pen & ink – CREATIVE

A few sketches

August 6, 2020

I thought I would share a few sketches that I have done lately. None of these are too complex or exhaustive studies. Most of these have been sketched just to keep the hand eye coordination strong and give me a reason to make marks. When I created the sketch below my goal was to convey […]

Trying out a 4 color Bic

March 15, 2020March 18, 2020

Just a bit of sketchbook experimentation I have seen other artists create portraits using a 4 color Bic pen and I wanted to give a shot as well. It was a nice experience seeing some color on the page for a change. I have a bit of ink bleedthrough from some handwritten notes on the […]

Chimpanzee Portrait

January 19, 2020

I have been wanting a sketchbook with black paper for a while. I finally purchased one in early January along with a 3 pack of white Sakura Gelly Roll pens in white. The pens came in 3 weights 10, 08, & 05. The portrait below was sketched with the 05 and 10 weight pens. The […]

Reality & Tactile Feedback

June 11, 2019

Back to the Real Feel… Lately, I have been spending a good amount of time creating digital sketches with my iPad. I really like the convenience and tons of media options. However, I was missing the sound of marks on paper, creating with real tools, and the lack of an undo button. I haven’t created […]

Pen & Ink Portrait of Ras

February 25, 2019

The inspiration for this portrait came from the iOS app Sktchy. I was drawn to his overall look, the short dreadlocks, glasses, and facial hair, etc. I tried to keep the sketch fairly loose and have fun with it. Have a great day, Mike This sketch was created using Micron 005, Micron Brush Pen, Gelly […]

Gorilla Sketch

February 21, 2019

Back to pen & ink for this one. I started out sketching a Gorilla portrait, but…I’m not sure if that’s what I ended with? I just don’t feel that I really captured the gorilla the way I intended to. Something seems a little off to me. Perhaps the lower portion of the face it a […]

Hornet Sketch

February 6, 2019February 6, 2019

Another page from my sketchbook. My sketching habit is becoming more integrated into my daily routine. Quite often I not only sketch in the early morning hours but try to sneak a little time in the evenings as well. Putting the pen or pencil to paper is such a therapeutic experience. It’s so calming for […]

Creature Sketch – Cave Troll

February 2, 2019

A little something different went into my sketchbook this week. A creature. This one, in particular, is based on a cave troll from the Lord of the Rings film trilogy. You can view the actual scene here if interested. This cave troll was a blast to create. I spent a bit more time on this […]

More faces from last week’s sketches

January 27, 2019

I am remaining dedicated to my daily sketching routine. I believe I have been focusing on faces simply because it’s so easy to find reference images and the fact that it is somewhat familiar territory for me. However, in the future, I would like to start sketching more from life. I typically work using a […]

Pen and Ink Portraits

January 24, 2019

A few more sketches! The portraits below were sketched this past weekend. You will find that these are not as carefully drawn as some of my previous work. Truth is, all 3 were rushed just a bit. I’m not sure why I think it may be somewhat due to being created on a weekend and […]

Pen and Ink Pine Comb Sketch

January 18, 2019

This is another drawing from my morning sketch practice. This time I chose to create a sketch of a pine comb using a photo reference. I am certainly enjoying my new found dedication to sketching. It is amazing how much calmer and focused my mornings are now that I have began sketching again. Once I […]

Asian Inspired Dragon

January 15, 2019

Another page from my sketchbook. This sketch was completed over 3 different sessions of around 45 minutes each. Since this is in my sketchbook, I just dove right in with ink, no pencil under-drawing. This sketch was based on a photo of a statue, so it comes off a bit cold. I still need to […]

Dedicated to Daily Sketching

January 13, 2019

One of my goals for 2019 is to sketch each day. So far, I have been choosing to sketch in the early morning hours prior to leaving for work. This seems to work well with my natural ebb & flow of energy. My mind is the sharpest and most focused during the morning hours. My […]