pen and ink

[ethandron]

anyone do pen and ink drawings?
can you recommend a particular pen to draw with? i am particularly interested in drawing over acrylic paint. thanks.

[JonnyBoy12]

Yes, I know someone who does pen and ink drawings. His name is John Tenniel, and he has done the illustrations to Lewis Carroll's 2 Alice books. Anyone know where to find him now, as I need him to do drawings for my poems?

[NazNomad]

You won't be disappointed with Rotring pens.

[heathfield]

It depends on the style of drawing you want. Rotring pens are great, but each one will give you only a single width of line.Tenniel didn't have access to them, and he would have used a steel nib where the line width changes with drawing direction of the nib on the paper, and the amount of pressure applied.

[ethandron]

naz, have you used rotring pens yourself? are they 'scratchy' to use? i'm looking for something which is fairly smooth and also a bit wider than a normal writing pen so the line will show up fairly well over paint.
heathfield, have you used one or can you tell me a little more about what i should be looking for?
thanks.

[Mosaic]

It all depends on what feels comfortable to you. i find a decent ballpoint pen really good for drawing.

[scotman]

I agree with mosaic and heathfield. Different types of drawing will require different pens and also the way you grip pens will be unique to you. Trying some out is really the only way to find which pens suit you.

[heathfield]

Nib pens do tend to be a bit scratchy, while Rotring are very smooth in use. But what are you going to use for ink? With Rotring, it would have to be a drawing ink and on gloss acrylic this might bead, breaking up the line. With a nib pen, you could use well-diluted acrylic paint as the ink, which should take more readily to the background medium.

http://www.jacquiblackman.co.uk/dip_pens.htm

[ethandron]

thanks very much people, very helpful. hadn't got as far as thinking about what to use for ink, just thought it would be..well..ink, but can see the sense in what you're saying heathfield. i can feel a visit to the local art shop coming on.
thanks again all :)

[rowanwitch]

I use classic dipping pens with a variety of inks most designned for drawing but at times use coloured calligraphy inks, ground pigment block inks (from suppliers of japanese/chinesepainting/calligraphy materials) and conventional fountain pen ink I change the solvents too water if \i want to add brush shading and alcohol for sharp clear lines as it evaporates quickly without smudging...

of the 'drawing pens' there isa good reason rotring are brand leader....they are excellent but the techniques are completely different

[Khandro]

If you want a bold lively line with varying thickness that will glide over dry acrylic you should try a bamboo pen, you can buy them, but also make your own - just google 'how to make a bamboo pen' and there is lots of info. You don't need expensive calligraphy ink either, you can make that too from lots of substances, soot with gum arabic and water. I've even used an ink made from soaking steel wool in strong tea.

[ethandron]

thanks rowan and khandro.
can't see me making my own ink though ;)

[Khandro]

Yes, you don't have to go that far, but I would suggest you have some variety of 'ink' the wire wool and tea is more of a wash, but if you buy calligraphic ink, don't only use it 'neat', make up say 3 lots in 3 jars; keep some original, which will be as black as can be, then some for middle tone, and some for light, you will find that using the variety gives vibrancy to you drawing. Use brush as well as the bamboo pen, Van Gogh used this type of pen for his drawings, they are fun to make and each one has it's own characteristics, I have just counted 6, all much used, I have made standing here in a jam jar. Let me know how you get on.

[lady-janine]

acrylic ink is good for this and why not use a rigger brush more variety this way, i've always found them useful. good luck.

[minniemyf]

Unipen Fineline V Good.
edding1800 has the edge slightly I feel.
I use both of these in 0.1 & less - They are pigment ink and they stay put so you can wash over them. What little I have done over the top of acrylic has been acheived without a hitch.