Wel, well, well. I had been truly saddened by Faber-Castell’s decision to discontinue the Big Brush Pitt Artist Pens. I raised a fuss. Actually contacting the company to share my thoughts about losing a tool I regarded as essential in my array of drawing gear. Capable of laying down a broader swath of pigmented ink, it not only provided greater, faster coverage than the original Pitt Artist Pen, a tool those of you familiar with my work know I cherish, but a much wetter stroke that was then easily smudged, wiped, smeared and blotter before it dried and then became waterproof. I was….well, I was pissed!!
But, I think it was clear a large brush was crucial in filling more page and working live in dynamic settings. When I’m in a hurry and drawing a scene that could change, I need the efficiency of laying down lots of tone, color and including my fingers to get as much texture and descriptive marks as possible.
so Faber-Csstell has come out with a Dual Nib Marker. As you see in these photos, one end has the big brush I referred to and a new, .8mm nib. Shown next to the PAP medium nib which is a .7mm nib, the .8mm gives a strong line which is a good compliment to the flexible big brush.
Looking closely at the two scans of the masked woman in the blue coat, drawn while I was on the bus with her, you can clearly see not only do I use different size nibs,a medium fountain pen nib, a 1.5 bullet nib PAP, a regular brush nib PAP, but also a Big Brush nib. On her coat I’ve even put to use an Ice Blue #148 on the collar, and the Sky Blue #146 for the folds and the main parts of the coat with successive lays to deepen the hue. In addition I use my fingers to smear and blot wet pigment as evidenced on her ball cap and the shadow behind her hair bun. On her cheeks and on her hat fingerprints create micro hatched. Those were easily added by sweeping my thumb across the bigger brush nib then quickly stamping the page.
In the lower left corner of the above page is a sketch I did while watching a YouTube video interview. My principal tool was a Faber-Castell .5mm Warm Grey IV Pitt Artist Pen. See how many individual strokes I had to use, and how many times I had to keep going over some areas to fill in and darken areas such as her cheeks, eye sockets and hair. Resembling a #2 graphite pencil in value and hue, it took a lot of work to build up the image. Again, all while she was, listening, smiling and talking. I finally went over the hair with a Warm Grey V PAP which helped deepen the value and solidify her hair.
One little detail to note: the few Dark Naples Ochre you see that were my initial lines to minimally lay in her proportions.
Stopped into the corporate coffee station at North & Wells wherein pitched battles of chess are in heated swing and sway. The observant among you will notice the gent on the right is playing with the black chess pieces but appears to also be holding a black pawn as if he captured one of his own. The reason being the games were very rapid and would quickly conclude then these two combatants would switch pieces. So as I sketched they were alternating who opened. Anyway, their intense postures didn’t vary much throughout their set.
Fountain pen and Pitt & Artist Pens on a Stillman & Birn sketchbook.
Grabbed a sketch between bites.
Drawn at Cupitol with fountain pen and Pitt Artist Pens on a Stillman & Birn sketchbook.
“Stuart could not believe his luck. At a time when he most needed to hide (in plain sight, no less) from his enemies & the authorities (the lazier & clumsier of the two), the pandemic & the obliging mandates kept him masked up & out in public.
Unable to pull a Ted Kaczynski in a rustic hideout dug into the cleavage of some red neck mountain range, too vain to forego Michelin star meals & haute couture tailoring, & too claustrophobic to hunker down for endless months in an apartment dependent on the lowest common denominator of restaurants willing to home deliver; he would live a near normal life behind a face cape, exposed just nose bridge to brow.
Among the upscale streets of Chitown’s Gold Coast & Mag Mile, where you’re likely to trip over an august geezer draped in the showroom offerings of Armani, Tom Ford, Prada, or Zegna & topped with $2,000 Optimo fedoras, he could venture out daily. Even talk to strangers, in between sneaking sips of espresso at any of the dozen cafes he treasured.
But today, at perhaps his preferred roastery, something of note, a troubling note, occurred. He caught the eye of an artist. A capable one with a penchant for detail. Not only had Stuart been captured in his favorite fedora, standing at the marble & tile counter, thereby giving a close approximation of his height, the background drawing pegged him in the exact cafe. One head study didn’t suffice, the page contained three. Matters were made more grave as two head studies of him, a profile of his left side, & a 3/4 rear view of his right, contained explicit features. A mole just behind & beneath his right ear was cause for concern enough, though men of his age were polka dotted with warts & moles & and garlands of age spots. It was the left profile that froze Stuart. There, in the middle of his head, acting as an anchor to the black mask he depended on to protect his identity, was his large ear. The one with the lobe that had been split when a diamond earring had been ripped by a thug sent to collect on a debt. That memento to reckless behavior had been left unrepaired. As a reminder. Now, it spoke to him again.
“I don’t mean to intrude, but you are very talented.” Stuart infused his words with just enough grace.
“Oh, thank you.”
“Do you do that for a living?”
“Well, not much of one, but, yes.”
“What do you do with your drawings?”
“These? I usually just post ‘em online.”
The artist’s hand hadn’t stopped.
“Do you ever sell them? I should like to buy that one in particular. It’s quite….arresting.”
“Well, I usually don’t sell these as they’re drawn on both sides of the page.” The page was flipped to show another cafe scene. “Plus”, he said looking up from the book,”I’m going to publish these soon. So, I’m holding onto all of these till the book designer & I make the final selection.”
Stuart’s emotions were as Grey as his eyes.
Something would have to be done about the sketch, or, the sketcher. Should he post his handiwork, it would draw the unerring eye of his pursuers.
Drawn on a #stillmanandbirn sketchbook with fountain pen and Pitt Artist Pens.
