pentalic nature sketchbook

Ink Tests for Water Resistence

A week or so ago I experimented with a variety of inks on the sketchbook and drawing papers I like best to find out how water resistant they are on each one. What I want to do is go out into the field with my dip pens and watercolors, draw something in ink and then […]

by foxstudio

August Flowers In Pen And Ink

I sketched some of the flowers in our garden yesterday morning and worked directly with the pen, no pencil underdrawing. From sitting in one spot on my rucksack/stool I did Gaura Lindhemeri, Crocosmia ‘Lucifer’ and the still-green seed heads of a Papaver somniferum. I used a Pilot Kakuno pen with a Pilot Black Namiki cartridge […]

by foxstudio

Quick Sketching At The Arcata Marsh, Humboldt County, California

I had some time between appointments on Tuesday so I went to the Arcata Marsh, which is a wildlife preserve and also a sewage treatment system for the city (no smells!) and did a couple of quick sketches. Neither took more than 10-15 minutes. There’s great views to the south of Humboldt Bay and the […]

by foxstudio

Working With A Two-Nib Technique

I got my dip pen and ink out this past Friday morning after toning some canvas panels for upcoming paintings. I’ve been accumulating quite a few old pen and ink instruction manuals, mostly via archive.org, but also “real” books. At least a couple have mentioned that some drawings may require two or even three nibs. […]