NYC Urban Sketchers Blog

Weekly Theme: Using Alternative Drawing Tools

A few weeks ago our weekly theme was using alternative substrates.  Anything would do from shopping bags to cardboard boxes, from different papers to old journals. This week's theme will take the use of alternative materials one more step by using different mark making tools.

KK Ch'ng, one of the USk instructors, has been teaching workshops on using twigs and ink as primary drawing materials.  Having attended his workshop and being handed a chiseled twig from his garden as a pen, I realized I was never without a drawing tool.  Just look around on the ground and there would be something that can make a mark on a page.   Then the other day I picked up a piece of burnt wood from our backyard fire pit and was delighted with my newly found supply of charcoal.

KK Ch'ng

This week anything goes: ball point pens (try using 70% alcohol to dissovle and blend the ink), sponges, burnt matches, cotton swabs, gauze pads, plastic wrap, net bags from produce, old toothbrushes, plastic forks. fingers, hair, string, leaves and branches. The list is endless.  Anything that can carry your ink or paint to the substrate is game. And try using something other than paints and inks.   Use anything that will stain your page such as coffee, tea or tomato sauce. (it has been rumored that someone made a copy of the Mona Lisa using peanut butter and jelly!).

Here are some articles that can help fire your imagination:

https://thevisionaryartworkshop.com/pages/art-project-ideas

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_TQttCpZFbdSmE5OHVLd2Zud3M/view

https://www.studentartguide.com/articles/inventive-mixed-media-techniques