Mary Ellen asked a question in the comments.
When you say you draw with inks, what do you mean? When you talk about fountain pens, what do you mean? I am a beginner and so unsure of materials. Please help!
Just in case others have these questions, I’ve taken a photo of a couple of my fountain pens:
The Lamy has a refillable cartridge converter you can buy as an alternative to the pre-filled cartridge they all come with. The Varsity on the left just has the cartridge it came with. It can also be refilled though using easy directions found on google. I’d recommend a Varsity if you want to see if you like drawing with a fountain pen and/or water soluble ink. It’s inexpensive. You can always upgrade later to a Lamy Safari or any other fountain pen.
These are my ink samples. All are from Goulet Pen Company. Goulet has lots of tutorials on filling the pens.
I’ve blogged about drawing with colored inks before HERE in this post & HERE.
It’s fun to draw with lots of different things. In the pics above I used an orange Japanese brush pen. In the pic below I’m “drawing” with a paintbrush & gouache.
You don’t need anything special to get started keeping a sketchbook. Something to draw with and something to color with. That’s it.
As for what to draw…anything! I’m currently fixated on flora & fauna. I brought a few rosebuds home from the park with me. They’re in various stages of blossoming.
I think I’ll draw a squirrel later. I saw a big furry one at the park who tossed some berries down on my head this morning.
Whether you’re sewing up a new bra & panty set, drawing mushrooms, knitting a cape, or cutting out words from the newspaper and crafting your very own ransom letter…I hope you’re enjoying yourself.
A lot!
love love love this : you just need something to draw with and something to color with. This is why kids are so inspiring, they don’t wait for the ‘right’ book or the ‘perfect’ pen, they dive right in. they try something and move on if they don’t like it. Trying to be more like that. I’m itching to watercolor more, to stretch, to expand. Going to start soon xx
thanks! i had often wondered the same thing; love people who aren’t afraid to ask.
Thankfully that squirrel was dropping berries and nothing else! Huh!
Enjoying your sketches, as always. It’s good to know there is a community of folks out there who find time to do stuff just because it’s fun and happens to calm and soothe at the same time.
One of the things I love to do is take photographs. I got a new DSLR last year (to replace my old one) and I’m trying to master the other settings that don’t start with a large P. In other words, trying to get comfy with actually setting some of the things myself. I’ve used the presets for years and do a pretty good job but want to go to the next level. That takes practice so yesterday my husband and I drove downtown. First we stopped by a large fish house and bought a gigantic slab of salmon for our dinner last night. Then we drove around downtown and I got out and snapped pictures of the buildings with interesting architecture plus a few people who were sitting in a square enjoying the lovely afternoon. There are plenty of interesting sites downtown so that was fun and fruitful.
I’m getting better at understanding F stops and shutter speeds which is going to come in handy in a week when I am in DC with my granddaughter and later in May when I am in France. And that’s how I had fun yesterday! Hope the fun hasn’t stopped all week for you! 🙂
Thank you, Mary Ann. Your help with info about the pens and ink was very appreciated. Your art has really inspired me.
After our brief winter rains, I was able to paint some toadstools.
Here’s what I think your birds on the bottom composition are saying: Top left bird says “ooooo la la” directed to middle left bird. Middle right bird says “pst, you THINK you’re all that” to middle left bird. Bottom birds says, “mama, mama” to middle left bird. Middle left bird says “who cares what anyone says, I’m feeling GOOD!” The end.
Wow, MAM, this brought back a few memories. I used a “fountain pen” way back in the day when the ink was in a bottle and you had to CAREFULLY refill the pen with out getting ink everywhere else. It was done by “suction” or similar I suppose. This must be why they were called “fountain” pens??? Don’t remember the whole thing. We were so thrilled when ink cartridges came along and then ball point pens. Saved a LOT of messes. Yes I am an apparently “somewhat” old lady. By the way I love your blog!!!!
CRAFTING YOUR VERY OWN RANSOM LETTER – That sounds a whole lot like a creative journaling prompt. Who do you send it to? How high do you set the ransom?
Actually getting ready to go to a party ..fancy dress science fiction/ post modern punks. Lordy the whole house is in chaos . My husband tells me there is a table out side I havent used yet. .still deciding..
I always get excited to see a MAM post, and like Susie said, your blog is a comfort for me, too. And your sketches are just fabulous!! It snowed here all day (but didn’t stick) and I loved it, as much as I love seeing the tulips, daffodils and alliums pushing up from the ground these days. I need to sketch those…
I love your sketches Mary Ann, no matter what you decide to bring to life in your journals. Everyday when I swing by I always leave smiling and happy and when I know you are sketching, I know without a doubt that things are just fine in the world, at least in the part of it that I inhabit. Your blog is sort of the compass I can steer by, it’s a ‘comfort’ corner on the web and it feels mighty, mighty fine to pop in for a visit. 😉
you are a wealth of information and these color combinations sooth my soul. These are simply beautiful! I am starting my own Pinterest board of Mary Ann Moss Art. I have 3 days off, if you don’t count cooking for the holidays, so I hope to draw in there somewhere.