Fun with a Ball-Point Pen

 I did these a bic ball point pen, I like those ones. They have just enough flow so that you can make very light construction lines, but not enough so you can get a lot of different line variety. If only I knew the wonders of the average everyday bic pen in highschool!

 

Here I am focusing on line work and cross-hatching. Bic pens are great for cross-hatching.

I've gotten pretty confident in my shape and line work. The more you practice, the better and faster you can see things and thus draw them.

I'm currently reading "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain" by Betty Edwards and I've found that her use of modern psychological research and empirical methods of teaching drawing have really helped how I tackle my own drawings.

For one thing, Edwards talks about how the logical side of the brain and the creative-right side often conflict. The right side knows no language, so when you hear yourself criticizing your own work, it's usually the left-mode which is doing it. Ironically, the left-mode cannot draw worth anything.

Thus, according to Edwards, it is very important to quiet the left-mode of the brain and use the right side, which is responsible for visual-spatial perception. You can tell you are in "right-mode," the artistic mode, when you: lose track of time, since right-mode has no concept of time, no use of language, a keen focus, and energy. In sports, they often call this "being in the zone."

We can always go back to our work later on to see what we like and dislike about it.

Anyway, I do recommend the book if you have the money or burrow it from the library! It is full of useful exercises and tidbits of knowledge on how to switch over to the artistic mode of thinking.

Happy drawing!