Pen and Ink Drawing Techniques

Library Journal – Jan 15, 2025
Artist and architect Morales H. shares with readers his personal growth as an artist, showing how a dedication to daily drawing practice led to his mastery of the pen-and-ink medium. Having found that a pen and notebook were the most convenient tools to carry while completing architectural drawings in his native Colombia, the author shares his drawings—intricately detailed portraits, buildings, and natural subjects—that illustrate how different pens, pressures, and shading techniques achieve variations of depth and texture without the use of color. Providing information about different types of pens, paper, and inks, Morales H. doesn’t insist upon the use of any specific tools but helpfully shows how different line and hatching methods look when created with a variety of pens and pressure. Example exercises refer back to the sections of the book explaining how to use techniques like cross-hatching, contour hatching, and stippling, to create shading effects. The book also provides readers with subject prompts and drawing exercises to be completed within various time limits.
VERDICT With its comprehensive examples of hatching techniques and excellent advice, artists of all levels will find something useful in this book.