Which is used every day office workers, school and university students, is also an excellent drawing tool. Graphic arts gel pen has a great advantage: the drawing is clear and rich. Although, on the other hand, it will not be possible to erase incorrectly drawn strokes with an eraser. Since the prices for pens are low, drawing with them is quite profitable and economical. Decorative graphics made with gel pens can become an original and interesting addition to your home interior.

Where to begin?

For inexperienced artists who are just looking for their skills in drawing, black gel pens are perfect. They will help make the drawing refined and sophisticated. Graphics with a gel pen for beginning artists will not be difficult to perform, you just need to take into account some features.

Pressure

Exist different ways pressing pens on a sheet of paper. To get a continuous thin line, you need to use direct pressure. The pen is placed perpendicular to the paper and a straight line is drawn. This method is perfect for drawing contours. You can draw by pressing the tool at an angle. The result is dull strokes. If you draw lines in one direction in this way, you can create halftone transitions. Intersecting lines will help deepen and enhance shadow areas.

Paper and its structure

When using a drawing method such as graphics with a gel pen, you must also take into account the structure of the paper. If you choose smooth paper, the lines will be clear and even. If you draw on a rough surface, the lines will turn out short and choppy.

Circuit

In order to avoid making irreparable mistakes in your work, you first need to draw an outline using a regular graphite pencil. Then minor mistakes can be removed with an eraser. This procedure must be done after tracing all the details with a pen. In this case, you need to wait until the drawing dries completely. The lines drawn with a gel pen are generally of the same thickness. It depends on the diameter of the rod. To draw lines of different thicknesses, you need to choose pens with different ball diameters. When drawing, it is better to use several gel pens, since different dyes have different densities. As a result, you can get lines of varying saturation, which will create a unique effect.

Patterns

You can draw anything using a technique such as gel pen graphics. The patterns, for example, turn out simply fantastic. When drawing patterns, you can allow yourself to realize almost any fantasy on paper. To make the drawing original and unusual, you need to use more than one gel pen. If desired, you can add colors to the pattern and take multi-colored gel pens. If the artist’s imagination does not allow him to go wild on paper and draw an exclusive pattern, then the Internet will provide a huge selection of various designs and ornaments. You can view such pictures, combine them, and ultimately draw something of your own, simply based on the selected pictures. Or just stop at one pattern and draw only that. In any case, the picture will turn out beautiful and interesting.

Some subtleties

The cores of gel pens are usually thick, which allows the artist to draw using an extraordinary dotting method called dotwork. Since colored tools always don’t draw very well, graphics with a black gel pen will be much richer and of better quality. It is important to remember that the gel paste tends to dry out quickly, so the stick must be used within a few weeks, otherwise it will stop drawing. Graphics applied with a black gel pen will lose some shine and color after 2-3 days from the date of drawing. You must draw lines on the paper very carefully, since it will be impossible to wipe them off. It is also important not to forget that you cannot touch the finished drawing, because the gel can be smeared on the surface of the paper.

What else is important to remember?

Graphics with a gel pen should be applied in accordance with the position of the fibers of the sheet, that is, from top to bottom. The painted part should not be touched with your finger, otherwise you can change the saturation of the lines. It is best to choose high-density paper for drawing, and work with light pressure, because the gel paste has the property of “pulling” the sheet. If gross errors occur during drawing, which simply need to be removed, use white or other covering materials. We must remember that graphics with a gel pen require the precision and accuracy of the artist. Of course, the first time the drawing may not be of very high quality. But everything comes with experience. Over time, the drawings will become clear, and the confident hand of a master of his craft will be felt in them.

Let's get acquainted with drawing techniques like Zentangle, Doodling and Zendoodling

I really liked the drawing technique; it is especially good (in my opinion) for those creative people who want to express themselves in drawing, but do not have classical skills.

Here, to achieve success, you need a lot of imagination and creativity and a minimum of drawing techniques, although spatial imagination will still be useful to us. The pictures are unusual and exciting; you can look at them and study them for a long time.

Unfortunately, I didn’t find information about these techniques in Russian, so I translated it from English sources (don’t judge my translation too harshly).

