Generally I have a recipe to what I do, which is pencil (2H), ink, on nice white paper (around 300gsm). This way I can easily scan in and carry on digitally if I so choose to.. which has recently lead me to realise that I need to update my scanning technology as I'm working with a mid-00's scanner and technology has definitely moved on!
Anyway I got thrown out of sorts some point last year when my sketchbooks were full, I had no time or no money (not sure which one) to get another and I was scouring the lab for one. Then I came across one of origin I couldn't place and was pretty clear. The paper wasn't to my usual standard, it was thin, and yellowish in tone but you make do. Until it came clear to me that I really dislike this bloody paper, it doesn't hold pencil markings well- they smudge, my good pigment markers were too much for it so the lines bled, made the paper soft, and could easily just damage the page! What heathen of a sketchbook was this?!
But one night when I was aching to draw I picked up this biro and started going at it like I have done in different stages of my life.
Just like that I was back into my biro sketching. I used to love using a ballpoint pen, there is a texture and mark not too different to pencil and not his paper it was near perfect. The tones you can capture and shading are brilliant. You can work lightly, boldly, quickly hash out designs and ideas. Better yet I had a sketchbook which wasn't good for any thing decent, but that helped me get down to the level of getting ideas out quickly and being less pedantic.
I found myself making quick and rough marks and then polishing these up, utilising the textures made by the pen. I went from doing characters with a bold line nature, to some drawings from reference. Then I got really into deconstructing my letters and reconstructing them, playing with new forms of composition, which overall has helped me establish an idea of where I want to go with my wall based work.
When you draw/ create imagery you will always want polished results most of the time, but you need to remember to explore. If you spend so much time sticking to your recipe of polish, you will soon forget the fun you had in just mark making, and creating [what you could call] 'throwaway' imagery.
Anywayyyy I gone on enough, for anyone who reads this I hope it was interesting. So on with the artwork. I'll split this into 3 posts.
