Leaf Ghost #168

What a mess! This is the most out-of control Copic Ghost I’ve ever done.

Three of the marker colors – B29 Ultramarine, YR24 Pale Sepia and YR61 Spring Orange – were refills. Ultramarine went onto the paper just fine but left a lot of extra ink. So when I started applying the Sepia, it re-liquified the blue and smeared it along the edges.

Which was a birthday present compared to the orange. I must have overfilled the marker, because when I applied nib to paper the ink came gushing out all over the place. The results are clearly visible in the drawing.

Coincidentally enough, the B05 Process Blue marker I used for the lighter background squares ran dry midway through (despite my firm belief that it was relatively new and had barely been used). And of course the B06 Peacock Blue I tried to use as a sub was bone dry, with B14 Light Blue not faring much better.

Looks like I need to order more refills. And be more careful when adding them to the markers.

Leaf Ghost #167

Here’s a first in the Poe Ghost series: a story – “The Tell Tale Heart” ended neatly at the end of a row.

And then “Annabel Lee” nearly did the same.

Side note: I’ve been using “Crane Quill” and “Summer Night Bonfire” Shikiori inks for most of this series. I like them so much that earlier this week I bought some more colors from the set. I’ll stick with what I’m already using for Poe ghosts, but I’m looking forward to trying the other inks out on other drawings.

Leaf Ghost #166

Normally I wouldn’t use the same medium and technique twice in a row. But I was curious about some variations. I switched to W&N Blue rather than black, and I used the longer Speedball 513 nib rather than the 512 from last time.

I also wanted to keep practicing with the new pen angle. Still not perfect, but better than last time.

Leaf Ghost #165

I’m currently reading Arthur Leighton Guptill’s Rendering in Pen and Ink, and I’ve decided to actually do the lessons as I’m going. One of the first things the book covers is how to vary line width by changing the angle of the pen and the pressure on the tip.

Employing some of my new knowledge, I did this whole ghost using a single pen and one color of ink. Though I clearly need additional practice with the unfamiliar pen angle (the darker squares), the new approach has potential.

Leaf Ghost #164

Here’s a first: a leaf ghost started in one year and finished in another.

I began work on this one shortly after I finished #163. Most ghosts get done in a single session, but pieces for the Poe series can take two or three days to complete. Still, I figured I’d have time to complete it before New Years Eve. Well, things got busy and I’m just now getting around to the final two rows.

Leaf Ghost #163

A foggy day inspires a foggy ghost. Grey background and Copic Ice Ocean / Cool Shadow (one of my favorite color combos) for the leaf.

Leaf Ghost #162

Festive holiday hues courtesy of sumi-e watercolors.