Here is my biplane. Please share yours! I used staedtler pigment liners (black) and tombow markers The paper is a marker paper by tombow
Very nice! Love the mini pilot too! Happy Thanksgiving!
I did it smaller, around 3.5" x 6" and didnāt ink it as I didnāt have markers and options were ink or watercolor, which doesnāt go so well on just sketchbook paper, and pastels or colored pencils which just seemed like too much work. I didnāt get the proportions exact and the wing size/locations really messed up/not big enough as well as the wing cross spars so it will forever be a pencil sketch.
āETA: Now that I post this I could have used the negative space above engine cowling as the ātarget cornerā of upper wing to draw it but kind of filled in too many details with darker pencil which would not erase easily so would look ofā¦ I notice I forgot the tail landing gear entirely as well.
All three of these expressions of the airplane are nice, unique, and fun to look at.
Now I wish I had drawn it, just didnāt have energy last night.
Great job everyone, so inspiring!
Teri
This is great. I love it.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Love it June! I didnāt draw along in real time. I had to do it afterward. I get really frustrated when I feel rushed. It actually took me 45 minutes to get a decent sketch! LOL!
I used Artline in pen, 0.4 tip. I tried 0.2, but it was just too fine. I used Prismacolor markers. Instead of the 20% cool grey, I used 30%, then 50%, 70%, and black.
Looks great! Iām kind of embarrassed of my attempt, should have done another and posted attempt #2. Iām tied up in the āSubjects in Pen and Inkā class though so no desire to re-do the plane, too many finicky bits on it.
It was an interesting exercise for me. There are certainly parts I could have done better, but I think all practice is good practice. My perspective on the wings is a little wonky, but I learned a few things! I like that you did yours with graphite and I m glad you posted it. How are you liking the pen and ink course?
The Pen and Ink course is really good. The āSubjects in Pen and Inkā course shows a whole lot of different situations/categories and how to deal with textures in an accurate way, helping to decide what to simplify so that it is a representative drawing rather than a photo-realistic drawing. I use both the G Nib dip pen and india ink as well as the Staedtler 6 pen set. I prefer the nib pen but when doing something in a relaxed posture I use the liner pens since the pen and ink is unwieldy. I have found that the āInk Miserā ink well, a vase shaped inkwell with a very small diameter bottom makes it much easier to only have a few drops of ink out of bottle at a time while still able to dip nib to halfway up the vent slot reliably without worry of going too far and getting splotches and other fluid ink. I use Dr Phil Martinās āBlack Star Ultra-Matteā ink and it just looks WAY better than the Staedtler (or any other pen) ink looks. Makes it so very fine lines can show more detail with fewer strokes compared to even the 0.05mm liner pen, the nib is around 0.01mm with light touch and can go to around 1.5 mm with heavy touch as nib flexes, so only one point needed and no swapping pens in and out to make a bold line. The āSpoonā or āSchoolā nib (Japanese) goes from about 0.8mm to 4mm while being more forgiving on pressure/width changes from being stiffer (also holds more ink). The G nib can also make a narrow line evenly widen and stop or narrow back to a super fine line with pressure control. That control sort of needs a fixed desk to work on rather than doing stuff on lap, which is when I use the disposable pens. I recommend both the Pen and ink and Subjects in Pen and ink courses. They seem daunting at first but once you do a few it becomes much easier and results improve greatly with practice.
I initially didnāt like the dip pen but that was using the Speedball āSketching Setā plastic pen/nib holder and set of nibs and dipping in open bottle of ink. The cheap plastic holder really sucks and the nibs arenāt much better compared to the Japanese nibs and pens. After switching over to the wooden pen with cushion and Japanese nibs (I use spoon for very wide and the G for most everything else) it has become my favorite format for a bit, was NuPastels then watercolor which I still use but the line and wash combining ink and watercolor is my favorite fast picture after a sketch method, the stippling or cross hatching is very relaxing. The wash part is very frustrating as watercolor isnāt very forgiving, but it lets you get into the Zen of doing hatching again which I find greatly relaxing. The only stressful bit is the initial sketch but once you have that down, there isnāt anything to really worry about with inking the lines and putting down tones via point or line density.
