Project 3 Ex 1

Using inks

Marker pens

I'm not a big fan of marker pens; the colours always seem so harsh.  However, I'll try anything once. I thought the best thing to do would be to get to know my pens so I made some sweeping strokes across my A3 sketchbook.  Each section has 4 colours in it but as they mix at the intersections there are countless colours made.

Getting to know my felt pens

I cut up my paper into strips and made a sky scape that creates visual effects that make my eyes dance.

Visual effects with felt pens

My course notes suggest that the pens should be used to create images that are naturally vibrant so I took a lovely squash from the kitchen.

A squash

I like the idea of freedom so used no outline for this drawing.  I held a yellow and a red pen together and simply made long curved marks until the shape emerged.  I put some red at the top to get a bit of depth and dark brown for the hard, stubbly, stalk.  The squash was ridged and the light shone on the ridges so I decided to leave some white stripes for these highlights.  The shadow was very short and contained and I drew this using the same dashed off lines.  I was very aware of the warning about not overworking and the middle of the squash was getting very close.

The colours mixed well and its hard to see where the separate ones start and finish.  I'm going to try some other fruit and veg and see what works best for me before I commit to a group of items or media.

First I went into the garden for my physical resources of vibrant colour and I chose another squash, a baby courgette, a plum tomato and a baby aubergine.  I added a red chilli.  My felt pens are Manuscript (fine and broad) and some Edding brushpens.  I used a sketchpad with smooth 110gsm paper as opposed to the cartridge paper I had used for my first squash.

Chilli, tomato and squash

Chilli, aubergine and courgette

I found the pens unforgiving and shading was difficult.  Somehow I felt I had to work at speed.  I found I completely forgot about varying my marks in my haste and any feeling of roundness I was tricky.  My inks did not blend as they did on the cartridge paper.

I drew two chillis because I saw that the highlights were vertical  so I tried both vertical and horizontal lines. I feel the horizontal ones work best.

Dip pen and ink

I'm going back to my cartridge paper this time. I have a range of  Winsor and Newton drawing inks and little experience so this will be very experimental.  I'm going to use the same vegetables as before.

When it came down to the wire and I looked really hard I found that the marks I needed to be making were indeed linear as I has done in my haste with my felt pens.  The tomato particularly surprised me with its variation in stripy colour.

Baby aubergine and  baby courgette

It was fairly obvious to use purple for the aubergine but it looked too pink so I added ultramarine and got some lovely mixing that gave a bit of depth.  I left lots of white paper to try to get the feeling of shininess. The shadow is watery black ink applied with a brush but it's far too heavy handed.  (The rest of the veg shadows came from the same brush with no extra ink added).  Ignoring the shadow I quite like the abstract presentation of this.

The courgette is OK, better than the felt pens, but the reality is a bit more spotty.

Chilli, squash and plum tomato

My chilli is deep red and I didn't try for any highlights but rather to get a smoothness and it looks fine.  Very blank colour just like a chilli really.

I used a number 8 brush for the tomato - wet on wet, and it worked well.  The colours blended nicely which is a good learning point.

The squash almost didn't reach my blog. It looked like one of those strangely shaped veg you occasionally see.  I took the radical step of obliterating part of it with acrylic paint and trying to make the best of a bad job.  It is an experiment after all.  I dripped the green onto the squash then tilted the page so that it ran.  As time has passed I've become quite found of my squash - it looks very different from the felt pen one; much more free.

All in all I'm quite happy with these but I've a lot to learn.  Like the felt pens, tone is tricky and the use of water might be a way to change this.  I find myself embracing the abstract nature of the result and maybe this is the way to go.

Three sketches using veg

I've decided not to use my squash - cowardly it may be but the potential for disaster is too great.

I don't know what I was playing at here; all my new knowledge of composition seems to have been forgotten. No thought for balance or vectors and the courgette seems to cut the thing in two rather than unite it as I had intended.

Sketch 2

I like this much more because it looks like a cohesive grouping.  The tomato, courgette and chilli are all directional indicators and there is some balance.  I used colour on the chilli because a friend wanted me to try her crayons but it's made me think of I could contrast the reds needed in that area of the composition.  I did this at my Art Society meeting and the light was poor.

Sketch 3

I prefer sketch 3 because it is more balanced and this is the one I will pursue into a final image.  I will have to try to colour a cut tomato before I do it in anger.  Thoughts about this image

• the balance is good
• the focus is the large, central cut tomato
• the eye is guided through the chilli and courgette into the aubergine and up through the whole tomato; one thing rolls into the other easily.
• the reds are largely split up by other colours and textures.

It is suggested that I look at the possibility of using "alternative" paper of some sort.  I looked at my collection (Fat Face/Seasalt bags and some bright pink handmade paper) and there was nothing that shrieked "use me" so I did a light colour wash on some cartridge paper.

My first try in colour was in felt pen.  I wasn't sure whether I should but I drew in the veg very lightly with pencil so I could be sure of positioning them properly.  Even so i got lost and end up with the courgette looking like it is sitting on the chilli.  I wanted to do a loose drawing  and managed to an extent.  It was hard to do that with the tomato.  There is little differentiation between the reds and that is a big mistake.  Maybe if I moved the courgette a bit, darkened one of the reds or deepened the shadow it would be better.

Felt pens

Dip pen and ink (with a pea)!

Next I tried my dip pen and inks.  Once again I like the aubergine but the tomato at the back doesn't work as well as my other attempts.  I struggled to get any texture into the tomatoes and end up using felt pens over the top of my ink.  The darker shadows help to separate the reds.

Whilst I'm not overly convinced by these they look far, far better from a distance.


I've tried cropping my images and this is the composition that seemed to work best:

Marker pens

Drawing inks