Broke fast at Prairie Joe’s in Evanston this morning. Caught Marshall at work behind the counter. Back from SCAD where he focused on sequential art, Marshall looks to ply his skills in tattooing if not animation. All the best young man.
There are faster mediums besids felt tip markers; watercolor, for one, can prove quite expedient in capable hands. But I return to ink not only because I love it’s presence on paper, that it’s minimal aqueous nature means I can give fairly heavy coverage without buckling and over saturating the paper, and the range just within the shades of grey, that lend dramatic value statements, plus the bold and subtle stroke potential can convey the mark vocabulary of medium such as charcoal, graphite and grease pencils, especially when working on on a wide array of drawing surfaces.
Over the years on this blog and in my posts on Facebook and other blogs, I have demonstrated that versatility especially when incorporating my hands to manipulate and broaden the mark making capability of ink mediums. When felt tip markers are combined with ink from ballpoints, gel pens, and fountain pens (a personal favorite) on paper where sizing and texture can be taken advantage of, the range becomes rich enough to suggest charcoal, watercolor, crayon, and helps articulate and imply surfaces as diverse as shiny metal, weathered wood grain, fabric, leather, beard stubble, satin shirts and silky hair.
I personally enjoy drawings that not only capture the look and feel of different surfaces and optical effects, but evidence the means by which the human hand plays a role in delighting and convincing the eye.
The above sketch, drawn from life, was executed with Pitt Artist Brush pens – Cold Grey IV, Warm Grey IV, Cold Grey VI, Black, and White. Fountain pens Pelikan M205 medium nib, Pelikan M215 bold nib, Platinum Carbon ink, Â on a Strathmore tan sketchbook.