Just finished this piece a few days ago. Bic ballpoint pen on watercolor paper

The ink keeps flowing

continuing on my quest to discover more about creating art with ballpoint pen... my latest sketch

When in doubt...anatomy

And so it begins

I have been sketching in ballpoint pen for a long time now and never thought much of it. I think I started using pen one day while sitting in an inservice-class for work, with no pencil available to pass my time I grabbed the pen. Instantly I took to it and started playing with the textures and values it could make. I love the look and feel of this medium. Oddly enough I find it freeing, my drawings flow more, while I tend to be less hesitant to place marks on the page. Now when using pencil I feel too much stress. With the ability to erase pencil marks there is a need to strive for perfection and this seems to hold me back. However, I have been working in a vacuum all this time. I have recently discovered that an entire movement  exists dedicated to the use of ballpoint pen as an art form. And so I have been inspired to keep sketching in pen and to try and create illustrations using ballpoint pen exclusively. 


Some recent sketches