I cannot believe that there are only five days left of the project! 😱 Seriously, where has that time gone?! 

I got my Indian ink out today and my old calligraphy pen made from bamboo which was given to me at art school many years ago. I've used the pen many times throughout the project and I love the scratchy marks it makes. The scratchiness is probably due to the fact that the nib is blocked with years old ink and needs re-cutting to allow the ink to flow more smoothly. However, I prefer it just the way it is 😎.

This drawing is on A3 cartridge paper and I set a time limit of 10 minutes so that I could respond quickly to the reference photo, trying to capture the movement and pose in as little detail as possible. The bamboo pen is quite long so I made sure I held it towards the end so that I could draw freely to prevent me from tightening up. Something else which helps to loosen me up is standing at my easel to draw. This way I can use the energy of my whole arm to create the gestural marks I'm after. 

Working with ink is so much fun and for me, it's such a versatile material especially when using it alongside other media such as charcoal and pastel. It's a material I always seem to be drawn back to time and time again. 

To see how to make a nib pen from bamboo I've found this YouTube video which may be useful for those wanting to give it a try. It's very similar to mine 😊.