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    Pen & Ink Drawing
    Pen & Ink Drawing
    Pen & Ink Drawing
    Ebook201 pages1 hour

    Pen & Ink Drawing

    By Frank J. Lohan

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    About this ebook

    An inspiring sourcebook for art students and hobbyists at all skill levels, this guide provides a wide variety of subjects and ideas for sketching. More than 140 of author Frank J. Lohan's own drawings illustrate a variety of topics in a half-dozen categories: nostalgic scenes, old engravings, atmospheric effects, photographs, landscapes, and life itself. Subjects range from barns and covered bridges to birches and evergreens and from desert to seaside settings.
    In each section, Lohan offers an account of how, when, and why specific events, places, and people sparked his imagination. Each of his drawings includes partially finished details that illustrate how to achieve the desired visual effects.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherDover Publications
    Release dateJul 4, 2013
    ISBN9780486315768
    Pen & Ink Drawing

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      Book preview

      Pen & Ink Drawing - Frank J. Lohan

      Art

      Introduction

      What shall I sketch?

      This is a question my students often ask after they have completed a semester or two in one of my classes, once they have learned the fundamentals of working in pen and ink and become familiar with the variety of implements and materials available.

      Sources of inspiration for any individual artist are unlimited. In this book I have tried to point to just a few of my own general sources of inspiration—nostalgia, old engravings, photographs, and, of course, that best of all sources, life itself. Within these loosely defined categories I exhibit some of my pen work; in many cases some partially finished details are also drawn so you can see how I proceeded with the sketch.

      This is a true how-to book, since I show exactly how I did it, thereby offering the reader one way to sketch. How I did it is, of course, only one of the many ways the same thing can be done successfully. As I stated in the introduction to Pen and Ink Techniques:

      Your technique, your style, that distinctive way you have of making and arranging the lines, dots, and dark areas on the paper will evolve if you really have the desire and if you persevere.

      Someone once said that nature produces, that it is only man that categorizes. The categories around which I have organized this book are quite arbitrary and, if any thought is given to them, rather meaningless. This does not matter as long as they serve as a catalyst by planting some seeds, some ideas on where you might find inspiration for subject matter. These categories are meant simply as a framework on which to hang my ideas for your consideration.

      What shall you sketch? I don’t know. But in this book are a few ideas that may help you answer that question.

      Many tools and materials are available to the pen and ink artist. They vary widely in price and convenience. If you are serious about the medium, you will eventually try most of them. Many of the sketches in this book were done with several different pens—an inexpensive crowquill nib in an equally inexpensive holder, a moderately expensive artist’s fountain pen, and a slightly more expensive technical pen. For some of the sketches I used just one of these pens.

      The salespeople in any well-stocked art supply store (not your corner drugstore) will be able to show you the various pens, inks, and paper and advise you on what you need to begin. Remember, if you really become interested in this medium, you will be back for additional material—so they are as interested in your success as you are. Do not be afraid to ask for advice and recommendations from salespeople.

      Pens

      Replaceable nibs come in many types and degrees of stiffness. The good old crowquill by Hunt or Gillott or other manufacturers is an excellent compromise between stiffness and flexibility. It is quite inexpensive and you should have several different ones, from very small and sharp to those that will draw a wider line. Use them to practice and work. These points will work with any india ink. Wipe them frequently as you use them so the ink does not dry and cake on them.

      Several brands of artists’ fountain pens are on the market. These pens spare you the hassle of constantly dipping the point in ink and, generally, they have replaceable points. They are more expensive than the crowquill, but the convenience more than makes up for the extra cost. Artists’ fountain pens usually require an ink made specially for these pens. It costs just a few cents more than the other inks but will not dry up and clog your pen.

      Draftsmen use technical pens, tubular-point pens that have no flexibility at all as to line thickness. These are fountains pens and are very well suited for sketching once you learn to hold them more perpendicular to the paper than you would a fountain pen. They also require special ink that is made for them. My favorite point is a 000, or triple zero. Many of the sketches in this book were done using only this point.

      Fine-point felt-tip or nylon-tip pens can also be used, as well as fine watercolor brushes such as double or triple zero size.

      Inks

      There is a wide variety of inks, some strictly for fountain pens and others just for nib pens. There are waterproof and nonwaterproof inks, as well as inks of every imaginable color. It is fun just to look through a display of colorful Winsor and Newton

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