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John the Monkey
January 24th, 2012, 02:09 AM
Tracy Lee and Eric were both kind enough to comment favourably on the doodle I did on my recent Esterbrook writing sample (this one);

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These are quite an enjoyable way of letting your pen & mind run away for a while, and they're based (quite heavily) on work done by Gentian Osman, of "Drawing with a Squirrel", e.g. http://www.gentianosman.com/2011/09/pilot-hi-tec-c-multi-pens.html

My first attempts at drawings in this style were done by simply copying Gentian's work - once that has you thinking the right way, you can then start to work without her drawing in mind. I found that my style seemed to incorporate more pointed shapes and hard edges - here's a sequence from last year;

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The first (Evergreen Dog) was done trying to match Gentian's style exactly - the other two let the pen run more freely, and so are slightly more "me". (Inks are Diamine Evergreen (Lamy Al-Star, 1.1mm nib), Diamine Amazing Amethyst (Esterbrook J, 9556 nib) and Visconti Sepia (Rotring Art Pen F), the drawings are done in a Paperchase Kraft Notebook) Note that Visconti dog has a pal - the rightmost dog I wasn't happy with, so the one actually "in" the drawing is a second attempt!

They are, of course, not a patch on the artwork that inspired them, but they're a lot of fun to do, and a nice way of dealing with that "I need to write something" urge - give them a try!

Gentian is also an accomplished calligrapher, if your talents run in that direction; http://www.gentianosman.com/2012/01/writing.html (mine don't, and I weep in despair at the impossibility of anything I write ever looking that good :) )

eriquito
January 24th, 2012, 11:33 AM
Hey John,

THANKS for this!! I'll be giving this a try. Couldn't hurt. Might help - a lot!

Tracy Lee
January 24th, 2012, 02:08 PM
Wow, I am just so jealous that you have creative talent. Even my stick figures are bad. :( I would love more time to work with calligraphy, I have always had the interest but lack time to focus and good, patient instruction.

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John the Monkey
January 24th, 2012, 02:15 PM
The key to these is to start with the shapes, and then just layer the detail. (Then add more shapes :) ) I've no chance of mine looking as good as Gentian's, but they're really a lot of fun to do, however they turn out!

dannzeman
January 25th, 2012, 08:10 AM
Great work! I love seeing any kind of art created with fountain pens! Please don't stop posting this kind of stuff.

klpeabody
January 31st, 2012, 04:54 PM
These are wonderful drawings. I wish I were creative like this. I agree with everyone else, please post more. Very nice job.

caribbean_skye
May 2nd, 2012, 05:34 AM
I am in awe of your talent!

caribbean_skye
May 2nd, 2012, 05:44 AM
Just took a look at the website, I'm just blown away. I guess I'd better get to using my pens for more than just writing. Guess I just need to invest in some F and XF nibs now.

Sailor Kenshin
May 2nd, 2012, 08:10 AM
Wonderful! Have you tried any drawings with bold or fude nibs?

John the Monkey
May 3rd, 2012, 01:45 AM
Wonderful! Have you tried any drawings with bold or fude nibs?

I've noodled about with the 1.1mm Lamy nib now and then, but nothing with a fude nib. I've a hankering to try a proper brush pen, something like the Kuretake or Pilot ones, for the line variation they give.

Struthious
May 4th, 2012, 04:09 PM
I really really really like these!

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