Over the last 6 months or so, since I took the Sktchy’s Portraits in Pen course, I have gradually fallen in love with ballpoint pen drawing. After a lot of experimentation I’ve found my own style and I find ballpoint pen drawing so beautifully meditative. It’s what I turn to when I’m feeling most stressed because I know it will calm me down and chill me out.
Today was quite full on so I picked up my Bics and drew the beautiful Stephanie from Sktchy in my Life Noble Note Plain.
This is Yuko from Sktchy, drawn on an iPad Pro using the Procreate app.
I try to get a balance in my portraits of young and old, male and female, and as many different skin colours and faces from all over the world as I can find. Obviously Sktchy is my source and it’s an app that’s used globally so there’s an incredible range of faces to choose from, from every corner of the world. But it’s still dominated by young women, and probably predominantly Caucasian. And these are the faces I’m most comfortable drawing. But I’m trying to push myself to be braver and move outside that comfort zone.
I struggle with black skin because I haven’t drawn enough of it; I can’t get the smooth transitions I get when I draw white skin. I have to think much harder about my colour choices and I need a lot more practice with my actual drawing. So I need to hunt out many more BAME faces on Sktchy and get practicing.
I drew Johnathan in a Midori cotton sketchbook with Copic markers and Prismacolor coloured pencils.
Working in my Moleskine watercolour sketchbook again today with my Zecchi paints for this portrait of Leah from Sktchy.
I drew Anastasia from Sktchy with Bic ballpoint pens in a Life Noble Note Plain notebook. I have to say that drawing with ballpoints is definitely the most therapeutic kind of drawing I’m doing right now – hatching in one direction is just so meditative.
Although I enjoy exploring all kinds of drawing and painting media, I’m always happiest in my Copic comfort zone. This is Avonlea from Sktchy, drawn with Copic markers and Prismacolor coloured pencils in a Midori cotton sketchbook.
This is Nacho from Sktchy, painted with Zecchi watercolours in a Moleskine watercolour sketchbook and finished with Prismacolor coloured pencils and a Uniball Signo white gel pen.
And breathe…. After yesterday’s struggles to find my drawing rhythm, today it was there waiting for me in my Copic comfort zone. This is Ale from Sktchy, drawn with Copic markers and Prismacolor coloured pencils in my Midori cotton sketchbook.
I’ve been far too busy with work these past few days to do any drawing so today was the first opportunity I had to get back to it. And then I struggled to find a rhythm and a focus. I made a pencil drawing in a sketchbook which I’m not sharing with anyone, it really was that bad. And then I pulled out my iPad and made this portrait of Calysta from Sktchy using Georg’s ballpointy brush.
I’m having some problems with my hands at the moment and I’m having to adapt my drawing style a little. My drawings are becoming looser as a result, especially today’s portrait of Eira from Sktchy. I really like how this one has turned out.
I drew this with a dark grey Unipin fineliner in my Moleskine watercolour sketchbook, painted it with Zecchi Toscana watercolours and finished it with Prismacolor coloured pencils.
drawing faces 