Want to draw better? Draw with ink!

This is an excerpt from my book Take this Book for a Walk: A step-by-step guide to nature journaling. I’m republishing it here, in the lead up to Ausbirdtober, as drawing with ink not only improved my drawing skills…. it also helped me regain the carefree joy of sketching that very small children often have.

Above is a quick ink sketch done on the way to Alice Springs. It’s messiness is also part of its liveliness.

Many beginners learn how to draw with a graphite pencil, and a pencil is an excellent drawing tool. But your drawing skills will probably improve more quickly if you draw with permanent ink.

This is because you can’t stop and rub out your ‘mistakes’ when you draw with ink. Yes you read that correctly. You see, the more you stop and rub out your ‘mistakes’ the less time you spend drawing. And the less time you spend looking at the thing you’re trying to draw. Remember that the key to good drawing is seeing? Some beginners who draw with pencil spend far more time looking at their page, deciding their picture is no good, rubbing all or part of it out, and starting again.

To draw with ink, any kind of permanent ink pen will do. From the humble biro (top) to various felt-tip fineliners, fountain pens, even dip pens. But make sure the ink is waterproof (permanent). That way, you can also add a watercolour wash, or other wet medium later, without the ink running.

Now that might be appropriate if you’ve been asked to draw a particular thing in a particular way. For example, when I’m asked to draw a species of frog, and it has to really look like that species, I’ll first draw it in pencil, and rub out bits until I ‘get it right’. Then I’ll go over the pencil line in ink. And finally I’ll rub out the pencil once the ink is dry. But that process of drawing is very different to the way I draw in my nature journal. You see, in my nature journal it doesn’t really matter how things ‘turn out’. Every drawing is a discovery. Every drawing is free, and free-wheeling.

When I draw directly with ink, I make the first lines of my drawing fairly light and thin. If I make a mistake it doesn’t matter, because I’ll just keep drawing lines until I get it right. Then I’ll go over the lines I like the most, to emphasise their shape. It’s great fun because where I’ll end up is a surprise. This way I just keep looking at the subject, and keep drawing, and don’t spend too much time judging my drawing.

The ink lines of this drawing were done directly without a pencil sketch first. When I first drew the beak, I made it too small, and had to add more lines to make it larger. Can you see the extra lines running down the beak? They were the ‘mistakes’. Do you think it matters, to the overall picture, that they are there?

Another advantage of drawing with permanent ink is that once the ink is dry you can add a wash of watercolour paint, or add water to watercolour pencil, and the ink won’t run. So when you use permanent ink. you get to combine colour with a nice crisp line. In comparison, a graphite pencil line won’t be as dark, and will probably smudge if you add water.

So try to draw with permanent ink, get comfortable with your ‘mistakes’, and most of all have fun. Give your drawings some freedom, and see where they take you.

This sketch was also done directly with ink. If you look closely, you might spot some ‘mistakes’. But note how I’ve thickened the lines I like. Colour wash added later, with Derwent Inktense Paint Pans, which is like coloured ink.