Sketching With a Folded Pen

 

At the February Westcoast Calligraphy Society meeting, we were playing with our folded pens.  The instructor kept saying "it's a drawing tool", so naturally I gave it a try.

"What's a folded pen?" you might be asking.  Well, I took a picture for you on my next attempt.

You draw with the tip and add more ink by changing the angle of the pen on the paper.  This increases the amount of the open part of the pen that is contacting the paper.  (Think of holding a taco with the open part down - the filling falls out, right?)

And then, to test the waterproof qualities of the sumi ink I was using, I added watercolour:

The verdict on the pen is 5/10.  I like it better for lettering.  

Because you have to dip the pen in ink rather than having the convenience of a cartridge, the ink matters too.  I'll only score the sumi ink 2/10.  It takes too long to dry which can result in smudging.  (You can see where I dragged my hand through the ink on the first drawing.)  It isn't truly waterproof either, so it isn't really suited for watercolour.  I don't think that I let it dry overnight, but who wants to do that when you're drawing?

Photo reference:  mozarts_ride

 

Peonies

 

I loved the lesson on peonies in the Watercolors Made Simple class.  They are so much fun to paint. 

A Daisy a Day

 

Last week's spring temperatures moved my heart to flowers, so I thought I would dive into the Watercolors Made Simple class that I started last fall.  I'm still enjoying the result despite the plunge in temperatures (and snow!) this week.

Duluth, Minnesota

 

No, I'm not in Duluth, but I found an interesting group on Facebook called Virtual Sketchwalk.  

The group says *A VIRTUAL SKETCHWALK is one in which you never leave your chair.

Sketches uploaded by members of this group are ALL CREATED FROM photographs!*

Just my speed these days!

Miss B

 

This is another sketch inspired by a photo by mozarts_ride.  The history of these is very interesting - you can read about it and see the photo here.

It Wouldn't be Valentine's Day Without Tulips

Terrible Truck?

 

I was not happy with this sketch after I did it, but with the benefit of a few days it grew on me.  It has the childlike quirkiness I've come to appreciate in my trucks.  They aren't technically good, but that doesn't make them bad, does it?  

Very small children draw only to have fun, and like many people, I stopped drawing because I wasn't "good".  The very reason I like seeing these later is because they look fun. 

They make me smile, I hope they make you smile too.  What is art, anyway?