Customer Reviews

The Pen and Ink Book: Materials and Techniques for Today's Artist (Watson-Guptill Materials and Techniques)

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The is a wonderful book for intermediate to advanced pen and ink artists looking for a thorough explanation of materials and a great discussion of the methodology of creating fantastic pen and ink artwork. It is packed with a wide variety of examples that are sure to inspire you.

The book starts out with a large (almost 50 pages) and excellent overview of materials and tools. I love it that the author takes the time to discuss numerous brands of pens, inks and papers instead of just generalizing them.

The following section focuses on ink drawing techniques. There is a good discussion of gray tones, parallel lines, value changes, hatching, cross-hatching and patterns. Then there are a few demonstrations of brush techniques such as laying a wash and using white on toned paper. Mixed media demos mixing wax crayons and acrylic with ink are also here as well as scratchboard and practice exercises.

The basic elements of drawing follow, including things like texture, shape, volume, color, rhythm and scale. Next, drawing strategies are covered. There are no projects or any step-by-step techniques per se. Rather, the author shows you examples of his artwork with advice on his approach, concepts and techniques. I recommend this book for those with some pen & ink drawing experience seeking ideas, tips and inspiration. There is a good list of suppliers in the back.

Smith's surreal images and mastery of a variety of styles make this a book to enjoy for the artwork it contains as well as the instruction it provides.

There are so many books on pen and ink with the most boring and insipid illustrations that it's a wonder anyone with any artistic sensitivity would ever venture into the medium at all. This book is a wonderful exception to that pedestrian norm.

The author is a master in the medium of pen and ink. He's not just a person who can hatch until his eyes bleed but he has something to bring to art besides a laborious technique. This guy is an artist not just a technician! It's not that he doesn't know technique! He knows everything I could imagine to ask about the subject and more.

When I first started looking for a decent book on pen and ink I was hoping to find a book just like this. Don't waste your time on the books that have all the excitement of watching paint dry. This is one for the serious artist's bookshelf. I can't believe it's not in reprint from the publisher.

This book presents procedures you can try at home to better your technique no matter what level you're at. The author generously shares his accumulation of knowledge. Very modern and contemporary. The illustrations are inspiring, you'll want to drop everything and start your own drawings!

I started drawing in Pen & ink back in high school-- IMHO it is one of the most versitile mediums out there. I found this book to be a great resource and one that I use often as a source of reference and inspiration before I begin a drawing. While some of the images may be a little dark--I think if you look at the technique used in creating them you can gain a whole new understanding of the medium. The section on the different types of materials is useful. If you have dabbled in pen & ink and have become addicted to it--then I highly recommend this book. If you are someone that has never tried inking and you want to learn this book might not be for you.

I bought this book because I recently started to use Pen and Ink in my artwork, and just wanted to know more about it. Let me just say the book is great. You get almost 50 pages of just Materials and tools; they go over quills and nibs, technical pens, hand-made pens, reed and cane pens,
metal-point pens, Crow Quill pens, Hawk-quill nibs, Witch pens, lettering pens, fountain pens and ballpoint pens as well as inks and brushes.
As far as ink goes he hits everything but Acrylic Ink, which is not in the book (although Acrylic hasn't been out long).Trust me when I say he hits everything he truly breaks it ALL down: how EACH Pen is used,clean-up, maintenance,the pros and cons of each pen and ink, popular brands(including the ones he uses)even a look at numerous types of paper that works well with ink.
Then he goes into ink Drawing Techniques starting from basics then through things like spattering, hatching and stippling

Afterward he shows various applied applications on what you just learned (little over twenty-pages)
Lastly he goes into the psychology of ink Art stuff like drawing strategies, establishing criteria, and the elements of drawing; Things that dont directly apply to only Pen and Ink mediums But very important to know (if you dont already for artist)
all-in-all Great book 5/5: if you wanna black-belt in ink this is your sensei

Most art technique books are either entirely for the sunday painter or they are so elitist, you need to be a phd to understand them. This book works on different levels so everyone can enjoy it. The sections cover materials and drawing techniques. My one qualm is some rather lame examples of art. A little too conzervative for my tastes. This is ART, not woolworths!

The Chapter on Materials and Tools is full of information and very good. But very downhill from here. Very little instruction, rather filled with weird drawings and frontal male nude drawings. The "Todays Artists" that I know would not appreciate this book.