Wow. Wasn’t photography invented yet? 
1 Like
Hey, some guys impress girls by being sports jocks. Others impress them by playing guitars. I couldn’t do either, but drawing their portraits was a half decent substitute. One works with what one has. 
1 Like
… but was it rewarding?
wow these are good, JUST-B drawing is fantastic!
I went for a walk and was think how quicker, easier and FUN it was to draw with ink and pen instead of markers and iPads, so this thread perked my ink!
Holy Moly! Great thread PD! I love seeing all the ink work. And B … very impressive! I would have been head over heels if someone did this for me.
Here is about as far as I delve into the mighty pen
I was rather infatuated with this one.
6 Likes
I like it!
Can I ask what kind of pen(s) you’re using?
How did you do the subtle shading? Is that a stipple effect with the pen or, maybe, some pencil work?
1 Like
The shading is pencil and then blend, blend… blend. I’ve never been very good at stippling.
These are the pens I use. Sorry for the flash … I just snapped this quick to show you.
1 Like
I’ll need to get a pack of those. I still have some old technical pens from the paste-up days, but they’re totally dried up and no longer working.
1 Like
as i remember higging is sub par while strathmore or pelican is better india ink. then the paper is important as well, not too smooth and not too bumpy,
I’ve had these about 5 years and I keep them in an air tight box and laid flat. They seem to have lasted quite nicely, but the very smallest tip skips now .
I have used Sharpie fine point on occasion … but it soaks through so bad I need 3 sheets of paper underneath I do love a good Sharpie though 
I use the Microns too RKK.
1 Like
My preference is the dip pen for the organic indulgence. My grip, however, goes the way of my eyesight.
Technical pen, on the other hand, gives me the discipline I need.
1 Like
Since everyone else is sharing their most impressive illustration skills, I thought I’d share one of mine. To commemorate the strange times we’re living through, I call it “self portrait holding an empty toilet paper roll.”
4 Likes
Steve-O, the legs should maybe be crossed.
I like Praxis’s illustration of TP dodgeball. Being the one everyone aimed at, I’d win that game!
I use a dip pen for calligraphy, but would rather the uninterrupted flow of a technical pen for when doing an illustration. I’ll have to dig back to see if I can come up with an old finished piece.
3 Likes
Dang! That’s really nice @Steve_O.
Hands are difficult to draw, but you still managed to put thumbs on them. It looks like he hasn’t been able to get to the barbershop and gave himself less-than-successful haircut. He’s frightened, like many of us and at a quandary over what to do. He even looks a bit thin, as though he might be sick himself, but as is typical with Covid-19, some people don’t know they have it, which again plays into his alarm and apparent confusion.
Is it a man? Is it a woman? It doesn’t matter, since this disease doesn’t discriminate. I love your choice of red since it suggests the urgency of the situation.
This work is packed with symbolism.
You nailed it as usual! 
5 Likes
Perhaps he’s seeing red at the person who left the empty TP tube in the holder?
2 Likes
where is the mask?
details, details de-tails
and your stick figure should be brown
You where a mask to the bathroom? A gas mask maybe…