Tuesday, February 10, 2015

A Lesson in Monochrome Lines

2/10/15 India ink, twig, Super 5 Frankfurt ink, Zig marker, Canson
XL 140 lb. paper
After my usual Tuesday meeting in Shoreline, I meandered through a different area this morning and discovered many more hacked trees to eventually sketch. The butchering of these two trees was less obvious from the angle I took (I was parked somewhat awkwardly and perhaps illegally), but I was intrigued by the challenge: showing the vertical lines of utility poles, the horizontal and diagonal power lines and the organic lines of trees – all in monochrome. 

Technical note: My Sailor pen filled with Super 5 Frankfurt ink hasn’t been getting a regular workout lately because the rain has kept me indoors, where I tend to sketch with whatever is on my desk instead of in my bag. To sketch the power lines today, I wanted a finer, more consistent line than what I could get from the twig I used on the trees, so I pulled out the pen containing Super 5. The first several strokes were dry, and it was definitely scratchy throughout. I’m beginning to doubt whether its idle time is acceptable after all. In general, the ink seems to flow more dryly than my favorite Platinum Carbon. Now that my sample’s almost gone, I’m not sure I’m going to spring for a full (pricey) bottle. I like Frankfurt’s warm gray, but I prefer wetter inks.

2 comments:

  1. I like the starkness of the tree branches and the lines!!! When I read about the idle time for your pens I was worried about one of my Lamy pens that is in another pouch of materials that I haven't used in months. Luckily I pulled it out to check and it was fine. I'm not sure what ink is in it...only that it is one of my brown inks. I'm not as organized as you to know what is in each pen. lol

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  2. Why are we drawn to power lines so much? I just love them and yet they're considered an eyesore that must be buried underground. For me, they sort of tie everything together.

    Cheers --- Larry

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