Zentangle is a small piece of art made with a fine point pen and graphite to highlight light and shadow. It is compiled in a certain order. Take a square of watercolor paper and use a pencil to place 4 dots in each corner about half an inch from the border of the paper. Connect these points with a pencil border, which can be either smooth or curved (irregular). Inside the resulting frame, “lines” are drawn with a pencil, the so-called crazy lines. This divides the drawing area into sectors of different sizes and specific profiles. Take a thin one fountain pen and fill the form with a variety of repeating patterns. Once you've filled in the gaps, the pencil lines are erased and then shading is added to give the Zentangle shape.

If your drawing doesn't follow these guidelines, then it's not a Zentangle. Zentangle is an abstract design and can be viewed from any angle. If it has a recognizable image, such as a face or eyes or an animal, it is not Zentangle. However, it may well be stylized Zentangle or ZIA.

Doodle (translated as scribble) is a focused drawing made while a person's attention is occupied with something else. Doodles - simple drawings, which may have concrete representational meanings or may simply be abstract forms.

Stereotypical examples of drawing are found in school notebooks, often in the margins, made by students when they are daydreaming or losing interest during class. Other common examples of painting done over long periods of time telephone conversations, if you have a pen and paper at hand.

Popular types include cartoon versions, images of teachers or schoolmates, famous television or comic characters, fictional creatures, landscapes, geometric figures and patterns, textures, banners with legends and animation scenes made in sequence on various pages of a book or laptop.

Zendoodling is a hybrid of Zentangle art with Doodling. Zendoodles often free form and has an abstract look sometimes with splashes of color.

It is not strictly called Zentangling because it does not use the "line" method, nor does it require black and white execution.
Zendoodles are created using black ink on any type of colored background, not necessarily white paper. The use of watercolors, pencils, chalk, markers, etc. is also allowed. at your discretion.

We continue to talk about how to teach a child to draw. Does your child refuse to draw with pencils or paints? This is because his shoulder girdle muscles are poorly developed.

You have to press down on the pencil and hold the brush suspended, it’s difficult. Try inviting him to draw with a gel pen. The line turns out clear and bright, it goes easily. The drawing with a gel pen is unique and beautiful.

When we say this unconventional drawing, many are surprised: what is unconventional about a regular gel pen? It's not the pen, but the drawing method itself.

The artist Dmitry Rybin works in this technique. His technique is called “Mystical Gel Pen Graphics”. In his opinion, anyone can learn such unconventional drawing. And for children, the technique of drawing with helium pens is suitable because by mastering it, you can learn to draw from scratch.

Gel pen drawing technique

Drawing according to Dmitry Rybin’s method is something between graphics and ornament (this is also suitable for working with children). Looks like zenart. This is a repetition of elementary forms, and not the creation of a “masterpiece” or a highly artistic painting.

Everyone can draw elementary forms, but, ultimately, it is from them that the picture is created. Many graphic elements are simple and accessible to children: circle, square, triangle, dot, wavy line, three crossed lines (snowflake) and others.

Despite the simplicity of the elements, the results are very interesting pictures, similar to graphics, Chinese or Japanese painting(drawing "Tree of Life"). The drawing is laconic and complete.

Materials and tools

What materials will non-traditional drawing with gel pens require?

Pens

1. Regular gel pens sold at any office supply store. Usually they draw with black paste on white paper. But if you want to draw a color picture, you can purchase sets of colored pens.
2. Capillary pens, if there are no gel pens. For capillary pens, you need to select paper. On some types of paper, ink bleeds. Essentially this is the same felt-tip pen with a very thin rod. It has a rod inside, like a felt-tip pen. For a pen that doesn’t write well, remember the refill a little – the pen will still serve. You can also use ordinary felt-tip pens for coloring.
3. When choosing handles, you should consider the following circumstance. Preschoolers or schoolchildren with impaired motor skills tend to initially put excessive pressure on the pen when drawing. In this case, capillary pens fail faster. Helium ones are preferable.

Paper

The paper is white, smooth, thick. A piece of whatman paper size A5 is best. Sometimes, without really thinking about it, people buy sketchbooks. When choosing, pay attention to the quality of the paper.

