TECHNIQUE EXPLAINED

Preliminary Draft

There's always a draft, a concept of the future artwork. In this particular case, you see a rough sketch of an actual coffee ground image.

Most of these drafts are made with a black ball-point pen and have some clarifying inscriptions on them.

Creating the Underlayer

At first a subtle black-and-white underlayer is created using a hard pencil. It transports the visual concept from the draft, defines the composition and distributes the basic lights and shades.

The working material is mostly a standard A4 size Whatman paper, with empty indents (about 5 mm wide) left to avoid frayed edges.

Applying the Basic Colors

The next step is applying the basic colors with color pencils. The details are still rough, but the main color scheme is already defined and you can see the general idea of what's coming.

Usually the color pencils are the only media used at this stage, but in rare cases some areas could be covered with Indian ink or gouache, if necessary.

Development

The media is basically the same, only this time the strokes become more confluent. Also, to better define the edges, an extra sharp mechanical pencil is used in certain areas. The highlights are emphasized with a sharpened eraser, and the color gradations are smoothed with a cotton wool.

Now the basic colors are supplemented with additional tints and shades, and the artwork becomes more visually developed.

Finishing the Artwork

The final stage polishes the artwork in every possible way. In addition to the usual media, ball-point pens are used to further enhance and sharpen the image.

The combination of fine strokes, sharp edges and smooth gradations results in rich and vivid artwork. Probably this is why some people confuse the drawings with paintings, when viewing them through the Internet.

USEFUL TIPS

• Ball-point pens tend to gather superfluous ink at their tips, leaving accidental ink blots when drawing. To avoid this, wipe the tip with a tissue periodically.

• Accidental ink blots could be easily scratched off with a razor blade, while they are still fresh. It gets even easier, if there is a dense pencil shading under it, since the graphite layer prevents ink from immediate absorption.

• Deeper ink stains could be removed by slicing off the paper surface with a razor blade. Hold the blade by its blunt edges with your thumb and long finger, and flex it down slightly with your index finger. Put the razor blade on the stained spot and begin to slice it off with gentle movements. When done, smooth the surface with your fingernail.

• When shading with ball-point pens, try to proceed from left to right (or vice versa, if you're left-handed). This will help to avoid accidental smearing of the ink with your palm.

• Gouache can be used as a base layer for shading, but too much pressure can cause exfoliation, so proceed carefully — especially with ball-point pens.