2016 Inktober - Days 23 and 24

I'm working with a new pen that although fun to use, it definitely is creating a few extra challenges over and above the fact I'm using only pen and ink for the Inktober Challenge (no pencil guidelines).

In all honesty, I'm surprised I'm still at this but only about a week left to go.  Some people work well with committing to challenges like this.  They may welcome that "I've got to get this done" feeling to help motivate them.  I can't exactly say I feel that way.  I sketch or paint when the mood strikes and my brain and motivation has a tendency to shut down with the thoughts I HAVE to do something.

Anyways........I'm using a Sailor Fude which is a bent nib at 55 degrees.  Depending upon how you hold the pen (angle), determines line width.  Right now I'm finding it a bit of a challenge to control or know where the nib is on paper with the ink flow until it's too late and mark on paper.

Day 23 - From a photo taken back in 2010 during my two week stay with Clare and her family in the United Kingdom.

Normally I shy away from real dark values or areas like you see, but trying to take advantage and try it with this pen and the black ink that comes with it.  My problem is really knowing where to apply the heavier lines and it look right.  There's an art to Drawing and Inking (like with comics) and not something I know too much about.

Day 24 - (Worked this close enough to midnight to call it Day 24)

Sketched from a photo taken weekend before last while on the sketchcrawl at Brownwood Paddock Square.  Again using the Sailor Fude pen.  

All I can say is hmmmmmm............not sure how I feel about it and was relieved to call it done.  Seeing it on screen, I could go back and add some more darker areas (maybe to help balance it a bit more to my own liking) but this is one I just want to call it finished and plan for the next sketch.

I really missed being able to lightly sketch things in first with pencil but I'm sticking with my own rule with this Inktober Challenge of using straight pen and ink.  The challenges I dealt with on this one were:

1)  The sign and what's supposed to be a cows head (looks more like a poodle's head with horns) 

2)  Where and how much to put real dark heavy line marks, 

3)  Getting the right angle with the nib to paper to put down the thickness of marks at any given time, and

4)  I had trouble working over the gutter with the pen.  Either it grabbed the ink off the nib or it wouldn't do anything at all.

Seven more days to go questioning how on earth I actually worked Brenda Swenson's 75 Day Challenge (using pen and ink only) a few years ago!!  :-)