Exploring the world of pen and ink...

Preliminary sketch

In searching for something else, I came upon a fountain pen with a fine point that was specifically for sketching. In a weak (one of many) moment I ordered it. I had not really played with pen and ink, since it is a bit unforgiving. However I found the deep black ink on white paper irresistible. In a hardbound sketch journal I sometimes carry I sketched this pavilion in our local Japanese Gardens. Thank heaven I also took a photo. A friend saw it in my book and asked for a larger version, so a journey began.
The results follow. Each time I do it some things get better, others get "flubbed." Here is the second attempt:

Second attempt

The pavilion is set on a pool with wonderful rocks and evergreens around it. Finally using a small straight edge to keep it from getting too sloppy I found my two main challenges were the inset part of the railings and how much vegetation to include. How much is enough and how much is too much? and it's so angular, and I'm not.
Then came this one:

Next attempt (3?)

 Is this too much background? Do you lose the pavilion in it? This time I find the reflections annoying. Maybe that can be fixed, or at least modified to be less odd?
And now there is this one:

Most recent attempt

OK, less background, reflections still not right. On this one I had just picked up some Faber-Castel Pitt pens with different points. The Medium and Brush ones were good for getting a deep black under the roof edges and shadows at the top of the pillars. The rail still comes out messy. Maybe I shouldn't have done this at noon?

HELP!

Where do I go from here? This is when I want a class. I've spent hours and hours drawing, modeling in classes and going home and doing the assignment the students were given. Still not enough. I do like the pen and ink, though, no more dragging my hand through it and smearing grey all over my hands and the picture. With a dip pen I am really messy, I get it all over me, but with the fountain pen and these Pitt pens it's a lot cleaner, well, I'M a lot cleaner. But they do not give you much of a second chance. Since that's inherent in the medium, it seems to matter less, it's a "do the best you can" medium. I hope. It takes a better draftsman I guess.

Any comments?

Patience and persistence with myself

While trying to get up to speed on supporting yourself with things you love to do, it seems sometimes you have to do other things too. Like housework and looking for other kinds of work that have an actual income. Never lose sight of the value of what you do. That's the first step toward others valuing it also. What we do is not just an expression of who we are, but where we come from, who created us. We reflect all those good qualities, and express them in our lives. That's our main job. Our employment.
Sometimes that takes practice, and continuing to learn and expand our expression is absolutely necessary. That's living.
Lately I've been wrestling with these ideas and trying to open my thought to the new, while keeping in practice on the familiar. Aside from looking for a paying job before the money runs out, trying new things continues. I've taken three beginning/intermediate watercolor classes with Ron Pratt and he taught us how wonderfully intense color can be in the medium. It was great! I also enjoy the Artist Challenges that are available in blogs like Rookie Painter , and Paint and Draw Together. Having a challenge set by someone entirely different from yourself makes you stretch yourself in directions you might not have taken. Not just in subject matter, but palette and style. Some results are not all you hoped they could be: see the lemons above. But you learn a LOT. It can lead you in new directions, it's worth trying it again. In this case these colors provided a challenge, especially their lighter values. This resulted in the Japanese scroll vignette (I think it's up in the right corner, I can't seem to get the pictures to go where I want them within the blog).
I didn't try to duplicate the script on the scroll, that felt too much like plagiarism, so I did an "impression" of it. In a scroll like this the calligrapher's hand is as much a part of the poetry as the words, and it wasn't my poem. The picture is 8X12 inches.
The daises are a rather European touch, a peony would have been more appropriate, but this is the way it turned out! The purpose was the paler palette, perhaps I will do it again with a more strongly colored flower later. The contrast could be very interesting.
Well, it's going to be a short day today, I have to get up about 4:30AM to get to Sacramento by 8AM for a placement test, the next step in trying to find some income.