Buttnekkiddoodles

                              

While I love drawing out in public and capturing spontaneous events, a practice that helped me when I went into court and drew the proceedings for a local media company, The environment is dynamic and shit don’t hold still. But, if you happen upon someone overcome by exhaustion or boredom, their catnap becomes your opportunity to record a very natural moment where the subject isn’t posing, self aware, tense, or twitching, given to nervous movement or distractions. They may still be restless in sleep and adjust them selves automatically for comfort sake, or stirred by dream anxiety, but, you can get several minutes of fascinating pose or expression. My usual custom applies where I take advantage of the several pens I carry so that I can go from detail to broad areas and back to specific features. Given how the paper is reacting I may use Faber-Castell Pitt Artist Brush Pens, fountain pens of which I like, Pelikan M215, Pelikano Juniors, Sailor 1911, Lamy Studio,Graf von Faber-Castell Guilloche and Classics, Namiki Vanishing Point, Namiki Falcon, Saior Brush Nib fountain pen, any of which could have a fine, medium, or broad nib, the broad being my preferred. I also make use in toned paper of grease pencils aka White China Markers.

The sketch books I enjoy vary considerably and while I tend to prefer smooth or hot pressed surfaced paper I occasionally will turn to more textured pare such as water colored paper for the attributes it brings in surface and absorbency. Some of those books and pads are, Strathmore tan and grey toned hard bound sketchbooks, ledger books – those lines don’t bother me, Moleskine watercolor sketchbooks – the only Moleskines I bother with, Seven Seas River paper – great pad, lousy binding, StillmN & Birn Epsilon Series – the bound, not a fan of spirals, and A sketchbook, name unknown, that uses a renewable source called Lakota from Nepal.

Rarely if ever have I used graphite in sketchbooks for some forty years now, I have used Faber-Castell Aquarelle graphite and do like the intensity you can get in the washes of this very beautiful water soluble medium. Mostly, primarily, preferably, I use ink. Ballpoint pens were the go-to tool for years by in the last decade and a half I use brush pens or fountain pens and in those the inks I like are Platinum Carbon which sets up so you can apply washes over you line work. I also like some of the Noodlers Bulletproof inks though they release a bit depending on the paper being cellulose or not. I also like Irishuzuku inks tho they are not water proof they are gorgeous inks with lovely flow.