Sketching at Elizabeth Park

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Absolutely glorious weather we've been having. The gardens would like a little more rain, but I can't complain.

This is a beautiful public garden in West Hartford, CT. I had a fabulous time with the Pentel Pocket Brush Pen. After more than a year of working with it fairly steadily I have really come to love it. That said I also love my Platinum  carbon fountain pen. They're very different, yet in an odd way have some of the same characteristics but at a different scale so to speak. 

click image to enlarge

I find both tools very expressive, even though the line width they create is vastly different. On many papers I find the PPBP has a similar kind of "drag" as the Platinum. They both have very saturated black ink. They are both waterproof. (basically, again could depend on the paper).

The big difference for me has to do with the quality of boldness.  The Platinum makes a very fine line, allowing sketches and drawings to have a very elegant, refined look. That also allows watercolor or gouache added to the sketch to really take center stage.  The PPBP has a definite bold presence, It adds a lot of visual weight to a sketch and will continue to asset itself as a major part of the sketch even when paint is added.

It's taken me a long time to develop my skills with the pen and to grow accustomed to the bolder look of my sketches made with it. I've really had to embrace a new side of me in my sketches. Fundamentally I always loved the way this pen made such expressive lines, I just had to catch up in my head about how my sketches would look when I used it.

Looking forward to gaining more skills with this pen. I would eventually like to be able to use it for sketching live animals, other than my dogs, who I know so well it's easier to get them "right".  Ah well,  practice, practice, practice!