Monday, June 8, 2015

Quick Sketching and Ink Doodling

A day of pen and ink only practice doodling various things around me.  All pages were done in the Strathmore Soft cover sketchbook using a Micron pen.  Either Micron 03 or 01.  The bunny was using the 01.

When I mention quick, that's subjective.  What I consider quick for me may be longer to someone else.

Often I go through a procedure where I sketch first in pencil (not necessarily erasing along the way) but more for getting a feel for the subject I'm journaling about.  Then I go back in with pen and ink....erasing everything after ink applied, and most often adding color after that.  It can take me awhile doing this.

Sometimes when I use pen and ink only, I'm very slow..........still hesitating to put that mark on paper.........crawling along the paper surface as I touch point or nib to paper.  With these pages, I was hoping for a more spontaneous feel so I made myself move quickly and go with whatever marks hit the paper.  In my mind I was just doodling............a mind game I play on myself so I don't get hung up in working slow.  And it's great practice should I work with pen and ink out on location when I don't have the time to work at my leisure.

I tend to work right to left (yes I'm strange) and these were the first two pages completed.


That night I worked this bunny.  Was fun with just scribbling the lines in which was perfect for this subject.  And it's not perfect........I made errors along the way but with the scribbling and hatch marks, those errors just kind of melded into the finished sketch.



2 comments:

Sparklyjools said...

I enjoyed reading your process, because it's very similar to my natural one! I have tried direct pen, and I have enjoyed the spontaneity, but I inevitably get my pencil out first, even just to make a few set up lines. I think that your creation of the bunny is perfect, it is both measured and spontaneous - and very cute! Jules x

Susan Bronsak said...

I so appreciate your comment. I sometimes battle within myself based on what I might hear or read whether using pencil is seen as a crutch or even a no no. I keep reminding myself that this is how "I" enjoy working and I'm not bound to any rules. This is one reason I turned to journaling so I could feel free from following guidelines and rules so many people feel the need to follow. Not to say "that" is a bad thing either as some prefer to work that way.........just not me. :-)