes, another fair! The Tunbridge World’s Fair!
(Just a quick explanation… this book is made with 130gsm Gutenberg and has pre-painted pages which I just drew right over. They were prepared with dilute acrylic paint and acrylic ink so there was no fear of bleeding.)
Once I got though the mass of children on a school expedition I made a bee-line for the poultry barn… I have a real soft spot for those birdies… especially ducks! These are Runner Ducks! They’re known for dropping eggs everywhere as they go about their day!
Poor page planning on my part… I hate it when the eye ends up in the gutter!
There was a steady stream (no pun intended) of heifers and their humans walking to the river to cool off and grab a drink. I was so excited to catch them I put my first sketch upside down in the journal. Sheesh! I had to do another!
Lots and lots of cows!
After a quick stop to check out the vegetables and the cake testers (no, they don’t spit it out after tasting like the wine tasters do… they swallow all the goodness) I stopped back in the poultry and rabbit barn. Don’t you love their topknots?
Most of the children had gone so I had enough breathing space to pull out my paints.
The chicks are only 3 days old!
And no… I was NOT a participant other than visiting the fair but one of the volunteers was so taken by my journal that he gave me a ribbon!
Put it in your calendar… it always starts 10 days after Labor Day. If my calculations are correct that’ll be between Thursday 15 September and Sunday 18 September 2016. I’ll be there!
Winter has been creeping up on us and it’s become tougher to brave the elements and sketch outside. Thank goodness for the welcoming ambiance of a local café… the Tuckerbox, located on a corner in downtown White River Jct. Vermont.
I love people watching and have been working on sketching figures to improve my grasp of features and proportions. As I enjoyed my mocha I was treated to a splendid view of my fellow patrons. Some, like this trio, were only there for a few minutes so fast was the operative word. I used one of my fountain pens filled with water-soluble ink…. just a touch with my wet brush gave me all the shading I needed.
But then there were the “regulars”… like this fellow. Over the few hours I was there I saw him nurse his coffee, finish his work at the bar, leave and then return for lunch with friends. It was as if the Tuckerbox had become his office.
I loved fleshing out his history in my mind as I sketched him… who knows… blogger? local reporter? … or, boringly… just one of the owners. Maybe I’ll just have to become one of the regulars to find out.
I love Fairs! Where else is there a multitude of creatures just hanging around begging to be included in my sketchbook.
A couple of warm-ups and I’m ready to go!
Sometimes there are so many to choose from… I decide to sketch as many as possible. (Check out that Lamancha goat! I was astounded to learn they’re born without external ear flaps… pinnae.)
I even go one to pose for me after his turn in the show ring.
Sometimes humans are interested in my work… the cows? Not so much! ( I thought Holsteins were only black and white. Not so! These red and white girls are Holsteins too! )
There’s still time for you to take your sketchbook and get in on the fun. New Hampshire’s Hopkinton State Fair is open tomorrow and Monday. If you’ve missed your chance at your nearest fair I highly recommend you start planning for next year… I know I am!
One word… mesmerizing!
For more please visit Leigh Reyes. My Life as a Verb.
I am NOT addicted!
If this sounds a bit defensive… well………
From left to right… TWSBI Mini Fine, Visconti Traveling Ink Pot, Pelican M200 Fine, Duke with bent calligraphy nib, Pentel Pocket Brush Pen, Pelican M200 Medium, Lamy Joy with 1.5 calligraphy nib, Platinum Preppy, Lamy Safari Extra Fine, Lamy Vista black EF, Lamy Al-Star F, and an old Mont Blanc rollerball, just because it writes well.
My favorites are filled with different inks for different purposes. My Pelican at the top is loaded with regular black Waterman ink… it’s soluble and bleeds wonderfully when hit with water. The silver Duke has Noodler’s Lexington Gray which needs a bit longer on the paper to become permanent. The lowermost pen is my beloved TWSBI Mini with a Fine point… LOVE! I’ve filled it with Platinum Carbon Black ink which has been the most reliably permanent ink I’ve tried.
What’s that just above the TWSBI? It’s my Visconti Traveling Ink Pot… it holds plenty of ink for quite a few refills. I load it with the PCB and it tucks neatly into my TSA approved quart sized fluid bag for carry-on travel. I’ve been away for more than 2 weeks and it’s served me well!
At this point I only have black fountain pen inks but I’m planning on remedying that! I have an order pending with my friends at Goulet Pens. FAIR WARNING! Do not click that link unless you are prepared to spend substantial time and have your credit card handy.
Addicted? hmmmmm…. Obsessed? OK, I’ll give you that.
Dana Burrell... Art 