Painting with a Fountain Pen

Hello Friends!

Things are heating up here quickly in South Florida!  Actually we've seen mid-eighties already and close to 90 degree mark one day.  It's a bit soon but soon we will be acclimated to those steamy days and nights and 80's will look like a cool front to us.  I know that some of you probably can't relate to those temperatures at all but it is rather the usual weather for us.  Now that you have the weather report, here's what's been happening in my neck of the woods.

Remember me saying I needed to practice sketching and spending more time in my sketchbook? Well, I've been playing around with ink, the kind that comes in a fountain pen.  It's pretty cool what happens when ink and water meet.

First I sketched the birds in pencil and then come back to outline them with blue ink and then use a small round brush dipped in clear water to go over the ink. The ink reacts to the water and begins to spread out. A few more times with the brush and water and a dab more blue ink to make the shadows pop. The whole time I was painting/drawing this I was saying: ooh, ooh, this is fun!  I hope you'll give it a try! 

Black ink will produce nice grey shadows when wet.  

Purple ink with the help of Inktense watercolor pencils on the Little Bird. 

Do you have a particular time of day that you like to draw or paint or be in your studio?  My perfect time is at night when the house is quiet, just before bedtime and my mind is shutting down for the evening.  I'm relaxed and not over thinking what I am doing, my creative side kicks in gear enough to paint or sketch something simple.  Or first thing in the morning, before I'm really awake is also a good time for creativity in my studio. 

I've been busy, how about you?  Anything to share? Do tell!  

Grab your fountain pen and paint brush and give this ink thing a go!  Let me know if something good happens....

Bee Creative

Suzy