It is now day 11 of #Inktober. I am still hanging in there. Actually, I am enjoying it although it is time consuming. I decided I would stick to a theme so I wouldn't have to think about what to sketch every day, at least not for the most part. I came up with an animal theme with a few Halloween related images thrown in for good measure. After all....it is October.
The one issue I am having is, my equipment is giving me fits. I, up to this point, have really never invested in inking supplies. When I decided to join in Inktober this year, I had to spend a bit of money and buy some gear.
I was pretty used to using Pigma Micron pens which, if you don't know are technical pens with a fiber nib. They come in a wide variety of nib sizes. I DO like them, don't get me wrong but, after about day 4, and of course 4 sketches, a few of them have started skipping and drying up.
I really don't think it is the nibs themselves that are causing issues, although, the tiny nib sizes can be rather delicate. I have a feeling that they are just simply running out of ink quickly. I'm not rough with my pens and I don't draw with a heavy hand.
So, because Microns are disposable, ya end up just tossing them which, I know is rather wasteful, I decided to purchase a Copic refillable Multiliner pen. Just one, a .05. They are pricey so buying a whole set was out of the question for now. I like it. It's pretty similar to the Microns but, I am hoping the ink lasts longer. The nibs in the Copics are replaceable too so that's a plus.
Well........I got to thinking, how about I try a dip pen. It's "old school" but sometimes that can be a good thing. So I bought one and it arrived this morning. It is a Tachikawa nib holder......This is it............
Unfortunately....I don't read Japanese so I have no idea what the packaging says. I imagine they are instructions for use but, no worries, I think I can figure it out on my own.
I also purchased G nibs, which I think are a good basic drawing nib. There is also a Maru nib which I am interested in trying as well. I like the fact that it came with a cap to protect the nib. Since all you need to replace are the nibs, and those last a long time, I think this pen will be much more economical to use in the long run. From what I understand, there is a learning curve to using this pen but, that's okay with me, I'll get the hang of it. Some artists don't like having to constantly dip the pen in ink as they are drawing but I think that the dipping part of it just adds to the overall experience of inking.
I suppose now, I will get "hooked" on buying all kinds of pretty inks to use with it. Nothing wrong with more art supplies. And, just in case I find I don't enjoy drawing with a dip pen, I did buy some new technical pens as well. They should arrive tomorrow and I will give those a whirl too. I think trying new tools can be fun!
So...today for day 11, I have drawn this.little guy below. I use a Prismacolor Col-erase pencil to do my preliminary sketches with. They are erasable to a certain extent although they do leave a ghost image behind. but, I kinda like that. it adds to the sketch in a weird sort of way.......and as soon as I publish this blog post, I am going to ink him in. I don't think I will use my new dip pen yet. I want to try it out on some cheap paper first and practice just controlling the pen for now.
I had better get to work. I will post my finished ink drawing up on my Facebook feed as soon as I finish it. Have a great day y'all!
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