There are several objectives that I needed to achieve with this project:
1. I wanted to used a journal format to tell the story of a sailing voyage and to tell this story as a continuous week long trip, through the changing weather and conditions experienced at sea.
2. I wanted to illustrate and write this journal using only one fountain pen ink. Taking inspiration from the Victorian travellers who kept beautiful journals this ALL had to be from one pure medium! No mixed media. I also wanted to demo how effective fountain ink can be for illustration utilising the chromatography.
3. I wanted to make this journal myself using papers that I have in the studio and I know that work! In this case Bockingford 140lb rough. I used Randall Blue Black fountain pen ink (available from my website shop) with KUM brushes and a Kaweco AC Sport with an EF nib.
The concertina format seemed to me to be the most appropriate but in order to keep the art processes fast and fresh I reduced the size to 50mm x 56mm so that there wasn’t room to labour with over detailing. Personally, I think it’s worked thank goodness, but I’d love to read your thoughts in the comments section below.
I have also posted a video of the project on YouTube: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=izubjl3cuHY
Of note: I have been asked to run a fountain pen ink illustration workshop at the Huguenot Museum in Rochester, Kent, England on Saturday 28th September 2019. For anyone who is planning to do the INKTOBER challenge this year and can get to the workshop, I will be offering top tips on how to maximise your ink skills. Loads of inks to try! For further info please email Hannah Birkett: learning@huguenotmuseum.org
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FOUNTAIN PEN INK ART 