Dot to Dot

I thought today I'd share an update of my pen and ink stippling project. I started this drawing last fall. I decided to start by building up my darks. This establishes both ends of my value scale (the white of the paper being the lightest value) so it easier to judge my middle values when I put them in. Also I feel that once the darks are in the drawing goes much faster. It takes a lot of little dots to achieve the darkest value which means a lot of time.

bromeliad ink drawing approx. 5" x 7"

005 Micron pen on Canson paper

Stacy L. Rowan

It may sound crazy, but to me football and stippling are a perfect combination. I really enjoy working on this drawing while watching a football game on TV. More accurately, I listen to the game, only pausing to look up when I hear something exciting happen. It is a very relaxing combination - listening to the familiar sound of the announcers voices while I make a million or two dots. Unfortunatley I haven't had a lot of time to relax in front of the game lately, so this piece is coming along slower than I envisioned.

Of course, I could always start working on this at other times, but it seems when I am in studio mode I gravitate toward watercolors or charcoals. And that's okay with me because if the drawing doesn't get done this season, there is always a new football season next year.