And Even More Birds
I’m still on that drawing-birds-with-ink-and-using-a-wash kick. I bought a second Wancai Moonman Mini fountain pen, this time filling it with Noodler’s Apache Sunset ink, also water soluble.
Tag: fountain pen
More Pen and Ink Drawings—and Lightfastness
I’m sad to say I’ve done some research and discovered that fountain pen ink is not very lightfast. This lovely purple will fade to gray unless it’s kept out of the light. Sigh.
But you know what? I don’t think I care. I’m just along for the ride.
I’m hooked on using My Moonman Mini to draw. I start with a pencil sketch. I then add a layer of ink. Once the ink is dry, I erase all the pencil lines and use a water brush over the entire drawing. I let that dry, and then I reinforce the darks and any lines I want to stand out. Sometimes I add in a dreamy background by wetting areas of the surface and adding some scribbles of ink in the water.
Here’s a sweet little Chickadee from a Paint My Photo picture. I used a graphite pencil to quickly sketch this.
Here’s the next step–the basic lines are inked in, the graphite erased, and I’ve started with a water brush.
And here’s the final sketch.
I’ll keep most of these in my sketchbook, but I may investigate using a UV spray to see if it helps with fading. I’m also curious about leaving one out, knowing it will fade to a soft gray, and maybe being okay with that.
Water Soluble Ink and a Moonman Mini Fountain Pen
It’s the kind of fun that makes me stay up too late experimenting and then contemplating more purchases–art supply mania!
I’ve always wanted a fountain pen for my sketch kit, but with so many other distractions–watercolor, colored pencil, pastels, silverpoint, graphite–I didn’t think I had the time or interest (or money) to add in something new. I was wrong, of course. There’s always a few minutes, plenty of curiosity, and a couple dollars when it comes to art supplies. Plus, you can draw/paint such neat things.
I bought the Herbin Poussiere de Lune (moon dust) ink awhile ago, but I hadn’t used it until I cracked and bought the Wancai Moonman Mini fountain pen. The ink is water soluble, and so all it takes is a little water to turn a line drawing into a painting. in this case, the deep reddish purple ink turns into a gorgeous plum when diluted.
The pen itself is very pretty and no bigger than a lipstick when capped. I’m a total novice when it comes to pens, but this suits me perfectly. It’s unique, holds a ton of ink (it’s called an eye dropper fill pen), and it has a crisp way of marking. Perfect!
I’m so taken with this whole pen and ink thing, which I know is pretty much an obsession for a lot of artists, that I purchased a second Moonman, a few more bottles of ink, and a medium nib. You never know when you’ll want a different color, so it’s best to be prepared.
