Drawing with Ink Frees You

The pure, black, permanent nature of sketching in ink can either be thrilling or petrifying. There is the chance of screwing up but then it could also turn out to be a stroke of genius. This unforgiving permanence of ink is the reason why most people are intimidated to use it directly for sketching. But it is exactly in this reason that you’ll find the power to create - when there is the freedom of no do-overs.

Less work, more fun

It’s important to remember to have fun when making art and this is what working with ink teaches you to do. It gives you permission not to overthink and spontaneously respond to each line with another line. It there is a mistake, there is no choice but to carry on. On the contrary, when working with pencil, so much effort can be put into perfecting lines, that most of the time is spent erasing and re-working sketches. One can forget to play and have fun artistically.

With inking, you can forget about mistakes or stop obsessing over every line you create. An artist’s journey is always fraught with mistakes and misshapen lines anyway and that’s okay. What’s important to remember is that every line you make serves a greater purpose and leads to your final image. So If you make a mistake: chill, move on, and keep on drawing.