Sunflowers in Pen & Ink & Oil

It's been a while since I've done a posting.  Opening my blog, I just realized this would be my 100th posting!

I have wanted to get out of my comfort zone for a while and try something new.  I have a couple of friends who are constantly trying new ideas and mediums and they inspired me to look for something new to try.  

I've been intrigued with Amy Ringholz's work since the first time I saw it in an art magazine. Of course I looked her up on the internet and I was thrilled to discover her videos.  I thought maybe I could experiment using pen & ink too.  So I looked through my photos to see any of them might translate into something interesting and be compatible with that style.  I knew picking a floral would have me painting a subject matter I rarely do and in this style that is totally alien.  It sounded just like what I was looking for!

I did my sketch in charcoal and sprayed it with a fixative.  I don't think I would do that again because my charcoal lines show through.  Not a bad effect, but I wanted it to be all about the ink lines.   I don't have a device like Amy uses to apply ink, so I used a wide nib.  The only problem with that is your lines are the same unless you change nibs and that would take the spontaneity out of it.  I think being able to change the width & flow makes the lines much more interesting.   But you have to work with what you have.  

I used a 16x16" canvas for my first try but I think a larger would be better since you are  basically trying to paint between the lines.  I did end up going back and darkening some of the lines with paint. 

I found the ink step was almost like doodling.  I really enjoyed the entire process.  It was fast and so much fun I plan to try it again one of these days.  

  

Dreama Tolle Perry said for most people no matter how many classes you take or styles you try, your painting style is just like your DNA.  Our styles change as we grow and improve, but our styles are unique to us.  I totally agree...But it is fun to try something totally different every once in a while.

Charcoal sketch

Pen & ink layer.  You can see the lighter charcoal lines.

Overall, I'm pretty pleased with the final result.  It took on an almost stained glass feeling.  I did go back in and darken some of the ink lines I lost while painting to help bring the larger flower forward. 

Art in the Comic Strips