Drawing Rules

1. The line must be continuous (therefore, with older preschoolers, you first need to draw short lines). Anxious children tend to circle the same pattern element over and over again. There should be one line. No shading. The exercise will provide smooth lines in your writing.
2. Each element should be clear and separate, without merging with other elements.
3. We outline the template, gradually moving from top to bottom, trying not to smear what we have drawn.

Where to begin

You can start working with children from the age of 6, but this type of drawing works best for schoolchildren. Let's remember ourselves, most of us in school and student days drew something similar, bored in class.

We start by outlining the templates. The template can be an outline drawing of the item (a simple coloring with a small amount of detail will do). Note! A helium pen doesn’t draw well with a pencil, so we draw an outline with a simple pencil very thin, maybe even a broken line.

A small child cannot draw like this; an adult draws the template. Or it prints out on a printer with a faint line. A photocopied picture will also not work for the same reason as a pencil. We simply scanned the samples and printed them.

The child learned to trace the template carefully and beautifully. Let's make the job more difficult. Divide a sheet of paper vertically into two fields. On the right is a template for the outline, on the left is an empty space. We invite the child to first circle the template, and then on the left free space copy the pattern yourself. The work is difficult, but doable. At first, the copy will be deformed in shape or size (usually small). With the acquisition of skill and training of the eye, the quality of the copy improves.

Zentangle - simple and interesting way creating beautiful graphic images using repeating elements and patterns. Almost anyone can use it. This activity develops attention and creativity, and also improves your mood. Zentangle is a method known throughout the world, people use it of different ages and with different interests.

This technique does not require complex materials. For work you will need paper, pencil (for the initial drawing) and black gel pen (liner).

Liners - these are pens, but with water-based ink, so they can draw fine, beautiful line. They are convenient because there are liners of different thicknesses on sale. Thin lines are suitable for detailed drawings, bold ones for large planes. Liners are sold at any office supply store.

The advantage of the Zentangle technique is that you don’t have to be afraid of making a mistake and making an uneven line. So you have a great opportunity to draw right away without a pencil.

To make it easier for you to learn the Zentangle technique, I will add several ornaments that you can use in your drawings. I came up with most of them myself.

Do you want to create small masterpiece using zentangle technique? Then let's go! Today we are drawing animals.

How to draw a fish using the Zentangle technique

1. First of all, let's think about placing the fish on the paper. We use light planes (ovals) to denote the body, tail and fins of the future fish.

2. Now we clarify the contour of the fish’s body, draw the fins and tail. At this stage, you can finish drawing the fish’s face: plump lips and eyes.

3. The fish is ready! Isn't it so difficult? Now use lines to divide the body, fins and tail of the fish into strips. Why, you ask? Each of these strips will have a special ornament - you can come up with it yourself, or choose it from my examples.

4. When the pencil drawing is completely ready, trace the outline with a black pen or liner. After this, you can safely start coloring the fish using the Zentangle technique. Let's start with the smallest fin. Decorate each strip with a different original ornament.

Pay attention! It is not at all necessary to exactly repeat the ornaments that I drew. Add originality and your own personality to the drawing. You can change the order of ornaments, come up with your own, etc.

It is important to know! Some patterns may be repeated several times-that's even good.

Pay attention! Some patterns can be made darker, while others-lighter. This difference is possible due to different densities, or line thicknesses. It is important to alternate light and dark patterns for contrast so that the design does not turn out too light or dark.

6. If the fins and tail are ready, proceed to drawing the body of the fish. Decorate each strip with an exclusive ornament!

Advice. Don’t be afraid to fantasize and make mistakes, this gives your work a special personality. Try to draw all the ornaments without a pencil, just with a black pen, so you will gain courage in drawing and quickly develop your creative abilities.

7. At this stage we move on to the face. Make it a little lighter than the body and fins - then the border of the body and face will be clearly visible.

8. Congratulations! You have mastered Zentangle for beginners perfectly. The fish is ready! Now you can complete the details of the environment: air bubbles in the water, algae, sand and stones. Don’t forget that the background must also be made using this technique for the picture to look harmonious.

