Intro to Pen and Ink Drawing

Advance your drawing style and achieve high contrast in your drawings. Pen and ink is the medium of restraints and precision, where time investment is key – this is why we will spend the first three classes learning the principles and techniques, and develop a feel for working with nibs and india ink, and the next three weeks will be dedicated to creating one drawing, to give you the time to add the details. You'll experience both ends of the sprectrum when drawing with pen and ink - quick and expressive, and slow and steady.

A detailed drawing like this requires you to take your time with each particular area. You have to define and refine each part before you move to the next. This is the difference between pen and ink and other mediums. In this class, we will focus on the specific strategy in pen-and-ink, so you can learn the unique approach that other mediums may not offer you to this extent.

You will learn how to shade with pen and ink, which is very different from pencil or charcoal. We are often asked about this, and in this course, you’ll learn 3 ways of shading with pen and ink to achieve smooth transitions between the lights and shadows. Pen and ink is a wonderful medium, but due to ink’s permanence, many artists avoid it because they don’t know how to correct their mistakes since you can’t erase! You will learn multiple ways to make corrections and become familiar with the methods used by the Masters and professional graphic artists who adore pen-and-ink for its sophistication and elegance. Learn to fix unwanted lines with this permanent medium, directly inspired by how Masters would in their pen and ink drawings.