When I was in college, I learned an art style that has stuck with me ever since. You see, I am an ink guy. I never understood, until years later, that I really like the contrast of ink on paper so much that doing roughs (preliminary sketches) with a pen, instead of a pencil, really resonates with me. That is probably why most of my cartoon-work is done in black and white. Well, if you mix it with doodling, you get a form that resembles “automatic drawing.”
The above piece is not very big in real life, just about the size of a fifty-cent-piece, maybe a little bigger. It was done with one pen, a Lamy Safari fountain pen, my “work horse.” You really don’t get the full effect until you cover a larger area with the designs, say the size of a bookmark.
The above piece was done in a matter of a couple of hours while I zoned out on a movie (maybe two) and just let the pen do its own thing. Tiring? Yes. Exhilarating? ABSOLUTELY! I knew I was on to something when I showed it to Shannon and she refused to give it back. I finished it at about 12:30am and was so “jazzed” to have made it, I started into the next one, RIGHT THEN!
4”x 6” – 140lbs watercolor paper
Then, I had to go back to work, but I did bring them with me and asked some of my coworkers what they thought and the response was overwhelming, many wanted to place orders.
LOL. All from a simple ‘scribble.’
This last Sunday we had some friends come over so I got up early and managed to find my greeting card blanks and managed to make another piece, this time with a splash of color.
I can’t begin to tell you how relaxing this is to do these, time just flies by and all of a sudden hours have gone by and I have something to show for it. There are so many things that I can blow time on and have nothing to show for the investment. I am very interested in continuing with this form of artwork and am excited to see what I can complete. Who knows? This may be the start of something big. Until that time comes, IF it comes, I will just continue to ‘make my mark,’ one stroke at a time.
Keep looking to make YOUR mark in this world!
