test Good morning to you and happy Monday. We had a snow filled icky weekend but I mangaged to make the best of it.
Do you sketch? Often?
Do you like to keep a notebook and pen handy at all times in case an image flashes behind your eyes? Lest you lose it forever.
I do and I still lose images all the time. The worst is when I wait too long and I just can't get what was in my head out. And I am sketching nearly constantly it seems. In pen, just like R. Crumb.
I'm certainly no R. Crumb but I remember when watching the movie how he always uses pen because it requires commitment and therefor a steady hand compared to wishy washy pencil. I switched to pen about two years ago and it has helped my sketching by quite a bit. I use either my 02 Micron or my Pilot G-2.
The past month or so I have been constantly sketching. I have something to write in stashed in every bag and every important room along with my favorite pens. I keep my big Moleskine sketchbook in my studio, a mini legal pad next to my bed on my nightstand and another in my bag along with a pocket Moleshine caheir. I don't mean to be a Moleskine snob, but for sketchbooks they can't be beat, and I have shopped around before settling on them three years ago. Plus they fold flat and that is a huge plus in my book when it comes to writing and sketching.
And now I have been using my mini legal pads all the time which is not only freeing since they are so cheap compared to my moleskines but because if I like a sketch I can just rip it out and use it in collage. The yellow lined paper is interesting. Moleskine paper is great for a sketchbook as it is thick and sturdy but I am not about to rip any of those pages out!
Low and behold all this sketching is beginning to pay off. I just finished a sketchbook that took me well over a year to complete and looking at the first pages and the last pages just shows how far I have come. From mere doodles, not careful studies. Though I do thing I should do some still life object studies to tone up my skills. Maybe I will crack open Drawing From the Right Side of the Brain and take a peek at it.
I gotta go, I have orders to pack up and a big day ahead of me. I hope everyone has a great start to this final week of January.
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mLee - Fine Artist
- Marissa L. Swinghammer
- Boston, Massachusetts, United States
- The art and life of a printmaker/ mixed media artist and mother living and working her butt off while trying to keep her sanity.
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7 comments:
Perforated pages are key! I've found some pretty ones at Target, but I do use my good old trusty legal pads, too.
I used to sketch frequently in college, but have been out of the habit for a long time. All of your talk of sketching though finally motivated me to pull out my tiny moleskine journal last night and do a sketch before bed. It wasn't great, but it was a start considering how rusty I am!
I don't do sketches like you do, but I have taken to keeping a little notepad with me in case I see a particular shape that inspires me.
I did not know that about pens and sketching though it makes perfect sense when you think about it.
i don't generally sketch much, don't trust myself, my drawing skills, like it would take more time to get a sketch that suited me than to just try and mess up. i know i wouldn't really share the sketches with anyone but... i'm learning to let go.
I didn't used to be a huge sketcher. I wanted to be but I was out of practice and unsure of myself.
Even Picasso could have gotten rusty if he had not done it long enough.
But you have to do it to get better. I am a firm believer that almost anybody can draw if they work at it enough. Some just need to work harder and some will not only have it come easier but that ease will reflect in the lines.
That is where drawing in ink comes in for me. It is uncomfortable at first but in the long run it pays off. As long as my first and last sketchbook drawings look good then I am happy!
I love to use fountain pens to sketch! This comes from my old college days when we used pen nibs with ink wells. I just adore the lovely line quality I get with the fountain pens nib and it feels so luxurious. Another awesome drawing tool is my Japanese brush pen. I have two of these pens that my father sent me from Japan. You can get them now in the U.S. (http://www.dickblick.com/zz207/46/) The drawing tip is an actual brush (made with hair). It uses ink cartridges similar to fountain pen cartridges. You can get a beautiful variety of line using these wonderful brush pens!
I love sketching and should make time to do more. I used to draw often and now only when I have something in mind. Wouldn't it be cool if we all could squeeze in a bit of drawing every single day?
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