Studies for Mid Life Crisis

                                          Size: 13 x 16 cms
                                          Media: Indian Ink & Water Colour on paper
                                          Pens: Lamy Fountain pen and Pentel water brush
                                          Copyright 2011 Rod MacGregor

                                          Size : 16 x 24 cms
                                          Media: Indian Ink and watercolour on paper
                                          Pens: Lamy Fountain pen & Pentel water brush
                                          Copyright 2011 Rod MacGregor

                                          Size: 16 x 24 cms
                                          Media: Indian Ink and watercolour
                                          Pens: Lamy Fountain pen and Pentel water brush
                                          Copyright 2011 Rod MacGregor

                           

                                          Copyright 2011 Rod MacGregor

Some of the various character studies I made this week about mid life crisis and life away from work. I have tried to steer clear of the constraints of copying from life and therefore giving myself the freedom to draw directly from my mind..I enjoyed this and will probably do more.

Experiments with line

                         Size: 12 x 32 cms
                         Media: Indian Ink & Paper
                         Pen : Dip Pen (Vintage Nib)

                          Size: 12 x 32 cms
                          Media : Noodler's Ink and Paper
                          Pen: Sailor Calligraphy Fountain Pen


My new fountain pens arrived yesterday and I was eager to try them out. I sat on the roadside to sketch in the next valley by a small village called Benisiva. I took my Sailor calligraphy pen with me and used it nib upside down to give me a fine line as I wasn't practised with its variation (this pen is designed to give different line widths whilst writing in Chinese). The result was a lot different from the flexible nib used in the dip pen drawing (top). I will post some work done using the Sailor's full potential soon. The following drawing of an old man (below) was done using home-made bamboo and reed pens for the lines and Copic sketch markers for the shades of grey. I cut the bamboo and reeds locally and carved the nibs into different shapes to give me varied tonal effects.

                                       
                                            Size: 145 x 210 mm
                                            Media: Indian Ink, Marker Ink and Paper
                                            Pens: Reed and Bamboo (Homemade)
                                            and Copic Sketch Markers.

                     Home-made reed and bamboo pens used for the lines in the old man sketch.

                            Dip pens with vintage nibs: John Cameron shoulder pen #13 and
                            D. Leonardt & Co # 526

                         A close-up of the upturned nib (above) on my new Sailor
                         Calligraphy pen  (shown below)

Quick Inks!

                           Size: 105 x 145 mm
                           Media: Indian Ink on Paper
                           Pen: Dip pen (Bellman & Sons #435 Vintage Nib)

 
                          Size: 105 x 145 mm
                          Media: Indian Ink and Watercolour on Paper

                          Tools: Dip Pen (Vintage Nib), Pentel brushpen, Pentel water brushes.

 
                          Size: 145 x 210  mm
                          Media: Indian Ink on Paper
                          Pens: Dip pen (Vintage Nib), Copic Multiliner


The line work in these four sketches was done in probably less that 10 minutes each. I am finding that using ink as a medium is making me think differently whilst I draw. I know when a mark is made, it is going to stay there..there is no erasing with a rubber or photoshop. I have used photo references for this work..I know its not necessarily the best method, as opposed to real life, but it served its purpose in this experiment.

Placeta al Fossar, Alcoy

                         Size: 12 x 32 cm
                         Media: Indian Ink and Paper
                         Pen: Dip Pen

A recent sketch I did in the Valencian City of Alcoy,Spain. I used a dip pen with vintage nib: D.leonard & Co,Birmingham. This was drawn in a homemade sketchbook that I made after following a tutorial on this link. My sketchbook was made using landscape dimensions and not the ones in the tutorial, although I followed everything else very closely.

Near Gandia Marina

                          Size: 12 x 32 cm
                          Media: Indian Ink on Paper
                          Pen: Dip pen

 I did this sketch from the marina area in Gandia, Valencia, Spain with a dip pen and indian ink. I used a vintage John Cameron #13 Nib and Winsor and Newton Ink. Its a bit awkward sketching on location with a dip pen and a bottle of ink although I like the line variation. I have ordered a couple of fountain pens from the internet which I hope will make things easier. One of the pens ordered is a Sailor calligraphy pen which has an upturned nib and depending on how it is handled, can offer different line widths. I shall be filling that fountain pen with Noodler's Bullet proof black ink, which is waterproof, just in case I want to apply some sort of wash to the work I do with it. Hopefully I will post something soon that I did with it.