So, Iād suggest at least having the 0.05-0.8mm liner pen set (I got the Dyvicl Pigment liners cheap on Amazon and they suck, work great but run out of ink really fast), so stick with the Staedtler or Pygmy Micron disposable pens and give it a shot!
āETA: I sure do use a lot of words to not say very muchā¦ I need to hire an editor or something.
Thank you for sharing this great rendering of aā¦ Hatz HB-1?
Looks nice!
Jack
Thank you for sharing this great rendering of aā¦ Hatz HB-1?
Looks nice!
Jack
Thanks for all the info! I just ordered a Speedball sketching set, but will maybe return it and get something else. Iāll re=read your post to make a decision. I ordered the Speedball Super Black India Ink. Iāll also see what Mattās suggestions are. As you can see, I think Iām intending to try the pen and ink course, but I have some things to finish up before Christmas. Iāll likely do pen and ink after the holidays. That gives me time to study the different tools and inks that are available.
Thanks again!
Brenda
Hereās the nib holder/pen I like (Will hold the Speedball nibs as well, the āUā shaped ones)
These are the āGā nibs:
These are the super-super fine Nibs called āMaruā which need a little different nib holder (Same as āhawkā 101 Speedball nib size for mounting) That nib holder comes in the Sketching set as well as the 101 Speedball nib, the Maru is just a bit sharper and holds a bit more ink while still giving ultra fine line
Holder for āHawkā (speedball) or Maru nibs which have a full round metal bit to plug into nib holder:
And this set is OK, two wooden nib holders and a variety of the Japanese nibs, including 4 G, 4 Spoon/School, and 4 Maru IIRC which are the most used as between them they cover line from super razor thin to several mm wide depending on pressure. The other nib holder/pen is needed for the small diameter nibs and the standard size for the G and spoon/school nibs
(Overpriced) Ink Miser but it makes things a lot less messy, especially if you velcro it to the desk
And the Ink I like best:
In case I wasnāt making sense above. Iām not affiliated with any of them. The Speedball ink should be fine if it is the carbon one, there is a higher carbon black from Dr. Martins called āHicarbā instead of āMatteā but the matte really makes it look blacker with no sheen at all compared to other inks.
The Ink Miser lets you use any of the nib pens with just 5 drops of ink in it which is why I like it, even if it tips over itās not a hazmat mess situation, but velcro square to workbench and then it can get bumped pretty good and not spill, I just put a little cork I got at the hardware store in it between uses.
The Speedball and āGā Nibs or even that starter set with the wood handles is a great start, you donāt notice a huge difference until using the ultra matte ink, then it really, really looks a lot better since the finest line you can make still can be seen while leaving lots of white around it to allow for great shading/hatching/stippling.
So, in order:
Tachikawa T-40 Nib holder w/cushion
Dr Phil Martinās Matte ink
Ink Miser
The all in one 12 nib w/2 handle set is also a great way to find out. The nibs DO wear down after a while, but it takes a lot of line work to notice the scratchy feeling that shows up. Itās a way better start option than the Speedball set since the plastic speedball pens are hard plastic and have a mold ridge on them and are just uncomfortable to hold for me.
Wow, Thanks! Iāll actually check all the things you provided links for. I said Iād never done ink before, but I do have a small watercolor that I inked. Iāll get a pic and post it.
Again thanks for all the info. I know it will help tremendously as I look for the tools to take the course.
Brenda
Hereās the watercolor that inked. Believe me, I had really no clue what I was doing! It did, however, capture the flowersā āpersonalityā so I kept it and had it framed.
I hope itās ok that Iāve strayed a bit from the bi-plane drawing.
Brenda.
That looks FAR better than my first attempt. Several were spent discovering the difference between āwaterproofā and āWater resistantā inks, then a huge sidetrack learning watercolor mixing and tinting so everything wasnāt all fully saturated color all the time. That then led me from the super cheap half pan sets to using Daniel Smith āpaint stickā watercolors and everything suddenly became easier and acted like it was supposed making bright secondary/tertiary color mixes instead of mixing blue and yellow and getting a grey green with the no-name watercolors and other strange color reactions.
@Brenda this is beautiful!