Learning To Draw With Pen & Ink

[ethernautrix]

Wow... finally getting a little bit caught up with fpn, and look at this! I love it!

[dasmarians]

just draw..!! and draw a lot, the only way to learn is it! in every paper you fund, attached a drawing when I was waiting the dentist..... inkograph-black waterman ink- a4 xerox 75gr paper.

have fun

Dm

[dasmarians]

just draw..!! and draw a lot, the only way to learn is it! in every paper you fund, attached a drawing when I was waiting the dentist..... inkograph-black waterman ink- a4 xerox 75gr paper.

have fun

Dm

sorry I forget the attach

[daniellem]

Thanks for sharing your drawings, dasmarians, I like the car!

 

Here's a recent (non-Lohan study) drawing that I did -- this was for my brother-in-law who asked me to create a logo for his carpentry business based on a post and beam (no nails!) awning/roof structure that he built on an old farmhouse.

 

After doing a few preliminary studies, here's the final artwork:

 

 

(Drawing done with a Pelikan 120 pen and Platinum Carbon Black ink)

 

And here is how it turned out after scanning it into Adobe Illustrator and using the autotrace function to turn the drawing into a digital vector file that can be resized as-needed without loss of resolution:

 

 

I wasn't sure how it would work but I think the autotrace function did a pretty good job translating the pen and ink drawing into vector shapes!

[cybaea]

Thanks for sharing your drawings, dasmarians, I like the car!

 

Here's a recent (non-Lohan study) drawing that I did -- this was for my brother-in-law who asked me to create a logo for his carpentry business based on a post and beam (no nails!) awning/roof structure that he built on an old farmhouse.

 

After doing a few preliminary studies, here's the final artwork:

 

 

(Drawing done with a Pelikan 120 pen and Platinum Carbon Black ink)

 

And here is how it turned out after scanning it into Adobe Illustrator and using the autotrace function to turn the drawing into a digital vector file that can be resized as-needed without loss of resolution:

 

 

I wasn't sure how it would work but I think the autotrace function did a pretty good job translating the pen and ink drawing into vector shapes!

 

You lost some detail in the dark areas which is a shame (lovely drawing in the original) but it is not too bad for an automated conversion.

[dasmarians]

it's a really nice drawing, you have a firm trace! but take care about the size, if you gonna make a logo from this you will need to reduce maybe for make a stationary or a pin and you will lost quality in the impression.

publish the finish logo!!

[notbob]

Here's a recent (non-Lohan study) drawing that I did -- this was for my brother-in-law who asked me to create a logo for his carpentry business based on a post and beam (no nails!) awning/roof structure that he built on an old farmhouse.

 

Very nicely done, daniellem. Likewise, dansmarians. I really admire black-only p/e drawings.

 

I discovered all my calligraphy inks are non-waterproof, so I'm gonna order some india or sumi waterproof ink. I found an exercise online that's needs bold black lines so it can be finished with watercolors, but it's really an exercise in fine pen/ink textures. I'll probably use pointed dip pens with sumi.

 

Thank you kindly for the compliments, penultress, daniellem, and andymcc. It was jes a fluke I got the highlights even remotely close. More a case of them being away from the ink lines. Next time I'll actually take the lighting into consideration. After all, the topic is "Learning....."

[notbob]

I've been using the Stillman&Birn Epsilon series spiral sketchbook (vellum surface) and highly recommend it -- the paper is made for pen and ink work and is very thick and smooth. I'm using both sides of the pages and have not had any problems with bleedthrough at all, even in the heavy black sections.

 

I took yer S&B advice to heart and bought a gamma series 6.5x8.5 (portrait) hardcover sketch book. I absolutely love it!

 

I've never liked my Clairefontaine or Rhodia pads or journals. Too smooth. I thought I must have a smooth hard surfaced paper to avoid bleedthrough and feathering and all that stuff. Wrong! The gamma paper is a rough, yet fine vellum texture and it takes pretty much everything I throw at it. Ink, pastels, pencil, ink washes, even water color. While the paper buckles jes a tad (yet flattens again when dry) with water washes, it does NOT bleed through. Amazing! Some negligible seethrough, but zero bleedthrough, even with my 6.0 Pilot Parallel Pens laying down super wet lines for blackletter. I use it for everything. Notes, sketches, P&E, calligraphy, you name it. I also love the hardcover aspect. This is like a good hardbound library book. No shoddy cloth or starched fiber cover. This book looks like it can take some abuse. I might have bought a beta or zeta, but no one seems to sell them in hardcover, only spiral. Perhaps I just didn't shop around long enough. Regardless, I now feel like I have a true quality sketchbook, one I can throw in my book bag and enter any kinda graphic in it without having to coddle it. The best part is, I do! I pick it up and sketch and doodle any and everything in it. Something I never did with my CF journals. Thanks, daniellem.

[daniellem]

 

This book looks like it can take some abuse. I might have bought a beta or zeta, but no one seems to sell them in hardcover, only spiral.

 

Glad you are liking the S&B, notbob -- they are really great notebooks. Goulet Pens carry the hardcover versions if you can't find them locally in your area. And they can indeed take abuse. In fact, it's a good idea to "abuse" the hardcover versions a bit before you start using them. I can't remember where I saw this advice (might have been somewhere on FPN but I can't find the link now), but I read somewhere that S&B recommends that you break in the hardcover books by bending the spines back 360 degrees so that the binding stretches out a good bit -- starting at the center pages and then again for every page of the journal. It seems a bit severe at first, but I can attest to the fact that this works and does no damage at all to the journal. The advantage to doing this is that the notebook will then lie completely flat when open.

