Exploring Gel Pens for Strong Drawings

 

 

 Blog 9

 

At the start of this blog, I am sharing the last four August images with you. On August 28, the morning was perfect for canoeing around Petrie Island with my husband and our dog, Shadow. I wish I had brought my camera. I sketched while Ingo fished, which was challenging because the canoe continuously moved despite the anchor. 
 

While we were canoeing, I saw many white water lilies, which was a treat because they are one of my favourite flowers. When I came home, I drew the water lily you see below. 
 

I am also fascinated by the night sky and especially the moon. When I saw the full moon in August, it was surrounded by a circle of orange and yellow light, which I captured in my next drawing. 
 
 
As orange is one of my favourite colours, I was also drawn to the orange Lampion Flowers (also called Chinese Lanterns) that I discovered walking in the neighbourhood.
 
 
On the final day of the month, I drew my faithful coworker, Shadow, who watches over me when I work in my outdoor office. I have to admit he always takes up the lounger during his watch, dozing off from time to time but always attentive to any noise.
 

Top two images: watercolour pencils; lower two images: Prismacolor coloured pencils

Even though my teaching schedule only starts on Saturday, I needed to set a time limit for my daily drawing. During the summer, I had a relaxed schedule and usually had enough time to take as long as I needed to finish each drawing. This month, however, I had to finish some administrative tasks and plan course content for autumn.

 

Therefore, I tried new mediums and techniques for my drawings. One goal was to simplify my drawings. Did I succeed? Not always, but I usually set myself a time limit and was more playful in my approach. It is challenging to fight the little voice in my head that tells me viewers expect to see polished artworks all the time. It always reminds me of a comment from a former student who expressed that it must be so lovely that my art comes so effortlessly to me. Every artist can tell you it takes a lot of practice and frustration, which often happens behind the scenes. Whenever I had additional time, I coloured my gel pen and line marker drawings, mainly during Zoom meetings with family and friends, who are used to me creating while chatting.

 

Image 1, 3, 4, and 5: watercolour pencils and line marker; White Potentilla: erasable gel pen, coloured pencils

I found my inspiration everywhere: in my garden, outings to Petrie Island, and during walks. After visiting the Helen McNicoll exhibition at the National Gallery, I was inspired to draw "Beach Fun. My image shows my young niece rubbing sand onto her legs.

 

erasable gel pen, except for Beach fun: HB pencil; images 1 and 6: watercolour pencils; images: 2 and 3: Prismacolor pencils

Top left image: watercolour pencils; middle and right image: erasable gel pen; bottom left image: watercolour pencils and erasable gel pen; bottom right image: Prismacolor coloured pencils, watercolours, and erasable gel pen 

While painting with my friends Janis and Bob, Janis discovered the interesting purple flower above, which none of us had seen before. According to Google Lens, it is called a Closed Bottle Gentian. I love that we often discover something new when we paint outside, and I love to learn more about the new plants I see. Have you ever encountered this plant before?

 

I spotted the monarch butterfly on September 16 in the morning on my hydrangea bush. At first, I took pictures through the mosquito screen, but it stayed there long enough for me to go outside with my camera. Later, a monarch butterfly crossed my path when I walked Shadow. I saw this as a sign to choose it as the subject of that day's drawing.
 

 

Both left images: erasable gel pen; top also watercolour pencils; both right images: watercolours 

 

The last images were inspired by a week I spent at the cottage with my husband, our dog, and relatives. We had frost during a couple of nights, but the days were sunny and pleasant. The sun was still hot. I created most of the driftwood drawing on location and painted the little water scene en plein air. 

 

Top left image: HB pencil; all other images: erasable gel pen, right bottom also watercolour pencils

 

The glass window decoration is from a restaurant we visited. I discovered the red mushroom with white spots on a hike through the woods. I didn't have time to add colour, but I might needle felt the scene as a small project. My husband picked the asters for my birthday. The larger blooms were a soft purple; the smaller ones were white. On another walk, I saw the bright red berries of a Hawthorn bush, a powerful contrast to the complementary green of the leaves.

 

I have enjoyed working with the erasable gel pen and hardly ever used the eraser. I captured my subjects a lot faster than with watercolour or coloured pencils. However, whenever I had some extra time, I added colour because it makes the images so much livelier.

 

Next month, I intend to attempt drawing with a fountain pen. I still use a good one for writing, but I have a couple of cheaper ones I want to use for drawing. What do you want to experiment with to change up your routine?

 

If you are curious about needle felting, I invite you to my October workshop, Felting Experience – Bring Your Inspiration to Life in Wool.

Create a needle-felted painting in a relaxed creative workshop, and let your imagination flow. Whether you are inspired by landscapes, flowers, animals, abstract designs, or a favourite photograph, you will learn how to transform your ideas into a unique wool painting.

The workshop is for all levels. By the end of the workshop, you will have created a unique needle-felted artwork and gained the skills and confidence to continue creating with wool at home.