Dark Gothic Fantasy Art

Most of my work consist of pen and ink. Mainly due to my early inspirations of Harry Clarke illustrations of Edgar Allen Poe as well as comic book artists. I thought I would touch on materials that will benifet one if one decides to take up pen and ink drawing.

Bristol board is the best you can use for pen and ink. I usually chose a vellum finish. Bristol is thicker than paper you get in an average sketch pad and that has an advantage if one makes a mistake. It allows you to actually "shave" off the top layer with either an exacto knife or an electric eraser. Bristol is also "archival quality" and acid free.

Pens can vary. Crow quill is the oldest. You can achieve thick and thin lines with the quill much like you can with a brush. Both are perhaps the oldest and considered by some the "purest" form of rendering in india ink.

Technical pens are popular and can achieve a great amount of detail. The downfall to technical pens are that they are hard to maintain and are expensive. The illustration of the Reaper below was done in technical pens.

Micron pens are also a good substitute. They also come in fine points and many are now light fast. The only downfall is that the lines are not always crisp as will technical pens but they are a great alternative and are cheap.



This is an example of the detail you can achieve with Micron Pens.



Note: All images are under copyright all rights reserved

I don't believe any article, lens etc. on pen and ink would be complete without mentioning ballpoint pens. It seems that a cult following has sprung up concerning the ballpoint called Biro Art. It is easily affordable. You can actually achieve more gradations that you can with pen and ink and is darker than pencil. It seems to be a happy in between medium.

Here is an example of a ballpoint rendering I did.



The pitfall of ballpoint pens:
Not all ballpoints are light fast. They will fade if kept in direct sunlight or under harsh lighting. It varies also as to their longevity.

I am still researching this issue and was under the impression that ballpoint ink was light fast. I apologize for the misinformation. Right now I am currently doing my own experiment with different brands and hope to find more definite answers.

But all is not lost on the ballpoint being a medium. Since collectors will be hesitant to purchase a piece that may have dubious archival quality, prints are the best option.

When I gather enough information I will post what brands of ballpoints are best and their longevity.

Here is a list of archival inks in ballpoints:

Papermate Stick 2020 Fine Red P27325DIN standard ink for high standards of performance
Papermate Stick 2020 Fine Grn P27345
DIN standard ink for high standards of performance
Papermate Stick 2020 Med Grn P27645
DIN standard ink for high standards of performance
Papermate 2020 Blue 1.0 tip Stick
DIN standard ink for high standards of performance
Stick Ball Pen Medium Red
forgery-proof paste conforming to ISO 12757-2, line width M
Stick Ball Pen Fine Blue
forgery-proof paste conforming to ISO 12757-2
Stick Ball Pen Medium Black
forgery-proof paste conforming to ISO 12757-2
Stick Ball Pen Fine Black
forgery-proof paste conforming to ISO 12757-2
Stick 2000 Pen Medium Blue
DIN standard ink for high standards of performance
Stick Ball Pen Fine Red
forgery-proof paste conforming to ISO 12757-2
Staedtler Mars Multiple Casings or body designs, 430

There are several mediums one can use to color their finished ink drawings. One is the most popular and arguably the most vibrant, watercolor. Watercolor wash over inks bring out the definitive lines of ink while giving subtle hues adding more depth and life to ink drawings. Though coloring ink drawings is not always the best choice. One for instance would be hesitant to color a very fine lined and detailed drawing such as Durer's "Knight, Death and the Devil".

Another choice is to digitally color the ink drawing. Adobe is a perfect program for such work especially with Wacom drawing tablet. In fact the tablet comes with a supplemental CD that has digital brushes that mimic regular brushes including watercolor brushes. Working in layers you can achieve excellent effects as well as make corrections that are not possible in watercolor. It does give the artist an advantage, but it also leaves the question if it is superior to traditional methods. Personally, I lean towards the traditional. Even with a Wacom tablet, you cannot beat the hand control and skill of brush on paper. I use digital means of coloring as a way of reproducing my work for printing.

Below are examples of ink drawings of mine that I digitally colored.





Another media is Dr. Martin's inks. They are transparent and very vibrant and used by many airbrush artists. The only downfall is that the inks are not color fast.