Introduction to Pen & Ink

These lessons are designed to do in order. If you have not done the pencil
drawing/graphite lesson you may want to do it now. The pencil drawing/graphite lesson goes
into detail about drawing styles and shading. Most of the same processes are used in pen &
ink drawing like cross hatching, line drawing, contour line, etc. however because of the
differences in the media there is also a lot that is not the same. In this lesson we are going
to explore the ink media and composition. We are also going to do more drawing together. As
we will do on the next page. If you feel comfortable with your understanding of the
different types of line then lets continue now.

While the use of pen & ink may be similar to pencil drawing in some fashion it is quite
different in others. Basic line drawing, contour line, cross-hatching, scribbling/scumbling
have similar techniques. However the nature of pen and ink can create more problems and it
can also have more interesting and varied results. I will go over briefly the techniques of
drawing as this lesson is covered in Pencil/Graphite in detail.

One other thing that is different is that you can unintentionally smudge an ink drawing
while the ink is wet f it indelible or when it is dry if it is water soluble and you rub your hand
across the work.

Tools and Materials

Pens:
There are many pens on the market that you can choose from. Or if you are the
adventurous type you may decide to make your own from feathers the way our forefathers
did. You might also try different sticks, reeds, bamboo or other exotic materials. The crow
quill dip pens and metal replacement points are still a good choice. However they will leak and
splatter and require you to stop during your drawing to refill the nib. If you drop one you will
have a mess that needs to be cleaned up quickly. Then there are fountain pens and felt tip
markers. Each has a unique type of line. I encourage all of the above for you to try while
experimenting with finding your style. However for the every day workhorse we are
fortunate today to have other choices. The technical pen is a precise drawing instrument
that does not have the problems inherent with the other media. Unless damaged or not taken
care off the pens will not leak or clot and will allow you to draw in any direction with little
effort. They come in refillable and throwaway models and range in price from inexpensive
approximately $3.00 a pen to expensive $20.00 a pen. You can find these pens and other
drawing instruments at you local arts supply shop.

Now we need to talk about nib size. The pens come in different sizes ranging from 6x0-
.13mm (very narrow) to 7-2.0mm (very thick). The 6x0 are very fine and I use them when I
want to make very subtle shading gradations while stippling (using the pointillist method). I
use the 3x0/.25mm, 00/.30mm, 1/.50mm and the 3/.80mm for most of the drawing
applications that I do. In the following pages you will see examples of the work and for each
I will tell you what pen size I used.

Ink:
Many companies manufacture India Ink and the quality of each depends on the process
used by each company. India Ink is a mixture of water, carbon black (lampblack) and a binder
of shellac, latex and other binding materials. The finer the lampblack usually the more
flowing the ink. It is also very important that use choose ink that is not water soluble unless
that is a planned part of your work. I use inks that are classified as permanent and good for
all surfaces. As you can read I am not suggesting any particular brand as we all have our
preferences. Ask your local arts supply or an artist in your community what they use. Part of
the learning process is research and making decisions upon that research based on critical
thought. Most of the colored inks are not light safe and are water-soluble. They will fade
over time and will have to be kept away from high humidity sources and must be framed and
treated with care. I guess it would be important to tell you at this time that once you have
put ink to surface it is almost impossible to remove it. If your work is for reproduction
purposes you could use white out to cover a small mistake but you have to make sure it is
completely dry before you try inking over it again or it could clog your pen. Also if the work
will be hung white out is not an option. You will have to start your work over.

Paper and Other Surfaces:

When using India Ink it is important to choose the surface that will reflect the type of
work you are doing. If you are using a technical pen and a very fine nib you will need a
surface that is firm and smooth. The nib of the pen should move across the surface without
hitting any bumps or snagging on the surface. This could cause a clog or an ink flare if the
surface is weak or porous at that point. However if you are doing a Sumi-E drawing using a
brush you can use a very delicate rice paper. Sumi-E is the art of Japanese brush painting
with ink. We will talk more about that later.

Hot Pressed Illustration Board is a very good surface to use the technical pen on. As the
paper is made it goes through a pressing process using very hot rollers to compress and
surface the paper. A very fine clay is also used in the manufacturing of the board and makes
a surface that is very smooth or polished yet will allow some absorption of the ink. It will
also allow for a very fine line in your work. This is the preferred surface for most of the
artist I know. You can also use an Xacto-knife, razor blade or scalpel to remove and lighten
the ink on the surface. However do not use any of these tools without supervision if you are a
younger student. Parents or teachers I really want to impress at this point the danger of
razor blades and art knives. They are usually very sharp and can cut without the student
even knowing they are injured until they see the blood.

Cold Pressed Illustration Board has a surface that is looser and therefore will allow some
wicking of the ink on the surface. This will make your lines look less sharp and softer. It is
also less forgiving if you do decide to use an art knife to remove a small mistake. The surface
will usually shred under the knife if you are not extremely careful.

Bristol Boards, Watercolor Papers, Acetate, Mylar, Glass are other surfaces that you can
use. For this lesson I would ask that you get a paper specifically designed for ink. Any hot
presses Bristol, Illustration or Watercolor paper will work. You can experiment with the
other papers as you continue with your practice and your quest to find your own style.

Now lets get on with the lesson.

