To Ink or Not To Ink - That Is the Question
Greetings! A shorter entry for you today. Probably more of an art-thought-ramble more than anything else.
I sometimes find myself in my sketchbook staring down the beginnings of a sketch and not knowing where it is going to go next. The near-endless possibilities are thrilling, yet can be just as easily scary. Especially when I was earlier on in the drawing path. More often than not nowadays it’s easier for me to lean into the fun side of possibility.
A realm of possibilities
This topic came to mind again while I was sketching a battle-worn warrior. I started with a loose positioning of shapes and angles. Blocking in forms and mapping out proportions. I love using a thicker graphite lead for this. Usually my 0.9 mm HB if I’m sticking to mechanical pencils, or a wooden pencil. In the case of that particular sketch it was the former. Over the course of many drawings, I’ve found that something with a little more “weight” to it loosens me up. Starting with that loose energy is how I like to begin the vast majority of my pieces, whether in my sketchbooks or on the proper fancy papers.
As I carved away at the forms and shapes, the sketch started to come together into a rough drawing. As I could see it forming in front of my eyes, I realised - once again - that I could do anything with it now. I could leave it rough and unfinished, even stopping midway through what I was doing in that moment. I could continue refining it with the same pencil, pushing myself with the singular tool, or grab my other mechanical pencils to create varied line and tone. Or I could take out my ink pens (and lets not even begin with the possible combinations within those!) and refine the rough sketch in ink. Only to then erase all the pencil dust I pushed around until now.
An in-progress ink drawing over a pencil sketch of an armoured knight, in a Talens Art Creation sketchbook.
Practicing more than just drawing skills
As you can see from the image above - the latter is exactly what I ended up doing. But really, it could have been any of those things or more. All it took was me picking one and doing it.
The reason I went with ink? It felt right, it felt fun. I have been slowly chipping away at a long illustration that doesn’t use ink, and I was missing it. I grabbed onto those initial thoughts that popped into my mind and went with them, before any indecision could weigh in. Sometimes the choice isn’t that clear cut and simple. Sometimes a cloud of confusion rolls in and possibilities seem overwhelming. Perhaps even the ever so helpful “what if I choose the wrong thing” joins in.
Outside of the more practical solutions to this (placing limitations, prioritising, etc.) I have also come to realise that in the moment a sketch is just one drawing. Whatever happens to a sketch, I’ll shortly be making another. Hearing that statement from other people hurts early on - believe me I remember - but I have honestly found it to be more and more true the longer I have been making things. One sketch when you’ve only done ten and they’re all in one sketchbook is easier to attach heavier emotional and mental weight to, compared to when you’ve done thousands scattered across a stack of sketchbooks. However, the key part for me was that I was practicing something alongside drawing that entire time. It hasn’t just been a case of grinding out a stack of drawings and throwing another sketch on top. That entire time I’ve been building all sorts of skills internally, from things like patience to all those “self-” words.
This quickly went from a “short” post to something a little longer than short, huh. I’ll leave you there with my art journey contemplations for now. Happy creating!
