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Pen and ink stippling is a technique that can be used to create detailed and textured drawings with the placement of dots. This technique can elevate your art journal, and it will also stand out from other styles.
Whether you are an experienced artist or just starting stippling can add an extra layer of flare. In this blog post Pen and Ink Stippling Ideas for unique art journal entries we will explore some ideas, and I will show you examples of my own pen and stippling entries in my journal.
What Is Stippling?
Stippling is a technique that uses dots to draw and shade instead of drawing lines or shading like you typically would with a pencil.
By varying the dot placement, you can get different textured effects. The size of your pen nib will also give different effects as well. It’s a slow process but it is very rewarding. It will give your artwork a unique feel.
Why Use Stippling in Your Art Journal?
Incorporating stippling into your list of drawing techniques adds a new dimension to your creative expression. You can use stippling with other techniques like watercolors, acrylics or washes. Placing each dot also makes it a calming mindful practice for reflective art journaling.
When I get ready to stipple, I grab one of my favorite drinks, put on an audio book and get lost in the dots of stippling.
Here are a few reasons stippling can enhance your art journal
- Detail: The precision of the details often draws a viewer in and its very eye catching.
- Versatility: You can use the stipple technique in almost everything you want to draw.
Tools You Will Need
Stippling does not require a lot of materials but there are a few tools that will help you achieve the best results.
- Pens: A fine tipped pen in the range of (0.1mm-0.5 mm) works best for stippling. The smaller tips will allow you to get fine details. Here (AMAZON) are some pens that work great for stippling.
- Paper: You can use any paper you would like but a good quality paper is best for precision. Watercolor paper or Bristol Smooth Paper (AMAZON) work great.
- Patience! Stippling takes a lot of time but it’s worth it.
Let’s talk about some stippling ideas for your art journal
- Nature Scenes: nature scenes are perfect for stippling because there are a lot of organic textures like, rocks, leaves, trees and mountains.
You can capture the rugged texture of mountains with stippling. You can also create dense dots for shadows and spaced-out dots for highlights.
Stippling is also great for flowers and leaves because you can capture the small details. Stipple shading around a flower and leaf can create some depth.
2. Portrait stippling: Stippling portraits is more challenging but with some practice you can achieve some amazing results. The slow buildup of dots will take a lot of time, but you can create some realistic portraits with some patience.
Learning and focusing on stippling shadows and sparsely putting dots around the highlights will start to reveal your portrait details.
Pro Tip: Start with a pencil outline before stippling. It will help you play around with the shadows and fix mistakes if you need too.
3. Stippling with other media: You do not have to limit yourself with stippling alone. Pen and ink can be combined with other mediums. I find that watercolors with stippling can make your art stand out. You could also try markers and colors pencils with stippling.
Pen and ink techniques are powerful tools for adding unique textures and details to your art journals or art pieces. I created a printable pdf tutorial for stippling, it comes with a shading exercise sheet that will help you to get an idea of what stippling is like. You can find it here, What Is Stippling?
While it may take time to master pen and ink stippling, it encourages mindfulness and precision. Take your time to art journal and watch how you improve and bring your creations so life.
KERI INKS:)
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