Complete mini course: Birds in Ballpoint on Antique Letters

Four lessons: videos + illustrated printables

Sep 10, 2025

Artists around the world have discovered an unexpectedly beautiful drawing tool: a simple disposable ballpoint pen. It can create rich textures and soft, subtle shading with a look that resembles vintage illustration.

In this mini course, we’ll learn ballpoint drawing basics (including how to tint your work with colored pencil) and then polish those skills in short practice exercises. The practice lesson includes a session on drawing leaves and bark, so your birds will have places to perch!

Next, with step-by-step guidance, we’ll create three finished bird drawings - a belted kingfisher, a raven and a house wren - on antique paper backgrounds. I have provided a collection of high-quality scans of antique letters and papers, so you can download and print them easily.

Here is the (very short) supply list:

A stick pen: Any BIC plain stick pen (no clicker, just the cheap plastic disposable with a plastic cap) will work well. There are lots of different handle styles (BIC Crystal is clear, for example) but the ink and tip are the same. BLACK ink.
A click pen: Any inexpensive ballpoint with a clicker button that retracts the point. Many of mine are free pens handed out by businesses. BLACK ink.
2B drawing pencil: any brand.
Kneaded eraser
Several sheets of white copy paper
Four sheets of white cardstock
A small set of colored pencils: Any type you like. (I will be using Prismacolors in the videos.) Be sure your colored pencils include the following colors: a primary blue, such as True Blue in Prismacolor; a rusty reddish brown, such as Burnt Sienna, Sienna Brown, or Terra Cotta; and white. The other colors may be any shade.
You will need access to a printer to print the antique letter backgrounds on your cardstock.