Poppy

Here, finally, is a drawing I did with my Lamy and the blue-black ink. I really like this ink for drawing. It looks softer than the black ink from my fineliners. And I think it goes well with a little colouring with a coloured pencil. I decided to use it very lightly, only, just to give a hint of the flower's colour.

And then I decided to add a frame. A frame like this, not surrounding the whole picture, makes a simple drawing stand out and at the same time gives it some hold.

This even looks more natural than the photo above.

Sketching with coloured pencils

When you look at the works of sketchers - the community of urban sketchers and others - you will find that the prevalent medium that is used for colour is watercolour. They even use it in their sketchbooks on the go. The advantage is that you can take a small palette and mix lots of colours with it. And there are waterbrushes now, so you don't have to carry a separate container with water.

Those sketches, often with outlines in pen and ink, look great and I've always loved watercolour paintings. Though, I can't imagine using them myself, let alone in my sketchbook. When I started out, my aim was to draw, not to paint. And to mess around with water in my sketchbook doesn't sound appealing to me.

A medium for colour, that is dry and easy to carry around and goes well with graphite pencils, is coloured pencils. You can use them like your graphite pencils, doing outlines and shading and hatching - quickly bringing some colour to your sketch. It might take a bit longer to colour your sketch with them than with watercolour, but you don't have to wait for anything to dry before you can move on. They even look great with pen and ink.

An artist who likes to sketch with coloured pencils and has done so for more than 20 years is Katherine Tyrrell. She offers a free pdf with "10 reasons to sketch with coloured pencils". It also shows a few of her beautiful sketches. If you feel like seeing more of them got to http://travelsketch.blogspot.com.

Pen and ink

I have had a Lamy fountain pen for about 25 years, but I haven't used it for ages. Yesterday I bought ink cartridges for it, with blue-black ink. After cleaning the nib a bit, it works fine.

Now I'm thinking of using it for drawing. It seems, a lot of people like to draw with Lamy fountain pens. You can certainly do beautiful drawings in ink, using hatching and crosshatching and all kinds of lines. This way you can create intriguing textures. I think, I really have to try it out with the right subject. Or maybe any subject will do. Let's see.

The good thing is, the paper of my current sketchbook is smooth enough for using ink. And the 120 gsm of it are heavy enough for the ink not to bleed through. Now I'm curious what I will create with this new drawing tool.

Doodling

I generally like to draw real things. I like to find an object or a scenery - or a photo of it - and draw it. Though, recently I have realized that just doodling every now and then is a worthwhile experience.

You start with a line or a shape and keep adding lines or shapes, whatever comes to your mind. It seems I start to find this easier than earlier on. Often something really nice and interesting develops.

But even if not, it's a freeing experience not to expect any outcome and it's good practice. After all, everything we draw consists of lines and shapes.

pebble flower

You can draw

You see other people drawing or admire their drawings and wish you could draw like this, too? Though, you think you don't have the talent for it? Well, you don’t need a special talent or have to practise excessively for years to be able to create a drawing that’s worth looking at. Everyone who really wants it can learn it. Especially, if you watch others drawing and you feel the urge to draw yourself, you should wait no longer.

These days there are so many possibilities to learn the basics, especially on the internet - and for free. Then, start by drawing every single day for at least six weeks. Five to ten minutes a day are enough, but don’t pause one day. You can start with simple, geometric subjects. This way you’ll train your eye-hand-coordination. Your hand learns to transfer onto paper what your eyes see. Drawing has a lot to do with seeing. Take your time to look at your subject closely. Look at it like you have never seen anything like it before. Yes, it takes a bit of discipline to do this, but in my experience it's essential.

Drawing is a trade that you have to practise to master it. Only by doing it will you improve. Regularity is important. And indivituality is more important than perfection. Drawing is not copying and a drawing is allowed to look like a drawing. There are cameras for photorealism.

Drawing is not mainly about the product. Yes, it’s great when the result looks pleasing. Though, the process of seeing something come into existence, on that blank piece of paper in front of you, is more important. It’s about creating something that hasn’t been there before, not in this way. Every drawing is unique, no matter if you are drawing from an object or a photo or from fantasy.

And even if you are not satisfied with a drawing at first, don't give up hope. One is often too critical directly after drawing something. Put it aside and look at it again hours, weeks or even months later. You may only then see the beauty in it.

Easter gift

I like to use my sketchbook as journal. One way to do this is to make a quick drawing of something special I have bought and write a few lines. Yesterday I bought some easter presents for my nieces. Back home I did this page. As I always date my sketchbook pages, I can later see what I was up to at a certain time.

Quotes

"The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls." 

Pablo Picasso

Making art, being creative can be a retreat from everyday life for everyone. You don't need to be another Picasso for this to be true.

"If you hear a voice within you say 'you cannot paint', then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced."

Vincent Van Gogh

Don't listen to this inner critic. Prove him wrong by doing it anyway. Who is he to judge your art?