creating with ink and water

One of my favorite ways to challenge myself creatively is to limit my supplies.

My favorite type of supply for creating simple designs is using a water soluble pen. Currently I am loving the Kaküno Fountain pen from Pilot’s Ensō Collection. The pen comes in a kit with one black and one pink pen with replaceable ink cartridges and two finely crafted nibs that are perfect for drawing illustration. Paired with a brush and water, these simple materials will go a long way in sketching and are perfect when you don’t have the time or space to use paint.

A line on a page is just a line…

But when you add water you can dissolve that line and pull away pigment to use for shading.

I typically start with a line drawing. I use both light, airy lines while also incorporating bold lines throughout my sketch.

Then I use my brush to dissolve those lines. I pull pigment away and then use that pigment to shade, add contrast and bring my line drawing to life.

After a little practice it becomes an easy alternative for paint!

Using the Kaküno Fountain pen I start with a simple line drawing.

What I love about using the Kaküno Fountain pen is that it has the smoothest ink flow and you are able to get stroke variation by changing the pressure and the way you are holding the pen. I used the fine nib (.44mm) and it enabled me to achieve really delicate lines and details

Then I go back into the drawing with a brush and water.

I dissolve those lines with my brush in places where I want to add shading.

The more water you add, the lighter that pigment will become.

I like to work back and forth in layers, adding more lines to the top of my shading to darken up some areas.

Using a fountain pen for drawing is new for me but I’ve got to say that the Kaküno Fountain pen has quickly become a favorite supply for this process. The result is a really dynamic drawing created with few supplies!