Pen and Ink Illustration

Hi All,

Sorry - I've been away from the blog for a couple of weeks.  I went on a little road trip to visit family and friends and have just been busy catching up since I returned.

Today I want to get back to basics and discuss one of my favorite techniques; Pen and Ink.  I just love it; from drawing freeform cartoons to pen portraits and caricatures, to cross hatch shading and  stippling....it's one of the first techniques I practiced and one I still enjoy today.

Pens - OK, I admit it, I'm a pen whore.  I love pens and buy them all the time; different shapes and sizes - whatever I find.  Mostly I'm looking for a great pen to draw with.  More and more, there are good pens coming right off the shelf available at most supermarkets or variety stores.  There's great disposable art pens specially made for drawing, too.  Sharpie is always coming out with new styles and ultra fine tips, as well as others like Pentel.  My all time favorite pens are the Koh-i-noor Rapidiograph pens.  Preferring no. 0 - 4 as my favorites.  And, if you take care of them they'll last forever.   Parts are interchangeable and you can use whatever kind of ink you like (my preference is a waterproof india ink).

Sensei DeValentino - pen and ink - later added color via airbrush and presented to
my instructor.  Also scanned into computer as black and white artwork,
used for promotional materials.

For illustration work, I use any and all pen and ink techniques.  I used to do quite a bit of stipple technique - it consists of defining your image and shading it, using dots.  It can be very time consuming.  Thick and thin line variation can spice up a standard line drawing.  Shading with lines or cross hatch is a good technique, but if it's too sloppy can look bad.  High contrast with solid black and white areas can provide a dramatic look.

Pen and Ink illustration - part of a tendon graft
medical teaching brochure

Leaf with raindrop - for a womens health
handout/brochure

Since the most inexpensive form of reproduction is black and white, or a single color reproduction, I've used pen and ink drawings over the years for these kind of products.  Sometimes on an instructional handout for teaching (like the tendon transplant sheet, above), or nice image (like the leaf with rain drop, above), can add a sensitive touch to a flier that demands a softer approach.

Clinton-Obama - pen and ink with computer paint

Timberlake - pen and ink with computer paint

Now, with computers being such a big part of our work and lives, that adds another medium to combine with this old standby technique.  One of my favorite ways of producing artwork is to start with a pen and ink drawing, scan it into the computer, and finish it with full color or spot colors.  It's a fun technique and can add good impact to an illustration.  The two examples above show this application.

That's all for now, I've got to get going.  That's my quick take on the old tried and true, pen and ink technique.  Give it a try again - it's a lot of fun.

Have a great week and see you soon......

Aloha,

Tom