Starting in September I will be co-teaching a sketchbook workshop at Arts Umbrella with Walt Meldrich (who teaches oil painting at Arts Umbrella). His sketchbooks contain gorgeous ink drawings of architectural subjects and I am thrilled to have him co-teach this course with me. (To learn more about Walt and see his work visit his website.)
When I asked Walt for his favorite art supplies for sketching, he surprised me by recommending water-soluble ink. Usually as sketchbook artists we like to add watercolor to our ink drawings and we tend to use only waterproof ink. But new art supplies are a joy to investigate so I bought his suggested ink and did a test drive in my sketchbook.
I absolutely love it.
Here is the list of Walt's recommended supplies for sketching.
First, you will need a fountain pen you can dedicate to water-soluble ink. I love the Lamy Extra Fine Nib.
Buy the Converter for ink for your specific fountain pen. A converter allows you to fill the pen with the ink of your choice and not be tied to the ink that comes in cartridges.
Pentel Arts Aquash Water Brush Assorted Tips, Pack of 3. These brushes can be filled with water and are quite convenient. You will want one dedicated to ink washes while the other two could be used for your watercolors.
For a full list of the art supplies recommended for the sketchbooking click here and scroll down to the section on Sketchbook Supplies for Adults.
Have fun playing with your ink studies!