Hi there. How are you?
Last week, I started a series of posts to celebrate my successes in 2016 and look back at what I've accomplished. Click HERE to read the first installment.
This week, I'm talking color. For years (easily a decade) I have been drawing/doodling with Bic ballpoint pens. I only worked with black ink. Don't ask me why, it was just always black. Here's a "vintage" ballpoint drawing from way back in 2008.
A Moleksine drawing from 2008. I must have been listening to Bowie at the time.
An injection of color
As I discussed in a previous post, I bought myself a package of Bic Cristal Xtra Bold ballpoints in 8 colors. I started drawing in color and never looked back! You can read more about that transition and my earliest colored ballpoint drawings HERE.
For the first time ever, I started drawing with colored ballpoints.
A few of my first sketchbook drawings with a colored ballpoint.
I experimented with every color in the set, but I kept to one color per drawing. That was just the parameter that I made for myself. I was trying to cling to just a little bit of minimalism I guess or maybe I was worried that they wouldn't look "fine-arty" enough if I used more than one color.
The first sketch I made with more than one color. Using two colors adds more dimension to these compositions.
Two toned
After some encouragement from an Instagram acquaintance, I decided to expand my tonal range. This was my first ever two color ballpoint drawing. I really like the the depth that the dark blue provides when layered on the lighter green.
There was no stopping me after that.
Multi-color ballpoint sketchbook drawings from 2016
I was onto something.
And I like that something. I'm happy with the way things are progressing in my practice and I'm excited to do more. Now, I just have to finish this large12" x 18" drawing I started back in September!
I started this large 12" x 18" original drawing back in September. One of these days, I'll actually finish it!
Follow the journey on Instagram
If you'd like to see what I'm up to on a daily basis, do follow me on Instagram. I try to post there daily and often post process videos in my Instagram Stories feed.
Want to see how I make these drawings?
This post has gone completely viral on Pinterest and I've had a flood of requests for information about how I make these drawings. So I made an e-course!
Not interested in a class?
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