i have ink-stained fingers
Yesterday I stopped at my local overpriced art supplies store and picked up a Speedball lettering kit - two plastic pens and six pen nibs of varying sizes and uses. I’ve been painting with india ink for the last little while, using it to outline and emphasize some of my watercolour work, but using it with these nibs is a completely different experience.
Last night I was sort of planning on going out but I ended up sitting on the floor drawing in my sketchbook almost all night. I definitely have some issues with working too quickly (and spattering ink all over the place, dipping too heavily, or smudging the ink before it’s dry) which has been a problem for me all my life - I’m impatient, it’s a common trait of the ENFP personality type - but I feel like I’ve finally found the right way to draw.
Laying ink down on paper like this feels so right. There’s none of the clumsiness and frustration of ballpoint or felt-tip pens, none of the imprecision. Why didn’t I do this years ago?
I have so much to learn! And I’m so excited about it…
