Ripley in my new cahier Moleskine
This afternoon Ripley was sleeping so soundly on the floor of my office that I thought I could probably get a quick drawing of her done before she stirred. She did move her paws around but thankfully kept her head steady most of the time.
This was drawn with the water soluble Kuretake brush pen, which is a most unforgiving and hair-pulling instrument. Still, I like the way I can go from a thick to a thin line without changing pens and breaking the mood.
This was drawn in my new Cahier model Moleskine, which my husband gave me for Christmas. The paper is thin like the basic Moleskine journal, but it is much larger, which allows freer expression. I was hesitant to use juicy watercolor on the paper so I added the background with some Tombow pens, and swished a little water over the top. There’s something about a cream colored dog on a cream colored background that just looks a little vanilla, you know? If I had been thinking I could have painted the background with an acrylic, which would have been less splotchy. Ah well.
The shadows are created by gently softening the black ink line with a Niji waterbrush filled with clear water.
So girl! What’s the problem with the Kuretake?? I just got mine recently and will admit I’ve only played with it so far, but I loved what I did….
There’s no problem with the brush, only with the one who’s wielding it. Unlike drawing with a pencil or pen where one can do successive approximation to get the line in exactly the right place, drawing with the brush pen really forces me to make that one perfectly deliberate line at exactly the right thickeness in exactly the right place, without hesitation (or it will puddle and widen and ‘blob out’ on the page. ) When I draw with it I find that it’s a little bit like drawing the “enso” – one smooth gesture, no fixing it. I keep having to tell myself, don’t think twice, it’s alright. (Sometimes.) The pen itself is wonderful; I just need practice to make that one perfect line in exactly the right place.
I like this very much – has a very restful quality. And the pen may have been difficult for you to handle, but I think you’ve
achieved a great line quality – slightly imperfect, but very dynamic.
Ah one of my favourite blog dogs.
) The delightful Ripley doing one of the things she does best. 
)
Ripley is such a beautiful dog and u capture her SO well! Cahier moleskine- they’re the bigger ones, right?
Thanks for the further explanation! Yes, sometimes we really have to learn what something will so and how to adapt ourselves to its capabilities. You did well, in any case! Ripley looks wonderful…
[...] Because I know someone will ask, I will answer it ahead of time – I did not paint this from life. In fact, here’s the secret code to to figuring out whether a particular Rip-painting has been done from life. If Ripley is sleeping or lounging in a mostly horizontal position, there’s a good chance it was done from life. If she appears to be standing up, bouncing around, digging, begging, panting or wearing a plumed hat and pearls, there’s a good chance it was painted from a photo. I do sketch her from life a lot, but mostly when the switch is set to ZZZZZZZZZZZ. [...]