Erin O'Toole

Fine Pen Nibs

These Hunt pen nibs are wonderful for drawing with pen and ink in a journal. The Hunt 104 is a stout little nib, stiff but delicate. The Hunt 107 is longer and more flexible, nice for writing a bit of text. Both nibs use a small holder like the Gillott mapping penholder. They don’t hold as much ink as the larger calligraphy nibs. These nibs are at most art stores or from Paper & Ink Arts.

When I'm traveling I sketch in pencil then add pen and ink later at home. Traveling with a bottle of ink never works out for me. A slight change in altitude causes the bottles to expand or contract and leak. One thing I have tried out on location is using watercolor instead of ink in my small nibs. A nice black watercolor like Holbein’s Peach Black worked to a consistency of ink and dabbed in the nib with a brush works great for a few fine lines. But obviously,it is not waterproof so add the line work last.

Drawing from Memory

Artist’s journals are primarily about observation but there are many times we see things that can’t be drawn at the moment. This is not a bad thing. Drawing from memory hones images down to their essence.
Compare all the time even though you don’t have a pencil in hand.
Rounder than ________, Darker than ________,  Brighter than _________.

This girl in the park wore her hair in ponytails and her pants rolled up. There was a grown woman nearby. I compared their profiles, the girl’s face was rounder and her features more compact.

Remembering colors is easier if you think in descriptive words like gray blue, sour green, darkish, yellow brown. One of my teachers in college suggested mixing paint in your mind as you go through the day seeing interesting colors.

Short-term memory is important for drawing moving animals and birds. I struggle to hold a shape in my mind for a brief second till I can draw a quick gesture study on paper. Sometimes I can see an after-image when I close my eyes. It helps if there is a strong contrast of light and dark.

Traveling I see many things to draw each passing mile. I look for an anchor, something to remind me of the shapes and colors. Triangles against swirls, curves against straight lines, bright colors against drab color. All of these quick thoughts bring back the image and the colors as I begin to draw and paint at home.

Once you start drawing something kicks in. Give it a moment or two, then shapes and color come back. Pretty soon you'll start remembering other things that belong in your journal.