Tag Archives: India Ink

Part One: Line, Ex. 1.4

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Final Drawing Selection

I spent a great deal of time preparing for this exercise, perhaps over-thinking it ?!

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I decided on one object/drawing, linked by a feeling of action & emotion, as well as use of line only for the object, but color for any additional items. Here are the six results, in order of preference:

Ex 1.4 Black & White ink, white charcoal, watercolor

Ex 1.4, Angry Whisk
Black & White ink, white charcoal, watercolor

 

 

 

Ex 1.4 Charcoal, oil pastel, watercolor

Ex 1.4, Agitated reamer
Charcoal, oil pastel, watercolor

 

Ex 1.4 Black ink, white charcoal, oil pastel

Ex 1.4, Playful spoons
Black ink, white charcoal, oil pastel

 

Ex 1.4 Charcoal, oil pastel

Ex 1.4, Tired grater
Charcoal, oil pastel

 

Ex 1.4 Charcoal, graphite, oil pastel

Ex 1.4, Celebratory sieve
Charcoal, graphite, oil pastel

 

Ex 1.4 Charcoal, oil pastel, watercolor

Ex 1.4, Defeated cup
Charcoal, oil pastel, watercolor

I like the first three drawings, but the last three are a bit disappointing.

The idea for using mood in the pictures came from the blind drawings that looked almost personified. I used many of the techniques tried earlier, such blind drawing and continuous line, in executing the pieces.

I felt I made better observations than I might have previously, such as understanding the perspective shift when changing an object’s actual shape.

I enjoyed a chance to be a bit more creative with line, and adding other media and color.

 

 

Part One: Line, Ex 1.1

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Right Hand, Left Hand

Or the reverse in my case, as I’m left-handed:

Ex 1.1, Stage 1 Left Hand, Graphite

Ex 1.1, Stage 1
Left Hand, Graphite

Ex 1.1, Stage 3 Left Hand, Ink

Ex 1.1, Stage 3
Left Hand, Ink

 

 

Right Hand:

Ex 1.1, Stage 2 Right Hand, Graphite

Ex 1.1, Stage 2
Right Hand, Graphite

 

Ex 1.1, Stage 3 Right Hand, Ink

Ex 1.1, Stage 3
Right Hand, Ink

I hated using my RH, as I had no control at all! Sadly, I don’t actually draw that much better with my LH. On the bright side, there’s nowhere to go but up…

Large Scale

Ex 1.1, Stage 4

Ex 1.1, Stage 4

Ex 1.1, Stage 4

Ex 1.1, Stage 4

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the last stage, I used my left hand on both. For the sieve, I drew iit in oil pastel, then used a watercolor wash on top. The grated was outlined in masking fluid, with charcoal around it. After the fluid was removed, I added the charcoal inside.

I obviously preferred using my left hand. I find that when I use the graphite, I tend to make more timid marks, which isn’t really an option with other media, such as ink. I liked working at a smaller scale, but I feel that’s probably due to my lack of confidence drawing more than anything else.

 

Warm Up, Mark Making Ex. 0.4 and Summary

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The last warm up exercise calls for larger paper, and marks of our own choosing.

Masking fluid, graphite and ink

Masking fluid, graphite and ink

This page is actually from my sketch book, but I liked the way these three mediums worked together, so I decided to try that again in the larger format:

Graphite, charcoal, ink and masking fluid

Graphite, charcoal, ink and masking fluid

It was interesting to plan out the different layers, and adding some marks after the masking fluid came off.

Back and white ink

Black and white ink

I applied the black ink with a sponge first, then used a drawing stick for both black and white lines. I like the high-contrast feel of this piece, the way the white pops out on top of the black ink. I had played around with it in my sketchbook first:

Balck and white ink

Black and white ink

Warm Up Summary

Trying all the different mediums and techniques has been great at helping me relax, and not be scared of the blank page!

The unconventional tools weren’t nearly as effective as the conventional tools, but some did provide a look that you wouldn’t get with anything else, so always worth trying. It was certainly something I might not have thought to do before this course.

India ink is something I can see using again in the future, I love the boldness of it when used undiluted, and the contrast it provides against some of the softer tools, such as graphite.

The warm up exercises helped me feel more confident about trying different mediums and tools, and not worry about whether or not I draw well, but more about using the different mediums creatively. I also moved from using my sketchbook solely to sketch with pencils, and more to experiment with different ideas and techniques, and I can see this being very important for future projects.

Warm Up, Mark Making Ex. 0.3

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Negative Marks

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Masking fluid, ink wash.

I applied the masking fluid with a sponge, brushes, drawing stick and stamps, then brushed over with thinned-out India ink. The masking fluid is a bit difficult to control, but easy to see while using, and creates perfect negative space.

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China Marker (L), Oil Pastel (R), Ink Wash on top.

The marker and white pastel are very hard to see on the paper as you’re drawing. I made the marks a few days before I covered the paper in ink, so it was a little surprise, seeing the designs unfold. These were easier to control than the fluid. They don’t have the same pop of white, instead give a more ghostly feel.

Black ink background, white ink on top.

The white ink over the dark allows some of the black to show through, especially when feathered with the toothbrush. It gives a softer feel, not so stark, though the splatters are bold.

Also tried graphite and masking fluid, which gave a nice clean line against the horizontal pencil marks, when removed. Something I’d like to experiment with further. Used fixative on the graphite, so as not to smudge while removing the fluid.

Note to self: don’t use fixative indoors! Pretty sure breathing that in shortened my life span 😉

Warm Up, Mark Making Ex. 0.1

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These exercises, 0.1-0.4, are all about playing with tools, both conventional and not, and trying different mediums and techniques. The first sheet, I simply tried out the different graphite pencils, to get a feel for range of hard to soft, and the second sheet, I used the word prompts:

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This sheet was my first tine playing with India Ink, which I enjoyed using:

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Especially using the India Ink pens, here just playing in my sketchbook:

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The finer pens are almost like markers. At the other end, SB is more like a paintbrush.

Even though it had less control, I liked the character it gave to the sketch:

IMG_1667I also did other sheets using markers (or Sharpies); black & white wax (combined with ink or graphite); graphite while holding the pencils differently, or moving my arm from the wrist vs. elbow (surprising how much difference that can make).