Illustrated printable: Pen and Ink Botanicals
Oh, the things a line and some dots can do.
Let’s talk about the basic requirements: paper, pen, ink, and patience.
Paper: Our printable page was drawn on a sheet of sketchbook paper. Any fairly smooth paper will work for ink drawing, but beware - some paper is absorbent and your lines may spread. Test a corner of your paper first.
Pen: There are lots of options! These examples were draw with an .03 Copic multiliner, an inexpensive drawing pen similar to Pigma Micron or Pitt pens. They come in a variety of tip sizes. Their ink is lightfast and waterproof, and the latter will come in handy when we add watercolor during our upcoming project. Another option is using a dip pen and a bottle of ink… a combination that allows you to vary line width and create a classic pen-and-ink look. Dip pens can be challenging the first few times you use them. They can drip and splatter at unexpected moments. But the end result is well worth the trouble, and I encourage you to give them a try. For fine work, I like to use a Speedball #102 crow quill pen.
Ink: If you opt to use a dip pen, you’ll also need a bottle of ink. My favorite for decades has been Higgins Black Magic, a velvety black waterproof ink that doesn’t fade.
Patience: This might be the most important ingredient in the pen-and-ink recipe. The process is deliciously slow. After you get started, your brain will relax to the gentle rhythm of your repeated pen strokes. Put on your favorite music. Forget your troubles. But don’t try to hurry; that would be inviting disaster.
Our first two projects are inspired by the Victorian “Golden Age of Natural History Collections” and will involve butterflies and flowers. This printable has some textures to practice and some tips for thinking about botanicals in ink:
