We spent a lovely evening yesterday at a park just a mile or so from our house. We sat in our lawn chairs as families strolled by on their way to a picnic, to wade in the pond, or just out for a walk. For most of the time, a group of drummers played in the bandstand, then they cleared away their gear and another group came for ballroom dancing.
This park was completed in 1913, and includes a gazebo-style bandstand overlooking a sunken rose garden with 8,900 roses arranged around a beautiful fountain and pond. The many 100 year old trees throughout the park provide ample cool, shady spots for relaxation and picnicking. The park used to be a tourist attraction but now is mostly used by folks from surrounding neighborhoods–lucky us!
These sketches were done with my Lamy Safari fountain pen and water color pencils. I didn’t use any graphite at all–just went for it with indelible ink. Although I enjoy sketching with pencil, I tend to get eraser-happy, and my “quick sketches” turn into laborious drawing and erasing sessions so I have decided to go cold turkey and just use pen for awhile.
These sketches have some features that bug me, like the wavy pond edge and the roof not extending out far enough on the right side of the bandstand, and I would definitely fix them if I could but no can do and that’s okay. Next time I will try to be more careful and patient at the layout stage. I was just too eager to get to the fun stuff like the sprouting water and the lacy grill work on top of the gazebo. Personally, I find the combination of accurate proportions but loose line work to be very pleasing in sketches, and that is my goal. I am curious, do you use pencil to lay out your sketches before moving to pen?
This blog is about my journey as a botanical artist--what I am learning, what inspires me and what I am currently drawing or painting. My desire is to continually hone my skills to better express my wonder and gratitude for the beauty of the creation around me in the Pacific Northwest (USA).
Absolutely not! I love to sketch in pen. The other day I was worried about a drawing and began sketching in pencil first and it was just as you described – I began erasing and changing. Finally I threw away the pencil and grabbed my pen and drew it like nothing! I think I am too used to pen now.
Re pencil though – I like it when I have graphite with no eraser and do shading, much like charcoal. That’s cool. But recently I’ve wanted to do watercolor other than ink and watercolor, so I guess I will have to succumb to pencil outlines for that.
So longwinded (sorry) that I had to take a breath before I say that I think these are great sketches – delightful really.
I really like your sketches. I sometimes sketch with pencil, but like Dan I find I am erasing too much and this gets in the way of my creativity.
I like sketching with pen and making new lines when I don’t like the first line and just moving on.
I would never have noticed the roof on the right side if you hadn’t drawn it to my attention.
xoxo
I could see that you’re having so much fun with your Safari pen ^^ And yeah, I am a pencil guy and eraser crazy… I treat eraser as one of my drawing tools… and I have tons of them -___- I do agree, sometimes we need a breakthrough, and it seems like it’s still so far away for me.
I love the drawings, the sketches…. I really wish that I could do the same someday
I use pencil, and do really quick gesture type drawings and then, when I have time, I can go over them with pen, then watercolor. But, if I don’t have much time, I use pen as in gesture drawings,and finish them out later. Sometimes I take photos to make notations of color, etc.
My sister often works with just her pen, then watercolor, but she really prefers plein aire painting. There is no certain way to work for everyone, so just keep doing what is best for you.
I use a pencil with the intention of going over with a pen when I’m happy with the layout, but what tends to happen is that I spend so much time with pencil and eraser that I don’t have time for the pen or any colours. It’s a habit I’m going to have to break, but for now I’m too lacking in confidence to go straight to ink. Need to get brave and not worry about “mistakes”!
First, I’m going to check my local art store for one of those pens. Second, believe that the idea of using a pen is stressed by Danny Gregory. Just get in there and do it! You, however, do beautiful work with either tool.
Isn’t it funny how we see the mistakes in our work and it takes others to see the postives! These are great sketches. I especially like the soft colours you have used for the bandstand.
Just lovely, I especially like the fountain. And I really enjoy sketching in pen. I have always preferred a pen over a pencil. This made my father crazy when I was doing my math homework in elementary school 😉
These are wonderful! And I think, because of where the mistake was made in the roof, that it is hardly noticeable at all!
As for pencil vs pen: I love pencil. I don’t mind pen sometimes, but I find it so hard to do any shading that doesn’t make it look unnatural. Also, and I wonder if I’m the only one that gets this, sometimes I draw for awhile without looking down, only to find out when I do that the pens stopped writing somewhere along the way! I have pen drawings that turn out just fine, but I find that if I do make a mistake, I’m more disappointed in the drawing because I’m stuck with it. A pencil can just as easily be used without an eraser. I sometimes have stray lines in my sketches that I haven’t erased and I think they add to the sketch, while if they were in ink, I think they would dominate the sketch. There is room for both. 😀
PS I think sometimes it is important to stay with a sketch until you can get it right. In my opinion, this develops your eye. Maybe it wouldn’t be right to do it ALL the time, but it is a good exercise!
Lovely tidbits of what appears to have been a wonderful day!
Delightful sketches! I use pencil or pen, rarely on the same sketch. Have you tried using a colored pencil instead? I learned that from Cathy Johnson, using a colored pencil with watercolor wash and really like the effect.
Oops! I see that I completely misread the question! Sorry about that! I don’t like the way my drawings turn out if I pencil before inking. Too tidy, or tight? They just don’t seem as natural! Not that I don’t do it occasionally. And when I do, I try very hard not to follow exactly, break up the line some.
Thank you for all of your very interesting comments. I find it helpful to get a peek into how the artistic process works for other people. As it turns out, we all have very similar struggles but with different ways of dealing with them!