Smashed
Mon, February 15, 2010 at 05:00AM "...with most of my photographs, the subject appears as a found object, something discovered, not arranged by me. I usually have an immediate recognition of the potential image, and I have found that too much concern about matters such as conventional composition may take the edge off the first inclusive reaction."
- Ansel Adams
5x8" watercolor moleskine, pitt pen, watercolor
A few weeks ago, the kids had a half day of school; we have a long commute so I opted to hang out at the bookstore rather than go home and back. So, with a blueberry scone + latte, I doodled and then perused a stack of non-fiction. That's one of the ways I generate ideas. [More at Step #290: Creative Ideas.] You'll see a few mail-related doodles; I'd been thinking about Mail Art.
My mantra is that art is about the process, so even though I like the end result, this was an exercise in frustration. I'd grabbed the current moleskine and a pitt pen while running out the door. When I retrieved the XS (extra super fine) pitt pen from my purse, it had a smashed-in nib (kid-damaged). While the XS pitt pen nib is not as delicate as the 005 Sakura micron, it's not kid-friendly. The thin, consistent, jet black lines are fantastic. The funny thing is that I bought 6 new XS pitt pens (it's nice to have one in several rooms, my purse, car, etc.) so I had a 6/7 chance of bringing a perfectly good pen!
Thinking color might improve things, I added watercolor and it really pops. And I did throw away the pen.
Reader Comments (2)
This is beautiful Tammy! I'm wondering have you framed any of these yet?
Soooo sorry to hear about your Pitt pen!!! Bummer!!! I LOVE these SF pens!!!! They deliver a line like no other pen on the market. But you're right, Tammy - the nibs are very fragile. I've ruined a few new pens myself trying to write over different paints and textures. Love the mandala! Hugs, Terri xoxo