Hello and thank you for signing up for my pen and ink drawing class on this January 16-17, 2021. What a great way it will be to sort of begin the new year! Pen and ink is something that I believe in practicing even if it is not your forte or particular strength. Actually if this is in fact the case, then I absolutely recommend that you try it! Learning to make indelible marks fluidly and without regret will absolutely strengthen more lenient art techniques (such as oil paint or acrylic) and lend strength to your brushstrokes and other endeavors.
I speak more about my philosophy to ink drawing and how I got into here in this video- https://youtu.be/2MNuoB_rtMA
If you have not already signed up for my class and are interested in learning more, here is the class link and registration page. There are still spaces left and I might even be doing these regularly as they have become popular for painters and draftsmen alike. https://www.houseofoaxaca.com/blank-l62lg/drawing-with-ink-portrait-and-still-love-or-flora-fauna
Unlike this last time around when I taught this course, I will no longer be using the humble ball-point pen but rather a more fancy range of changeable dip pens. Please see my video at the 9 minute mark, this is where I begin to describe my supplies in detail. You are free to collect as many or as little of these supplies as you like, but at the very least I would like to see you come to virtual class with the following-
1. A sketchbook or lose drawing paper of around 300 GSM weight (smooth is preferable but handmade or textured is fine too. The thickness of the paper is necessary to prevent the ink from bleeding through or disfiguring the paper.
2. A dip pen. These can be bought for very cheap, Speedball is a company that makes a very affordable drawing set. https://www.dickblick.com/products/speedball-standard-point-dip-pen-nibs/
Or if you are like me you can go for something more fancy, or just more... I like to collect a variety of tips and shapes of pen nibs. This helps me to vary my ink line weight and line thicknesses. That being said however, I typically use no more than 2 nibs per drawing, so that is all you really need.
3. A good drawing ink. Preferebly black, as color can add another element of difficulty. I am partial to this series of Japanse inks, they are seem to come in a nice range of muted colors suitable for writing and drawing in. I have only three shades so far including a black and a blue, which is what I used to draw the portrait above- https://goldspot.com/products/pilot-iroshizuku-ink-asa-gao-morning-glory-50-ml-bottle
And so those are all the art supplies that you really need! I look forward to seeing you in class and drawing with you. We will have so much to talk about!
On last thing, if you wan to get fancy with painting in the eyes I do also use watercolors. Here are some of those that I use- https://www.naturalpigments.com/catalog/product/view/id/3325
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