Black Rhino
Black Rhinoceros. Diceros bicornis. Micro pigment and India ink on 19"x24" Bristol Board.
White Rhino
Javan Rhino
1/29/14
1/26/14
Pen and Ink Review: Pentil Hybrid Technica
Below are the features are posted by Pentil® regarding this pen.
- Archival roller system with smooth, pigmented ink delivered through the long-lasting ball delivery system
- Acid-free, archival safe ink is ideal for sketching, drawing, manga art and so much more
- The tungsten carbide roller tip guarantees a consistent line from the first to last drop of ink
- Pigmented ink is light-fast, bleed-proof, water-resistant and fade-resistant
- Available in four line sizes: 0.3mm (extra-fine), 0.4mm (fine), 0.5mm (medium), and 0.6mm (bold).
Since the ink is archival and acid free, I decided to try this pen. I purchased all the available line sizes. I particularly used the 05 nib on some parts of this drawing. Pentil states that this pen is a tungsten carbide roller tip, so I had high expectations. I have a Rapidograph tungsten carbide jewel tip that now costs around $50.00. The Pentil Hybrid Technica pen is a plastic, disposable pen that retails around $3.00 per pen. Pentil also sells the refills for $1.29 but the line sizes you need may not be readily available.
If you like drawing with ball point pens, you will like this pen. The rubber grip is comfortable to the fingers. I like that I can see the inkwell through the translucent barrel and therefore would be able to determine if the pen is done. Most disposable pens like the Micron, Faber Castell, some Staedtler technical pens, Unipen, Copic (Copic pens may be refillable) brands have opaque barrels. I have hundreds of half-used Microns because they still have ink but I am not pleased with the line quality at a certain stage or period of pen use, so I later use them for general purpose.
I specifically used the 05 mm nib. Pentil does not specify if the line width or point sizes correspond to the point/pica system of typographical measure. If you are into technical drawings and technical pens, you should read on this further and familiarize yourself with ISO128 standards. For this purpose however, I will use subjective and lay terms.
For my drawings, I normally use the finest nib of a pen brand for the details. I decided to try the pen on the background. Depending on the area, I either use stippling or miniature squiggling marks. I was alarmed because the pen had a little sticker that stated "Avoid tapping base." Hmmmmnnn. What is stippling? It is a continuous tapping motion. Granted I am not tapping the pen the way irritating officemates do during the meetings, stippling is still tapping. Okay, so I used miniature squiggles. I used the pen for squiggling and for gross stippling.
The secret of a pen is still in the ink. I draw for very long periods so I may use the pen continuously for an hour. After a while I noticed the ink flow started to skip. Actually, this is not unusual for pens. I have noticed this with all pen brands. I think it is the time I spend drawing. No pen can tolerate my long use. However, there is a certain characteristic manner in which I draw. I love drawing while reclining in bed or the sofa. This pen is very ornery. It does not like to recline with me. I have to hold this pen in a vertical position. The point output is not even. I think this is because it is a "gel" liquid ink. I also noticed that the pen sometimes make scratching noises even when I am drawing on the smooth Bristol Board surface. The sound reminds me of a fingernail scratching a blackboard. It goes away when I change the pen angle.
Will I buy these pens again? My answer is yes. The ink is acid-free, archival quality and it is INTENSE! Notice the output of the ink compared to the other pen brands I mentioned above. So, for intense backgrounds I will use this pen. It is comparable to Pitt pens which use India ink. Should I trust the pen manufacturer's labels? I will also find out if they have blue ink, so I can use it as a signature pen.
You know, there is a drawing I made when I was a teenager using a Rapidograph pen with India ink. It hangs on the wall of a brightly lit schoolroom in the Philippines. I doubt the glass is sun and fade-proof. It still looks great after all these years. We shall see 35 years from now if this drawing will still be intense. I will be in my eighties then.
Thank you for reading.
1/25/14
Sexy Jewel
Tungsten carbide, Rapidograph Jewel Technical Nib, 4x0 0.18mm. Now, doesn't that sound very sexy? :)
1/24/14
Disguise - The Chameleon
The Chameleon. Detail of a much larger drawing. I am in heaven experimenting with different pens, nibs and ink. I am shaking with excitement, okay only for a few seconds and that was a while ago.
I hate Facebook. I find it stale and very uncool. Things have hashtags, as if it isn't enough to just share the moment, one has to index it for the whole world to see. Everybody is a friend, a follower and a liker. Many are stalkers. If not for my family and very dear friends who are literally scattered around the globe, I would have quit. I cannot imagine why one would think that having over two thousand friends or a complete stranger following you, is normal. In real life, one is lucky to have one true friend. How many people are that lucky and blessed? It may surprise you, not many. I did not know people who are complete strangers can follow personal Facebook pages! In Facebook, people share photographs of their operative sites, their scars, their dressings, selfies in the bathrooms, greasy meals. Here is an advice about selfies. Selfies are not new. They were once called self portraits. Avedon, Halsman, Eisenstaedt did them, with class, art and flair. Painters did them too, never in the bathrooms. I have limited my feeds to family and very close friends, those who actually have something original, interesting, smart and funny to share; and of course the beautiful ones. I have beautiful friends, that is my problem. I love them, I just hate the videos and hoaxes they seem to fall for, time and again. Why is that? Why do people with masters and doctorate degrees believe that a giant squid head was washed ashore in California? Why do these weird things happen in California? What is over there? The spamming and phishing bots headquarters of the U.S.A.? I envy my friends who do not have Facebook accounts, not even fake or secret ones used to troll or stalk someone in disguise; or hide behind aliases, like chameleons. That is most admirable. Instagram. I think I am going to throw up. Snapchat. Don't go there. You will drive the young ones away.
