Back Again

I managed to get in a few sketches in my tiny moleskine (3.5" x 5.5") on the drive up and back from a conference we attended in Seattle.  It felt good to be sketching again after my long hiatus.  I have been very busy with work in the last months, but have felt stymied in my artistic endeavors lately anyway. I think I got distracted by all of the possibilities, dismayed at my slow progress, and forgot that it was all just for fun anyways!  Now I feel ready to jump back in again and am happy with simply dabbling here and there.  I guess I just needed time to clear my head.

After experimenting with various dip pens and fountain pens, I followed Nina Johansson's recommendation and got a Lamy Safari fountain pen, and have been using Noodler's Lexington Gray Ink. I must say that I am delighted with my Lamy Safari.  Thank you Nina!!  For one thing, it doesn't have a scritchy scratchy nib like the other pens I've tried.  The rounded tip just glides over the paper, and even allows for some line variation.  Btw, I got an extra fine nib as Nina suggests.  I added color to these sketches by dabbing the tips of watercolor pencils with a Kuretake water pen--a great way to avoid a lap full of messy watercolors and dirty water in a small car!  I usually end up getting into my work in more ways than one in the best of circumstances so this worked well for me.