The Right Tool for the Right Job, Part 1

I recently published a  couple of videos on my Youtube channel comparing and contrasting drawing the same portrait with three different tools: a fountain pen, a dip pen and a brush pen. I found a reference photo that I liked off of the Earthsworld Instagram, page and got to work.

The first one is done with a Pilot Prera Fountain Pen, which is possibly my favorite drawing tool. It’s a great pen for not only sneaking up on a drawing, but also for taking chances by making bold sweeping yet delicate exploratory lines to put a border around some of the "detail"--which really is less detail and more me just trying to find where the next big mark should go. For that reason I always pick up the fountain pen when I am figuring out anything ranging from layout design to doing a subject study prior to a bigger drawing.

I have also found that the fountain pen has changed the way I draw and sketch. I often go straight in with ink; no underdrawing to guide me. Which means theres an element of risk that must be assessed with each stroke of the pen. With this in mind I have taken an approach to "sneaking up" on a drawing. Starting with small marks at a focal point (with portraits it's usually the eyes) that will set the proportions for the rest of the drawing and allow me to take bigger risks with bigger bolder, yet still delicate and searching lines as the drawing progresses. If I misjudge, I take a step back from that area and see what other areas of the drawing need attention. Usually I find this does two things: it allows me to take an area of frustration off my mind and come back to it later with fresh eyes, but it also allows for the troubled area to gain some context from which it can better find it's place in the overall gestalt. The ink also is not waterproof, so theres is even more chance for accident when it comes to smearing any freshly put down lines which makes drawing with this tool for commissions a little bit dicey.

The result of these drawings is usually a balance of opposites. They are tight but also loose and free flowing, often without a border except where the lines deciding for themselves where to stop. I've been told these drawings are very detailed, but I see it more as an abstraction and more an element of process that informs composition. These drawings are as much about the drawing process itself and an exercise in self-trust as much as they are about the subject depicted.