I find that drawing in ink really makes me think about what I'm trying to depict. You have to make choices with ink all the time because you have to use texture to create any kind of tone. I think this makes me concentrate more on the elements of the drawing and I feel I end up with a better understanding of my subject. If I wanted this to be a finished pen & ink I would redo it. There are things I would change and I would take more time with textures. But it's going to be a study for a painting.

I wanted my very first post to be a drawing I did today. Unfortunately, I blotched this one (hazards of ink). Usually, I'm more careful. But here it is: an 11"x 11" pen and ink from a photo of my youngest daughter. The paper's actually bright white so I think my photography needs work.

I will do a painting of this subject (and post it here) but I love working in pen and ink. Creating tone with lines is an exciting challenge. Lines carry so much personality and character.