 

Oh -- just found that link -- definitely have a read through this, as she describes the recommended process in detail. I've done it with my S&Bs and it works great.

 

http://hudsonvalleysketches.blogspot.com/2012/01/breaking-in-your-stillman-and-birn.html

[muldi]

Hi, I am teaching myself to draw in pen and ink. I'm in my 60's and hope I can still make some progress. I bought the Lohan book so that I could do the exercises and work along with you. I know it will help a lot. I'd like to post a couple of little pen and ink drawings for some feedback, as I'm not very skilled yet. But I can't figure out how to attach my picture files and can't seem to find anywhere that talks about how to do it. Could someone help me?

Thanks,

Diane

[daniellem]

Hi, I am teaching myself to draw in pen and ink. I'm in my 60's and hope I can still make some progress. I bought the Lohan book so that I could do the exercises and work along with you. I know it will help a lot. I'd like to post a couple of little pen and ink drawings for some feedback, as I'm not very skilled yet. But I can't figure out how to attach my picture files and can't seem to find anywhere that talks about how to do it. Could someone help me?

Thanks,

Diane

Hi Diane,

 

Glad to have you joining in on the Lohan fun!

 

To post a picture, you should see an "Upload" tab in the top menu bar. If you click on that it will open a new page -- at the top where it says "Upload from HDD" you click on the "Choose File" button and that lets you pick the picture on your system that you want to upload. (I think I read somewhere that the pictures need to be no larger than 1000 pixels in width or height, but I'm not 100% sure about that...)

 

Then you click on the black "Add Image" button to finalize the upload. When that's done, you'll see your picture appear, and below it there will be a bunch of links. You want to copy the link next to the word "BBCode", and then paste that link into your post. That should do the trick!

 

I'm looking foward to seeing your sketches!

[daniellem]

it's a really nice drawing, you have a firm trace! but take care about the size, if you gonna make a logo from this you will need to reduce maybe for make a stationary or a pin and you will lost quality in the impression.

publish the finish logo!!

 

 

Thanks dasmarians and cybaea.

 

dasmarians, you are right, it does not reduce as well as I'd like -- this was difficult because we needed it to scale well in both directions for what it will be used for. There's definitely a learning process involved in figuring out how to do this right. I'm wondering if doing a second version in a finer pen would work better for reduction -- but then I wonder if the thin lines would not digitize well in that case. Maybe I just need to work smaller? Any tips from folks who have done this before is much appreciated!

[muldi]

Thanks for the help with posting. Your directions are clear. Will give it a try this evening. I'm looking forward to participating.

Diane

[notbob]

The advantage to doing this is that the notebook will then lie completely flat when open.

 

Un-freakin-believable!! It works.

 

This product jes keeps getting better and better. Great to know the USofA can still produce a superior product, not that I ever had any doubt. Mark me down as one converted Stillman & Birn zealot. Guess what virgin CF journals my granddaughters are going to get for their birthday.

[muldi]

I hope I am doing this correctly. Here are three small pen and ink drawings. Two mushrooms from a Claudia Nice book and the House sparrow is from J Lohan's 'Sketching Birds'. When I draw birds freehand, I really have a hard time with the proportion between head and body. Feedback welcome and needed. Thank you, Diane

 

[muldi]

I guess I can't count any more! The trees make four pictures. They are from one of C. Nice's books too.

[daniellem]

Diane, I think all four sketches that you have posted here are wonderful! I really like the contrast you got with the mushrooms on the upper right and the texture you got in the lower left -- very nice. The proportions on the bird look just right to me -- did you freehand or trace the base drawing? I'd love to know what paper you are using in these -- each of the papers look like they have a great deal of texture to them and I'm wondering how it was working with pen and ink on these surfaces. Very inspiring to see, especially since you mentioned you are just getting started with this!

[Sailor Kenshin]

The mushroom anatomy sketch is really cool!

[muldi]

Thanks for the comments. I really appreciate it. I free-handed the base bird drawing, but very carefully. I think the mushroom in the upper right was done on Fabriano studio CPress. I now use the Studio Hot press. It is pretty reasonable in pads that can be cut. The trees on the upper left were drawn in a Bee paper Co-mo sketchbook. It does have a strange texture, and I don't like to use the larger size, but the 6x6 inch size is just right for my purse or pack. And it does take a light wash. It was done with Micron sepia and not a problem to work with. The Mushroom anatomy was on the same paper. The sparrow was done on a Raffine 6x6 sketchbook on sale at Jerry's Artarama. I would not buy it again. I did it with an .005 Micron and tore up the paper. I'm now using dip pen quite a bit. My current paper is Pentalic Paper for Pens. It can be expensive, but I found some on a good sale. I have a Pentalic sketchbook that I like a lot too. Right now I can't afford to buy a S&Birn, but I'm sure it is better than what I use. I have a few sheets of Strathmore Aquarius II watercolor paper. It does make a nice journal and works well with some pen and ink. So, basically, I use a big variety of paper bought on sale!

[notbob]

Diane, your drawings are quite lovely. I particularly like the bird drawing. I jes bought some fine line drawing pens. Now, I wish I'd gotten a sepia colored one.