Sketch Book for the Artist

GATHERINGS

Disposable Pens 182 Compositions

DISPOSABLE PENS (ballpoints, fiber-

tips, rollerballs, gel pens) are the most

convenient of all materials with which to

travel. Unlike pencils, which can snap or

pierce through your clothes, a disposable

pen with its clip-on cap goes anywhere,

dropped in your pocket and forgotten till

needed. So many stores sell them, they can

be obtained within minutes.

I keep quantities at home, in the studio,

in the car, and in most pockets so I

can always record a thought

or idea. Quick-drying, these pens enable

you to sketch, jot notes, turn the page,

shut your book, or put the paper in your

pocket instantly without fear of smudging.

Available in blacks and ranges of colors,

they each offer distinct and sometimes

unexpected qualities. For example, a

ballpoint will make faint lines, indent

paper, build to a rich, dark sheen, blob

when old, or turn into washes and make

monoprints if flooded with an alcohol-based

substance such as hairspray.

QUICK NOTES

On a cold day in Venice, two

tourists and their gondolier drifter

past me on a canal. There were c

seconds to snatch this impression

between their emergence from

one bridge and disappearance

beneath the next.

CHOICES AVAILABLE

There are many disposable pens to choose from. The four

illustrated here represent a basic range. Remember, if you wish

your drawings to last and not fade or blur with time and exposure

to light, choose pens labeled "permanent" or "lightfast."

fine fiber-tip Drawing with a fine fiber-tip

pen, I swiftly focused on gesture, trusting

shape and form to follow. At a time like this,

aiming for correct outlines would result in

drawing too slowly to catch the moment.

1. BALLPOINT: Black and bold colors
   offer diverse qualities. Lines thicken as the
   pen wears out Grand Canal (see pp.188-89)
   and Caravans (see pp. 192-93) were both
   made with a ballpoint.


2. ROLLERBALL: A constant ink flow
   is delivered through a metal tube over a
   tiny ball bearing. Insensitive to pressure:
   lines do not vary in width or tone.


3. FIBER-TIP: Manufactured for artists and
   designers in a range of widths, they are
   lightfast, water-resistant, permanent, and
   pressure-sensitive. Ideal for precision work
   (see pp.76-77 and 214-15).


4. GEL PEN: Produced in black white,
   and ranges of colors, including luminous and
   metallic. White gel pens are very effective
   on dark papers.