Preparing The Ink Marathon
I participated in last year's Inktober, but I don't think I posted anything about it here on Steem. The above was the drawing set I purchased specifically for it, and I remember loving drawing with calligraphic pens.
I learnt how to draw with calligraphic pens - the old school ones where you have to dip the pen in actual ink - when I was in school. The technique we learnt was a bit of a cheat technique though. You had to draw the subject in pencil first, then ink over it.
I see a lot of artists doing that, and while there's nothing wrong with that, it wasn't really my style growing up. I was more the bold, draw directly with ink type. I also favoured Bic biros to fountain pens. I enjoyed the ballpoint pens so much.
This year, I've missed out a little on Inktober, but I'm planning to join starting from tomorrow. Today I'm going to find myself a nice little café somewhere and get immersed in some drawing. I'm going to do an Inktober marathon. It's also going to be my time to switch off from the Internet for a bit, and get immersed in my own imagination.
I've got myself a nice pack that should see me through the marathon session, and the rest of the month. This Crawford&Black sketching pad is just about right. The sheets are thick enough for ink drawing and felt pens, without it leaking through to the other side. It means if I so desire, I can draw on both sides of the page.
The sheets are also perforated and detachable, so if I don't like something, I could rip it out and start again. I think good quality paper is important.
| Ball Point | Fineliner | Marker |
|---|---|---|
 |  |  |
I've got three types of pens ready for action. They are all for different purposes as follow:
Ball Point: This is my default and favourite type of pen to draw with. The online thing I don't like about them though is that they are often not good for fine detail. As it happens, I got this pen for free at a Hilton hotel some time ago, and I love it! It's a kind of fine point ball point pen. It's the best of both worlds. I will be sad when it runs out of ink. I will have to stop by a Hilton one day to pick up another one, or ten.
Fineliner: I like this pen for nostalgia purposes mainly. When I was in school, a classmate of mine used to draw with them and he got such better results than I did. I vowed that when I grew up, I would buy them and draw with them all the time. It's funny when I look back at those times now. In reality, I will be using this pen for finer detail. I got it in a pack of 5 for very cheap at Wilko.
Marker: The deep blacks in a drawing can make or break it. It takes ages to colour in large areas in fine pen, so I've learnt to use markers to cover large areas quickly. I may still decide to use the ball point pen to do it, but if I have a really large area to cover, then the marker comes in handy. I prefer markers over normal felt pens because they don't bleed and they're darker usually.
I am really looking forward to catching up with, and doing Inktober with fellow Palnet and Steem artists out there. I'm not looking to win any awards to be honest. I've seen some of the art work out there and they're exemplary - much better than anything I could come up with.
Thanks for reading, I'm off to draw.
A Palnet Original