Pen & Inkwork

Although I can't remember the very first time I picked up a pencil to draw with, I can remember the first time I used a pen. I clearly remember being terrified of making a mistake; pencils had handy erasers that weren't included in pens back then. But, there was also a sense of adventure...almost excitement...mixed in with that fear. Any mark I made would be a permanent, there would always be a record that my hand had made something, I wouldn't be able to deny it was my work. To this day, I still experience a low-grade of that initial fear...and the excitement.

Flash forward to 2021. I used to be quite active in an online community of artists hosted by ArtProf. In addition to their vast resources, discord server, and YouTube channel, they also offer monthly challenges—intended to focus one's attention on a single medium or subject, or to investigate different styles of making art. The piece on the right was my answer to that month's challenge: "Pen & Inkwork". I had just started my concerted research phase for my ongoing DUNE related series and thought that Geidi Prime would be an excellent way of dipping my toes back into the sea of inkwork. I was inspired by the first time that this planet ruled by House Harkonnen is described (more than half-way through the first book):

But off the main way, Count Fenring and his lady noted the rubbish heaps, the scabrous brown walls reflected in the dark puddles of the streets, and the furtive scurrying of the people.

In the Baron's blue-walled keep, there was fearful perfection, but the Count and his lady waw the price being paid—guards everywhere and weapons with that special sheen that told a trained eye they were in regular use...

The contrast between what the public is allowed to see and what happens in private on Geidi Prime is starkly recorded in those brief words. It's only much later in the series the reader learns the depth of depravity that exists on this Harkonnen-ruled world. The Baron tends to views everything on this planet as his personal possession. I'd like to think that I was able to communicate strict order v chaos, freedom v surveilance, and the stains left after repeated attempts at cleaning the filth from this "homeworld".

Now, I keep in practice in a variety of ways:

• throwing caution to the wind by sketching with an inkbrush
• using acrylic inks as the first layer; then, applying watercolour and linework over the dried ink (shown on right)
• using inks for value studies of final pieces
• expanding my skill-set using alcohol markers for portrait & figure pieces
• occasionally using the "ink & wash" method for landscapes

Do you have a favorite style of artwork? Would you like to see more inkwork available in my store? I'm always happy to answer any questions you have; feel free to contact me through my handy form or any of the social media links above.