Pen and ink drawing describes the process of using pens to apply ink to a surface. There is an endless amount of pen and ink techniques. On this page, we will cover the basics of pen and ink drawing techniques, tools, and materials. Some of the materials you may need to create an ink drawing include ink, drawing pens, various nibs, graphite pencil, eraser, paper towel, a paint brush, and a drawing surface.
Drawing with pen and ink allows the artist to create strong areas of contrast. Most ink drawings are completed using black inks on white surfaces which leads to heavy contrast in value. Many artists choose to exploit this contrast. Others, however find it difficult to create gradations in value for this reason.
The following video features excerpts recorded from a 2 part Live Lesson series on drawing with pen and ink. The full lessons (1 hour each) are available to members.
Several techniques of layering marks are used to create the necessary transitions in shading. These techniques include hatching, cross hatching, random lines, and stippling. (Each of these techniques are explored and demonstrated further down this page.)
One appeal of drawing with pen and ink is the clean, finished appearance that can be created. Preliminary drawings can completed using graphite and then drawn over using ink. When the ink has dried, the graphite can be erased, leaving a "controlled" high contrast image.
Pen and Ink Techniques
As mentioned before, there are an endless amount of pen and ink techniques. There are however, a few that are used more frequently and are considered to be the standard for drawing with pen and ink.
How to Draw With Pen and Ink
Drawing techniques used with ink can be as varied as the artists that use them. There are, of course, a few that are used with some frequency. Let's take a look at each technique in detail
