Monday 20 February 2012

From Graphite & Charcoal to Pen & Ink

I enjoy drawing and painting.

No, I think I should modify and also explain that statement. I draw quite often, though not as often or as much as I would really like to. And, I enjoy drawing. I usually sit down to it after dinner. There have been many occasions when I have been totally bushed at the time of starting. But once I start drawing  I lose all track of time and sometimes find that I have been at it much longer than I planned to. Invariably I feel very refreshed after such a session.

On the other hand, I would very much like to paint, but I paint infrequently. This is partly because I am still very much a beginner at it. Of course, I realise that I will always stay a beginner unless I paint. But the problem is that painting requires more of a setting up than drawing does. If it is watercolour, one needs paints, brushes, a palette or plate or dishes, a water container and so on. And at the end of the day's painting session these have to be cleaned and put away.

As a result, at least so far, whenever I have mentally tossed a coin to decide whether to paint or draw, the coin has invariably landed in favour of drawing.

When I took up drawing as a serious hobby about ten years ago I started with graphite and charcoal. My wife Nithi enrolled me in a two week portrait drawing course as a gift. The medium was charcoal & graphite. I attended the classes every evening after work, and stayed up late into the night to complete the assigments. At the end of the two weeks I was hooked and I have stayed hooked.
At the portrait drawing course - 1
At the portrait drawing course - 2











Three Pears - vine charcoal













But as I started drawing regularly I found even the degree of setting up that a graphite or charcoal drawing requires to be an inhibiting factor for me. I struggled to get the darks that I wanted with graphite. And, protecting the paper and the finished drawing were also issues. As a result I have switched to pen and ink.

These are a few of my early pen & ink drawings from around 2003 to 2007. They were mainly quick sketches using just one or two pens. During this period graphite was still my main medium, followed by charcoal. I think that it was around 2007 or 2008 that I decided to make pen & ink my main medium.







The sketch that you see of Mont St. Michael is a study copy of a drawing by Peter Caldwell. I found his book on pen & ink drawing very inspiring.




19 comments:

  1. These are brilliant sketches, thanks for sharing!

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  2. Thank you Vinayak. I am so glad you liked these sketches. I was diffident about posting these, and that too so many of them.

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  3. Whether pen and ink or graphite, I think your drawings are wonderful, in fact excellent would a true comment. You have certainly found your medium.

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  4. I can only agree with Anns Art.
    If painting, you might want to try adding watercolour to the ink drawings. Buy yourself a small 12 pan portable set to try out. Not so much trouble cleaning and preparing, and it could be a first step towards real painting. I took the same track.

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    1. Thank you Rene for the comment and the suggestion. I will certainly give it a try.

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  5. What ever means you use all your drawings are outstanding!

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  6. Wow! Your drawings are fantastic. Very prolific. I love the marbles!
    Happy Drawing.

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  7. Ann, Jane, and Nora...Thank you for your very encouraging comments.

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  8. I have been looking at your work, here, as well as Wetcanvas, you have a very spontaneous, and direct style, capturing great detail, yet present it using simple artifacts.

    Regarding setting up watercolors, I agree with you completely, and I was in similar situation for years together, until I discovered the Waterbrush. If you haven't used it, it is the most amazing tool, you have the water inside the reservoir like a fountain pen, and this can help create tones with your fountain pen sketches.

    And if you want colors, you can use it along with a watercolor pan.

    Completely portable, and zero setup :)

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    1. Thank you GS, for looking, for commenting on my work, and for the suggestions. I will definitely give it a try.

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  9. All your sketches are wonderfully detailed; my favorite are the architectural ones though :)
    You could try using watercolor pencils, they don't require much setting up. I sometimes use them while travelling.

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  10. Seema...Thank you. Yes, I agree. Watercolour pencils are a convenient option while travelling and that is something I will keep in mind and try out. Perhaps w/c pencils and waterbrush will make a very lightweight and effective combination
    I have always had the tendency to get into details. This works well for drawings related to buildings but unfortunately not that well when the subject has to do with mood.

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  11. What a wonderful post with so many outstanding sketches. Really enjoyed seeing this! Would u like to go sometime next week to a certain half finished building and do some water colour trials of real buildings and imaginary foliage :)

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  12. Thanks kb for the comments and the invitation. :)
    Say when. Would love to do it.

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  13. Replies
    1. Thank you Mahesh, for visiting and commenting.
      Your blog has so much variety, and your paintings are wonderful.

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  14. Ciao Balaij,
    Beatiful works! My favourites are the first portrait and the hand with the apple! But all your drawns are beatiful!
    Ciao, Floriana

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    1. Thank you very much Floriana. Your comment means a lot to me.

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  15. Ciao Balaij, I wait for your new work and...to beginn to paint try with children colours or with other things...I know that a painter use the coffee, so... try is beatiful!
    Ciao, ciao, Floriana

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