FINDING FREEDOM in Pen and Ink #1 of 9
TRY A NEW APPROACH TO THIS EASY-TO-USE MEDIUM THAT ALLOWS YOU TO CHANGE YOUR COMPOSITIONS AS YOU WORK.
By Ron Colgrove
I’ve always enjoyed pen and ink drawing because it offers unlimited opportunities for creative expression. By varying my line widths, using different types of pen strokes and accentuating my values, I’m able to create works that range from loose and lyrical to pointed and precise. The lone problem I encountered with the medium, however, was its apparent inflexibility. I felt confined, as though I had to finish a drawing exactly the way I started it. But over the years I’ve developed processes that allow me to change or restructure each drawing as I create it. These techniques have freed my creativity so that I can follow new directions and enhance the aesthetic appeal of my work.
Kelly's Place by Ron Colgrove
A stretch of the imagination
When I was mostly finished with Kelly’s Place (pen and ink, 24 x 18) I noticed that there was a big empty space in the middle. Deciding I needed to add something; in this case, a hillside and cabin, I made a sketch of it on tracing paper and then moved it around to check for placement and perspective. Then I inked it in.