Inktober Update

Since I’m halfway through the Inktober challenge, I thought I’d give an update on lessons learned. At the beginning of the month, I set a goal of testing out the wide assortment of pens I’ve collected over the years rather than sticking to the official prompt list. I started by writing out the name of each pen, and then running a waterbrush across it to test its solubility. I like using pens with inks that dissolve in water, because it gives depth to a sketch.

I also stopped by the library and picked up a book on pen and ink sketching. This book by Peter Caldwell gives lots of tips on simulating texture with a black pen.

My 2 favorite pens for sketching with permanent ink are:  (1) Micron and (2) Uniball. If I draw first and then add watercolor, I always start with a Micron pen. There is never any ink bleed and I can get really fine details. However, if I want to go back over a painting to add additional details, I use my Uniball. I’ve ruined more Microns by trying to draw over watercolor (the paint pigment seems to destroy the tip), but the rollerball in the Uniball just glides right over the paint. I don’t tend to use the Uniball for the under-drawing, however, because while its ink is technically permanent, it often takes several minutes to dry completely.

My 3 favorite pens for sketching with water-soluble ink are:  (1) Pilot fineliner marker pen, (2) Pilot Kakuno fountain pen, and (3) Stabilo Point 88 fineliner. I like the Pilot fineliner the best, because it is very easy to draw with and gives incredibly thin lines (good for detail). Plus it seems to release the most ink when touched with water. The Pilot fountain pen is easy to draw with once the ink starts flowing, but if I don't use it every day, I have to play with it a bit. I like the details I get with the fine line of the Stabilo, but I am a bit disappointed in the amount of ink it releases when wet. I find cross-hatching some shaded areas before touching it with the waterbrush works much better for releasing ink with the Stabilo. While all 3 pens come in different colors, I've only been using black; but it is interesting to see the color variations in the ink. The Pilot fineliner yields a blue-gray tone, the Pilot Kakuno a charcoal gray, and the Stabilo a greenish-gray.

During the second half of the month, I plan to experiment with black and gray brush pens – probably Tombow, Blick, and PITT. I’ll let you know how they work out.