Ankeny Wetland

I did this small ink sketch (4×5 inches) to test a few new techniques. First of all I put on a rubber glove, dipped my fingers into some water and spread it on the paper. I then used my finger to apply ink while the paper was wet so that it would blend and bloom. I then quickly scratched lines out from the wet ink to give the impression of trees and branches. I also lifted some areas to lighten them using a paper towel. I went back in using black ink in a fountain pen and also a black gel pen for some detail and finally used white ink from a gel pen and a marker.

I like working this way. It is fast and fun. The technique lends itself to this kind of dark and moody scene. We have a lot of these kinds of days in Oregon.

Fabriano Hot Press watercolor paper, mixes of Pentel Sign Pen black and blue and brown, Noodler’s Benenke Black ink, vintage Sheaffer’s Balance Black and Pearl Lifetime pen with 14K gold nib ca. 1929-30 filled with Noodler’s Benenke Black ink, Pentel EnerGel 0.5 black ballpoint pen, Uni-Ball Signo white gel pen, and Molotow 2mm empty pump marker with Dr. Ph. Martin’s Pen White ink. 

Jim