Ink Pens for Drawing

Sometimes I'm being tentative about drawing - especially when I'm 'out of practice' or tacking a difficult subject. With pencil it's so easy to make tentative, uncertain marks, or to constantly erase and try again. Working with pen and ink forces you to be decisive. There's no 'maybe' with pen, no 'softly does it'. It's on or off. Yes or no. You have to oberve, visualise your marks and then commit to them. It might seem counter-intuitive to use such an unforgiving medium when you aren't feeling confident, but I hope you'll consider trying it. If you make a 'mistake', just go with it - don't try to second-guess. Pretend you're Matisse or Picasso. You're allowed to make interesting lines that are doing their own thing. You aren't a human photocopier. Try a few different approaches. drawn textures to give the impression of tonal value, or the addition of ink or watercolor washes. Its important to start off with the right equipment - a fountain pen generally won't do the job so choose the right drawing pen. If you're using a dip-pen, you'll need to select and maintain your pen nibs.