Drawing ink is often underappreciated as a medium. Martha Alexander consulted three leading ink artists for tips on how to make the most of its distinctive properties
TIPS WITH INKS
available for drawing and each offers a different effect. The size and shape of the nib will affect how much ink you need to use, what your marks will look like and how many times you need to dip your nib back in the ink. As a guide, use a reed pen for frequent, short strokes or try a round tip for wide, smooth lines. If you are just starting out, you could try using just the tip of a finely pointed sable brush as an alternative to buying a nib.
5 SPONTANEITY TAKES PRACTICE!
The fact that pen and ink marks cannot be easily undone or corrected like you might with charcoal and pencil might seem scary and unattractive at first. Be prepared to make mistakes: the rewards for those mistakes are the drawings full of the sort of spontaneity, passion and rawness rarely seen in carefully plotted pencil work.
6 MANAGE 1 LET YOUR STYLE YOUR TONES
Working tonally can be very expressive. Use dark ink and then dilute it to indicate the lighter areas of your subject. “Beware of going too dark,” advises Sarah Jameson. “It’s
DETERMINE YOUR INK
Choose your inks to suit your purpose. Indian ink is a standard staple for ink artists – it’s permanent and waterproof. Waterproof inks are best for line work, while water-soluble ink should be used for washes.
2 START WITH ROUGH PAPER
Heavy grade, roughly textured watercolour paper is useful for making corrections. “Rough paper makes it easier to lift off the ink,” says Pamela Grace. “I do this by using a moist brush to absorb excess ink and then flooding the area with clean water – only then do I blot it to absorb the remaining unwanted ink. This prevents it getting into the paper, which will happen if you blot it straight away. When all else fails, the white ink pot comes out.”
3 TRY DIFFERENT NIBS 64 Artists & Illustrators
There are a variety of pen nibs
4
VARY YOUR MARKS Sarah Jameson: “For shading and modelling form, try using different strokes:
cross hatching along with stippling and squiggly, circular marks, for example. They all help to add interesting textures as well as building the shading you need.”
PHOTO: GARETH IWAN JONES
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