Learning To Draw With Pen & Ink

[daniellem]

Thank you for the link, cybaea; that's an excellent article. I did not realize Guptill had written that many books! Must have been a treat to take one of his classes back in the day...

[weltyj]

In honor of squirrels, I took a crack at Lohan's ground squirrel. My rendering looks a little mousey, but it was a fun project. I got a new (well, old) esterbrook, with 2550 nib, and boy I didn't like it at all, it was dry and scratchy. Then I soaked it in water with a drop of detergent, smoothed it a bit on a 10000 grit nail polisher, and what a difference! Super fine line, and not too scratchy. Works wonderfully on my picadilly sketchbook.

 

 

[kmart_security]

very nice weltyj, I really like it. I really like the line work.

I've been meaning to post more, but haven't been home. I'm going to try and finish exercise 3 when I get home tomorrow on thurs and post at night. if not, then friday.
If you are wondering what happen to exercise 2, I did it but didn't turn out to hot .

[daniellem]

The ground squirrel looks great, weltyj! Love the character in the face and the hands. That yama guri ink really suits the subject, too. I'm going to have to try your tips for smoothing out the scratchy Esterbrook I've had locked away in a drawer for the past few years. Maybe it can be saved too!

[daniellem]

Step by Step Pen & Ink Sketching Demo 7:

 

 

Waterman 52 with Ideal #2 nib, Parker black. My favorite part of this exercise was doing the texture of the trees in the back. It's amazing how a few scribbles placed just so can suggest a mass of trees there in the background!

 

Anyone else out there working on any of these?

[Sailor Kenshin]

Not at the moment, but your pic makes me wish I was! The way the photo came out gives it an antique feel.

[daniellem]

Thanks Sailor -- cell phone photo in dim light helped out with the vintage look...

[RobertP]

Anyone else out there working on any of these?

 

Still haven't bought the book... That annoying thing called "work" is sapping all my creativeness in the evenings and at the weekend at the moment. I really need to get my priorities sorted... Sigh. SOON!

[notbob]

Dang, yer getting quite good, daniellem. Great picture!

 

Ummm.... not having the book, I gotta ask, is the picture unfinished? You did such and excellent job, I can't help but notice what appears to be a shadow of a huge tree on the brick end of the bldg being cast by --???-- a tree that isn't there, or so it looks to me. Am I losing it?

[weltyj]

Step by Step Pen & Ink Sketching Demo 7:

 

Waterman 52 with Ideal #2 nib, Parker black. My favorite part of this exercise was doing the texture of the trees in the back. It's amazing how a few scribbles placed just so can suggest a mass of trees there in the background!

 

Anyone else out there working on any of these?

Wow daniellem, that is getting to be awesome work on your part! Are you really Frank Lohan, just tricking us into finding out how fun drawing with pen and ink can be?

 

I was doing some work too. Some Lohan, some other stuff -- I put it on another thread because I was making some more direct comparisons of brown ink I bought recently, so in order to avoid uploading images twice here's a link to that thread:

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/251948-suggestions-for-a-brownish-ink/?do=findComment&comment=2802045

[muldi]

Am finally feeling better and getting back to drawing. Here are a few from Lohan.

 

For the Squirrel, I used a platinum preppy .5 with Noodler's walnut and an Estie with a 2550 nib and Pelikan Brown ink.

 

The little forest scene is from Lohan's Drawing Wildlife book. I used various Stabilo 88 colored pens.

 

The last was from the same book. Walnut and Pelikan Brown ink on the upper mushroom and Platinum carbon black ink in a Rotring fine Artist's pen.

 

Diane

[Sailor Kenshin]

Nice work! Love the way the leaf next to the squirrel came out.

[daniellem]

Wow daniellem, that is getting to be awesome work on your part! Are you really Frank Lohan, just tricking us into finding out how fun drawing with pen and ink can be?

 

I was doing some work too. Some Lohan, some other stuff -- I put it on another thread because I was making some more direct comparisons of brown ink I bought recently, so in order to avoid uploading images twice here's a link to that thread:

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/251948-suggestions-for-a-brownish-ink/?do=findComment&comment=2802045

Ha! I wish -- I have many, many years of practice ahead of me I'm afraid... But thank you for the compliment!

 

Those are some mighty fine drawings in that thread that you posted. I especially admire your waterfall -- you really captured a sense of rushing water in that sketch. And the hummingbird... great work! Very interesting to see the ink tests you did using the tree branch sketch. You have convinced me to pony up for a bottle of Yama-Guri...

[daniellem]

Those are really nice studies, Diane -- very cool how you are mixing up the colors in a few of those too.

[gscott92]

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3779/9084891279_6344d3775b_o.jpg

 

One of my first efforts working with pen and ink and watercolor.

[gscott92]

Or something a bit more abstract...

 

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2893/8981952981_37a08df3dd_c.jpg

[daniellem]

Nice sketches, gscott -- the first one has a great moody feel to it, and the abstract flowers have such lively lines and vibrant color. For that second one, did you lay down the colors first, or the ink?

[muldi]

Yes, I like these too, gscott. It gets me thinking about how I might incorporate watercolor. Have felt intimidated from it thus far.

 

Diane

[gscott92]

Nice sketches, gscott -- the first one has a great moody feel to it, and the abstract flowers have such lively lines and vibrant color. For that second one, did you lay down the colors first, or the ink?

 

I first sketched the flowers in lightly with a pencil and then the watercolors and then ink on top to give a bit more structure.

[gscott92]

Yes, I like these too, gscott. It gets me thinking about how I might incorporate watercolor. Have felt intimidated from it thus far.

 

Diane

 

I've also been playing around with laying down water in drops and little pools and then using my fountain pen. I'm liking how it ink flows through the water. Noodler Konrad 1.1 stub with Noodlers Blue-Black ink.

 

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5474/10484437655_cb17ffbb27.jpg