Scratchy pens

My other blog, Twitter account, and Instagram all use ‘scratchypen’ in their name – read the Why? page on my blog for a full explanation.

As it is about time I added to this blog, using my scratchy pens seemed to be a good idea. So here is a quick doodle / sketch of my house and its immediate neighbours, just for fun.

For info, the initial layout was on cheap sketching paper, with HB pencil, the large writing nib, with black FW Acrylic Artists Ink, for the outline, and the small mapping pen for the detail. Final shadows and shading with 4B pencil.

I hope you approve. Let me know what you think.

Look! Scratchy pens …

It’s a bit of wordplay on the name of my other blog (Scratchypen’s blog), but I found some old scratchy pen nibs hidden away among my Mum’s odds and ends that I inherited when she died.

I found them in a small box, labelled ‘Special nibs’. Most were dirty and encrusted in dried ink but with a little soapy warm water and effort they are back in to a useable state, ready to continue their creative journey. For those in the know about nibs and pens they are:

• Dryad Handicrafts Leicester – size 1 and 1.5
• C. Brandauer & Co – Baltic Pen No.163 – Birmingham
• MacNiven & Cameron – Waverley – Birmingham
• Osmiroid Rolatip – Broad (fountain pen nib)
• William Mitchell’s “Script” Pen – 3   08/6
• I think the odd blade thing is a scraper for getting rid of mistakes (I’m sure someone will let me know for sure)

They’ll never again be in a condition to do the finest calligraphy, but they will be great for journalling and scroll work in the mixed media stuff that I get up to.
Thanks Mum.