Pen and Ink Paper – Owl Drawing

Drawing on Pen and Ink Paper

In this pen and ink drawing lesson, we’ll draw an image of an owl with pen and ink on pen and ink paper. Here’s a look at the finished drawing…

A photo reference is used to complete the drawing. Here’s a look at the photo reference…

Pen and Ink Paper

As is the case with any work that we create, the paper plays an important role in your success with the medium. For beginning artists, the surface is often overlooked to the detriment of the art.

When it comes to pen and ink drawing, we have quite few choices when it comes to the surface. There are a variety of papers that are suitable for pen and ink drawing. Bristol paper, hot press watercolor paper, and traditional drawing papers are all suitable surfaces for pen and ink applications.

Many pen and ink artists prefer a surface with a smooth tooth. A smoother paper allows the pen to glide over the surface, creating crisp, defined lines. And while smooth Bristol paper is an excellent choice, some prefer a paper that is even smoother. Enter pen and ink paper.

Pen and Ink Paper I Recommend – Pen and Ink Paper

Pen and ink paper is the smoothest surface I have ever worked on. The lines created by the smooth surface are clean and precise. This is an advantage over the other papers I mentioned.

However, this paper is not perfect. For starters, the paper is quite thin. It will wrinkle easily and care must be taken not to damage the paper inadvertently. Secondly, because of the super smooth surface, it is quite easy to smear wet ink. You must be aware of what portions of your drawing are still wet while drawing to prevent this. A third drawback is that this paper is not suited for ink wash. Some artists like to combine pen and ink with washes of ink. I can see this paper buckling severely if washes are applied. This means that combining watercolor with and ink drawing is out if this paper is used.

But, if your drawing is purely pen and ink, then this surface is a great choice – perhaps the best available.