Line and Value

With this media line is the most important tool you have. The closer the line the darker
the drawing looks. Inversely the farther apart your line the lighter the drawing looks. Let's
take a closer look at each of these styles.

First lets look at the straight line and the effects that this can create.

Horizontal line (example A) can

create the illusion of movement from
side to side. This effect can be used to
create the illusion of motion or
reflection in the water.

Vertical line (example B) can

create the illusion of movement up
and down. It can also convey the
feeling of distance and atmospheric
conditions.

Diagonal line (example C) can create

the illusion of rotation like a planet. It
generally denotes roundness and mass.

Each of these styles also mimic old-fashioned wood or line cut prints in their appearance.
Illusion is not only the purlieu of magicians but also that of the artist. Making an object look
three dimensional on a flat piece of paper is almost magical but it is not. It is just a matter
of perception, the way in which we see.

In example "D" we are starting a crosshatching process and right now this drawing looks
pretty flat. As we add lines as in example "E" the illusion of roundness begins to come
through. The more and closer the line the more the illusion seems real. However one of the
more important personal tools you can have is, knowing when to stop and how much to add.
 Example "F" is just about right, however notice how example "G" is much more effective
in illustrating roundness than example "F". This is a contoured crosshatch drawing. It is
contoured in two directions and creates a better illusion of roundness.

Let's go to the next page.

Line and Value

Contour line is basically drawing your line to follow the curvature or shape of the object
you are rendering. It can be done in many different ways. Example "H" is a cross contour line
meaning that the lines cross over each other somewhat like a ball of twine or the hair or fur
in people and animals. It gives the illusion of roundness but I wouldn't want to use it to draw
an apple or other object that would not be represented well this way. It is faster than
example "I", but example "I" would be more suited for the apple or an automobile or any
other smooth shiny surface. In a later lesson on drawing animals we will discuss the use of
cross-line and other unique aspects of rendering fur and hair. There are many more examples
of line that we will use later like broken line, accent line, wavy line and cross line.

Pointillism, Dots or Stippling are all the same thing basically. It is just a matter of laying
down a pattern or random pattern of dots to create the illusion of shape and softness.
Drawings done in this fashion have an overall softer look and texture to them as you will see
in some of the sample drawings that follow this section where I will go into more detail about
each of the line methods.
 Last but not least for now is the scumbling or scribbling method of line drawing. This is
the method I use most for quick study sketching especially for subjects that are moving
around like children and animals at the zoo. The zoo is my favorite place to go and sketch.
There are people and animals engaged in all kinds of fun and adventure. Families experiencing
their child's first look at an elephant or lion or any other animal is precious. A young man
mimicking a monkey, a gasp as the tiger roars. Each precious moment is an opportunity for a
drawing or illustration. When you need it done fast this is the method for getting it done.

Next page please

Application of Line

Here is a bowl of apples for our first drawing. I deleted the background from the photo
so, as not to confuse you as to what I want you to draw. It looks as if it is floating and that
is a lesson unto itself that we will discuss later. For right now I want you to make a quick line
drawing of the apples. When I say quickly I mean as fast as you can. Also I want you to try to
draw the apples without looking at the paper you are drawing on. Don't be surprised if your
picture looks strange, it is supposed to. Try one fast then try one slow. When doing this kind
of drawing (without looking at the paper) it wills train you hand to move along with your eyes.
Trace around the apples with your eyes very slowly and let your hand follow along. Keep
practicing and you will find it easier to do as you gain experience.
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Once you have practiced the line drawing exercise above you can render a line drawing
like this. If you feel that you have to trace the drawing for now then put a piece of tracing
paper over the monitor screen and trace the drawing. Or you can copy and paste the .gif file
to your paint program with win 95 or your favorite drawing or paint program and print a copy.
This will not help you though and you will not get as much from the lesson. This is a simple
drawing and should not be that difficult for you. It is only an outline drawing to help us in
finishing the different inking processes below.

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 These are the apples rendered using the scumbling or scribble technique. I call this
method a controlled chaos and it is completed very quickly. This drawing took approximately
four minutes. It is also basically a single line. I just continually scribble until I feel that I
have captured the essence of the subject. The first thing I do is work to get the darks
finished so that I can decide how to render the lights. Remember to also allow some white
areas in the drawing for your highlights because you can not remove the ink once it is down.
You may want to add these areas lightly in pencil so you remember not draw in them. After
the ink is dry you can erase the pencil lines. It is an effective way to illustrate a study fast
and record the light and shadow so if you wanted to do a painting you can remember what
your light source was and how the shadow was.

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Because the apples are not perfectly round you must try to fool the eye into seeing the
flat areas in the apples. The only way you have with the pen & ink is to create light and dark
spaces.

Pointillism is a time-honored way of rendering a drawing for control of the subject

matter. It does take a longer time to complete. This rendering took approximately forty-five
minutes and a lot of dots. It was rendered using a 3x0/.25 nib size. I feel that scanning the
image does not do justice to the work but it does allow us to see the softer effects in
rendering the subject. It also shows the control you will have over the pointillist style. As
with the scumbling technique you can use a pencil to outline your lights so that you do not
lose them. Also you can use an art knife to remove a little of the ink if you feel you over-did
an area. After all you are only removing little dots. You can use any or all of the drawing
techniques in any given illustration.