How to draw an owl using the Zentangle technique step by step

1. First of all, on clean paper, lightly mark a circle that will be the owl’s body. Divide the circle with two auxiliary lines: midline body and eye line. These lines will help you better navigate the drawing.

2. Draw the outline of the bird’s body: slightly narrowed at the top, wide in the middle and very narrow at the bottom. Draw a triangular tail with a rounded tip at the bottom and small ears on the head, a little like horns.

3. At this stage we move on to drawing the face. Draw the owl huge round eyes so that she can see well at night, and a triangular beak between the eyes. Don't forget the wings. Mark lightly where they will be located on the right and left sides.

4. At this stage, draw the wings in detail, highlighting three planes in them, similar to feathers. Also add feathers on the tail and ears. Don't forget about little paws. Draw a twig for the owl so that she has something to sit on.

5. Now all that's left to do is add the details. Select the area of ​​the face around the eyes and beak. And in the other part of the body, which will be the body, draw semicircular feathers.

6. Now trace the outline with a black pen or liner and move on to the ornaments. I started drawing the owl from its wings and ears.

7. Now you can draw feathers on the tail and eyes. Make the small pupil darker and add a light ornament around it. For example, for the eyes I chose lines with a circle at the end - such an ornament is somewhat reminiscent of natural ornaments in human eyes.

Make the lines near the pupils a little thicker and darker to highlight your eyes well. And the closer to the edge, the more you leave the paper white. Also paint the beak.

8. At this stage, paint the feathers of the body. There are a lot of them, so you will have to try. But the result is worth it. Don't forget that you can use your own ornaments.

9. The drawing is almost ready! All that remains is to finish the ornaments near the eyes. Make them lighter than the body feathers. However, near the eyes, let the lines be thicker and darker, this will highlight their outline well.

Congratulations! The owl is completely ready! All that remains is to decorate the branch and draw fantastic leaves.

We are used to painting in black and white... Perhaps that is why white drawing on black or colored paper it looks especially impressive: breaking patterns and impressing. Although the same drawing, in black and white, will not seem as striking.

I fell in love with painting with white paints on a black background as a child. And thus she “hacked” a couple of drawing competitions - this decision was so unexpected for the audience. And now - when I got carried away - I prefer unusual combinations when choosing colors :)

Mandala gold on black:

Doodling silver on red

Zentangle white and black on orange:

But the most impressive thing still remains White color on a black background - regardless of whether you draw mandalas, zentangles or are just learning:

Today I have 4 white pens in my “arsenal”. They are different and appearance, and a line that can be left on paper. This:


In Minsk you can more or less easily buy Crown Hi-Jell Roller is a familiar gel pen, but with white ink.

Handles production Sakura are rightfully considered one of (if not the) best white pens for drawing on black paper. Masters all over the world, from the USA to New Zealand, draw mandalas and zentangles with their pens. For some time now, Sakura pens can be found in Belarusian stores. And once upon a time Gelly Roll I brought from Ukraine and Russia, Decorese They actually sent it to me from the USA...

Uni-Ball They are famous for their wide range of pens and liners, but I haven’t seen them in Belarus either. But with some luck, you can find them on AliExpress (if it’s difficult to bring from other countries).

Crown and Gelly Roll have a thinner line (meaning you can draw more graceful mandalas or zentangles):
But thanks to the thickness of the line, Uni-Ball and Decorese produce a more saturated and bright color. There is no need, for example, to draw a pen twice along the same line. Moreover, you can draw with them almost anywhere. For example, on stones:

Now you have a better understanding of white pens for drawing on black paper, which means you can already navigate a little in the range of these products yourself. Of course, there is much more choice on the same AliExpress: a simple search reveals dozens of types of white gel pens for drawing, in different price categories, individually or in sets. Choose, order - and draw!

If you have questions, feel free to ask in the comments or send by email.

If you are interested in what I am drawing with all this, you can look in my Instagram @bygirl, and if you want to quickly learn yourself, I collect pictures on Pinterest, and on Youtube videos with lessons and examples.