Above: one of my nightly drawings in ballpoint (based on a photo at Sktchy), and one of three books on ballpoint pen art reviewed in this show.
Episode 241 of the CMP, a Creativity Matters Podcast
In this episode of the CMP, more about ballpoint, rummaging in the random pen jars, the quest for a classic blue Bic, black and blue ink, and three (3!) books on ballpoint art.
“Wander and pivot may feel on one level to be contradictory words… and yet I think a pivot can lead to wander… or even the other way around. So… major and minor pivot… that’s what happened… a Copic marker rabbit hole, and instead of digging my way through to find the carrot… I just turned around and headed somewhere else that I thought might be more accessible, within reach… easier…. ballpoint pen.”
The Flow of Episode 241 (and relevant links):
- The cliffhanger from Episode 240, a show on ballpoint which ended up, really, being a show on Copic markers.
- Pivot (as a concept)
- Rummaging through endless jars and cups of pens to find the oldest and roguest of them all… the ballpoints.
- The quest for a blue Bic… classic… original… mysterious… not to be found
- Bic models… Atlantis, Xtra Bold, Xtra Smooth, Xtra Life, Xtra Comfort, Xtra Precision, Cristal Medium… so many models!
- Bic Cristal Original (black) [see how these say ORIGINAL]
- There are Original Fine … but given the way the shading works… medium makes sense
- Stopping in time and time again at different drug stores looking for original blue.
- Giving in and buying one of the newer blue Bic models… Cristal Xtra Smooth… and….
- Did it or did it not match up to the quest I had been on for blue?
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Video: Ballpoint Pen Portrait Drawing Demo & Tips (Alphonso Dunn — watch his whole channel; grab his book)
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Video: How To Ballpoint Pen | The Technique (Devin Viele — REALLY like her videos)
- Book: Ballpoint Art (Trent Morse) [library check]
- Check out the work of Jan Fabre, “Flying Rooster” from The Hour Blue series
- “The ‘Hour Blue’ (1977-92) is a poetic idea I discovered in old manuscripts by my great-grandfather…. When nocturnal animals go to sleep and daytime animals wake up, there is a moment of profound silence in nature, during which everything splits open, bursts out and changes. That’s the moment I went looking for, to capture it. It is the space between night and day, between life and death, during which nameless things occur.” (Ballpoint Art, 38)
- Book: The Art of Ballpoint: Experimentation, Exploration, and Techniques in Ink (Matt Rota) [library check]
- Book: Ballpoint Art Pack: Creative Techniques and Explorations for Drawing with an Everyday Pen (Matt Rota) (this one is a condensed version of the larger one) [library check]
- Artist: Dina Brodsky
- Zebra ballpoint
- Artist: Carine Brancowitz (Instagram: @carinebrancowitz)
- Artist: Dawn Clements
- Guitar music: Nicholai Heidlas on SoundCloud
- Creativity Matters Group at Facebook
- Patreon page
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If you don’t want your Leuchturm (I pronounce it Loy-sh-turm, but it could be my Austrian accent. Some Germans pronounce the CH sound as a K) I will be happy to take it off your hands. ;-) While I mostly write, I do draw in these journals and they are some of my favorites. I used Miquelrius for years and still love them, but Leuchturms are my new favorite. I really like the cover and the compact size. The pens I love (Pilot G7 and Sarasa) work very well on the graph paper versions. I know these are very popular for the Bullet Journaling people, but I love writing about my life and drawing in them.
Thanks for posting your podcast on Google Play. I found it when I bought a new phone and now it is much easier to listen when I am on the go and in between audiobooks.
Lol. I am going to give that Leuchtturm a better try. I am using a small one, and I love the paper. I do think that specific ballpoint was a bad fit for the paper. But I am not sure I want to be in a blank with so MANY pages for the drawings either. That’s a lot of comittment! And… thank you for mentioning the Google Play outlet…. I didn’t even realize it wasn’t there. I’m so glad that helps.