1/23/14
This is going to take a while...
I am experimenting with very fine nibs! In the past, I used 0.2 and 0.3 mm technical pens. The I used disposable micron pens. I am getting bored with micron pens. I have hundreds of 005 still unused and hundreds more of half used pens. When using a micron pen, the lines become lighter halfway through the pen's life. I have noticed that the finest pen and ink artists who stipple very fine illustrations are using certain pens, much like the Rapidograph pens I used before. They are using refillable pens with interchangeable nibs. That could get tedious and I constantly had to dip the nibs in ultrasonic cleaners. I thought perhaps I will try going back to them. Last weekend I have been scouting the web for very fine nibs. I am so excited. I found the finest liners - 0.03 and 0.05 mm. Now is that insane? Yes!
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Labels:
Esperanza,
Gradient,
Hummingbird,
Micron,
Nibs,
Pointillism,
Rapidograph,
Stippling,
Technical Pens,
Yellow Bells
Labels:
Esperanza,
Gradient,
Hummingbird,
Micron,
Nibs,
Pointillism,
Rapidograph,
Stippling,
Technical Pens,
Yellow Bells
1/19/14
Liar, Liar, When Will You Begin Telling The Truth?
Detail of "The Liars' Fancy Dress Ball," No.3 in a series of illustrations depicting liars, equivocators, prevaricators, fabulists, politicians and truth manipulators. I sought to draw political cartoons, yes, cartoons, right? Usually a cartoon is a simplified illustration, sometimes with exaggerated features in a satirical way. Well, I gave myself liberty with the terms exaggerated and satire. This was not a fun experience. While drawing these illustrations, I extensively read and listened to the news, more than I already do which is more than what most Americans I know do. That was torturous, depressing and frustrating. It did not matter what issue was being discussed. Lies, lies, lies, propaganda and more lies. Do the administration, politicians and the puppet mainstream media think we are stupid? It is 2014. I hope this is the beginning of real change for the good of our country, not for political expediency and self-serving policies aimed at promoting and advancing special interest groups. I am praying.
Answer: Never.
1/5/14
Goodbye, Snowflake, The Soft And Gentle.
Snowflake, The Soft and Gentle
November 22, 2005 - January 5, 2014
Rest in peace, Snowflake. Thank you for coming into our lives. Thank you for teaching us to love even more.
Amen.
1/1/14
The Incompetent Intolerant Megalomaniacal Pecksniffian Stalinist Equivocator And His Obsequious Sanctimonious Prevaricating Perverted Bumbledom
The Incompetent Intolerant Megalomaniacal Pecksniffian Stalinist Equivocator And His Obsequious Sanctimonious Prevaricating Perverted Bumbledom.
Pen and ink on 14"x17" Bristol Board
Happy New Year! 2014 brings us 40,000 new laws. Thank God, what shall we ever do without the all-knowing government! In case you went to bed before midnight last night and just woke up, today is the beginning of a new year. If you are a young boy attending kindergarten in California and think you really are a girl despite having a penis, you may now use the girls' bathroom, if you wish.
How long will it take you to write the year 2014 correctly? Ah 2013, that was some year, wasn't it? The animal kingdom must have been reading the news coming from Washington and visiting the social media posts emanating from the US. Scientists discovered new species and caught sight of species thought to have been extinct, the likeness of which mimicked the liars and prevaricators in Washington. Yes, the relentless Pinocchios coming from the administration and a colluding mainstream media were also marked by the appearances of Pinocchio lizards and frogs and other animals whose proboscis provided perfect metaphors for the laws that we have been given by demagogues who know better than us how to manage our affairs and tell us exactly what is good for us, but they just had to lie in order to convince us.
On a positive note, they also discovered a wise-looking yoda-like bat, still named Yoda bat because they have not yet given it a scientific name. Perhaps, it will be a harbinger of sensible changes following the year of the living dread.
University bans words. Supposedly, an institution of higher learning bans words, among them Selfie, twerking and Obamacare. Nice, the thought police in full force. Obamacare, named after Obama who took a selfie during Nelson Mandela's memorial service. Obamacare. Never ever forget it. How can we? It is here.
Here is a toast to real hope without lies and the pursuit of love, peace and liberty.
Here is a toast to real hope without lies and the pursuit of love, peace and liberty.
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