I created a few pen and ink postcards for the Postcrossing group. If someone mentions they like handmade cards, I’ll send one, but if they don’t mention it, they’ll get a regular, purchased card. We have a ton to choose from, so they’re always fun to send. The owl went to Portugal and the crow to Germany.
All the others are monotypes from the gel plate, most with a charcoal drawing, and the Morandi-influenced bottles with some pan pastel.
I keep forgetting to post this, but last year for five months I tested some of my favorite pens I use for art along with some of the inks I’ve been using in fountain pens, including the Indigraph pen which handles India ink. I think this simple test has proven what I suspected: pigment wins. If I want to draw with a ballpoint pen, it will probably stay in a sketchbook as most faded in direct sunlight with the exceptions of the Jetstream and Ballograf blacks.
The control was put in an envelope and kept in a second envelope in a closed closet. The indoor light test strip was in a north office out of direct window light. The south test strip was in a south window, and so it received a lot of light. I know that most people would never put their artwork in this situation, but it helped me understand whether or not a drawing would fade even a little bit over time.
The ballpoint pens I tested were Uniball Jetstream in black, red, and blue in 38 mm and .28mm nib sizes. I also tested Ballograf ballpoint pen in various colors. Because I sometimes use a little bit of water when I draw to pull out a hint of color, the right side of the test strips also had a small amount of water. The pens held up in indoor light but faded in the south window.
I also sampled Higgins Black Magic, De Atramentis Document, and Bombay India inks. I didn’t observe any fading with these inks.
I started a small sketchbook (Hahnemuhle Nostalgie) to practice pen and ink drawings by the legendary illustrator Franklin Booth. He was a master of linework and drawing, and I hope to gain some skills by imitation. Instead of a dip pen, though, I’ll use my Lumos Pro and Lumos Duo refillable felt tip pens by Tom’s Studio as well as my trusty Indigraph. Booth probably worked much larger than the printed image, so I’m either picking illustrations I can simplify or only doing a small selection. I’ve struggled with the darkest areas, so I know I’ll learn a lot if I stick with this.
All India ink in a Khadi paper sketchbook
They’re a bit shaky (especially the car), but it’s always fun studying this picture book.