I blinked and Inktober is nearly at the door again. I don’t have any plans yet, but it sounds like a great excuse to pull out the watercolors as well. If you’re going to mess with unforgiving mediums, might as well combine them. Also gouache.
Probably time to quit floundering with tools. I will be saving the brush pens for expressive details or outlines. There are a couple that I like, but shading and texture get too clunky with anything over an 0.4 fine liner. I thought I’d figure it out eventually, but I’m starting to think it’s just not the right tool for the job, at least not in my paws.
Rather than beat my head against the wall, I ordered a pack of Microns to see how they stack up against the Faber-Castells I’ve been using. The Micron are waterproof, which was a less than fun surprise my first attempt at ink and watercolor with the FCs. I think the sizes will work out better too. 0.8 is really only good for stippling and color blocking. 0.6 is a little more versatile for layering and emphasis but still feels a little too chunky. I’ve about bled the 0.4 and 0.2 dry, so the archival set is ultrafine – 0.20, .025, 0.30, 0.35, 0.45, and 0.50. Hopefully they fit my style and skill level a little better.
Mixing sizes gives better gradation as well. I still haven’t completely given up on brush pens, but it’s a lot to think about all at once – arm position, line position, angle, pressure, curvature, rhythm, uniformity. Texture and shading at least seem to benefit from more predictable results, particularly when there is no undo option. Ink is not a kind medium, but there is something about well executed crosshatching.
based on Pen & Ink Drawing by Alphonso Dunn
