Have you ever tried a really expensive outfit on, only to find that you don’t look any better in it than in your usual high street clothes? Rather disappointing isn’t it? It is no different when it comes to drawing. It is so easy to get caught in looking for the best drawing pen in the world. Or the best sketchbook, paint set and so on. It might just make you draw better, right?
How I found the best drawing pen in the world
Last week I attended a compulsory course. It was a 4 hours course and not very exciting.
Towards the end of the course, I decided to get my sketchbook out and draw. As I didn’t want to attract attention, I just grabbed one of the ballpoint pens on the table. Soon I had drawn a full spread and it was time to go home. I wasn’t resentful I had to ‘waste a morning’ anymore. In fact, I was pleased to have a new sketch in my book.
Artists like Andrea Joseph make beautiful drawings with ballpoint pens, but it’s not a pen I especially like to draw with. Yet with this sketch, the pen I used is part of the story. I couldn’t root my bag for a pen I liked or to spread my art supplies on the table. The ballpoint pen tells the sneaky-drawing-at-the-back-of-the-classroom story. And it tells it much better than using my normal sketching kit would have done.
Focus on what’s important
When you draw, don’t think too much about what you should use. Whether you have the right gear or not. What matters is what you do: the act of drawing or painting itself. So grab the free pens at conferences or training courses, use the free crayons they give kids in restaurants and draw. Let the tools you are using help you tell the story. The best drawing pen in the world is the one you have now!
