Apr 30, 2026

How to Keep that Pen Dancing - Painting & Drawing Tips

How is it possible to really keep your pen dancing?

Many would say that only practice. And then more practice will do it.

Sketchbook Practice: Frames

And yes this is true, practice helps. A lot. But it is important that it is 'productive' practise. And practice you will enjoy. In my last post I suggested a great activity to really have fun with your line work and add the splash of watercolour to produce a great painting. I think you will find this activity just as enjoyable.

More discussion and examples on my YouTube Video: More Ways to Keep Your Pen DANCING

Before I get started I want to explain my interpretation of "Making your Pen Dance". I am trying to encourage you to draw with your pen with confidence. Making marks freely without feeling the need to draw everything first with a pencil. When you trace a pencil line with a pen, your line looks contrived. It lacks that life that a loose and lively line, has when drawn freely.

Supplies:

sketchbook, pencil, eraser and pens - I used only 2 - Black Permenant ink micron 03 & 05. If you like coloured pens by all means use them. I discovered long ago that I was really a black ink artist. Although I did a number of drawings with coloured pen, I prefer the beauty of the black line.

Dancing with Your Pen

1.Draw picture frames of varies sizes and shapes on your page. No ruler or pencil, just your 05 pen. Yes, they will be a bit woobly and certainly not square but enjoy the wonkiness. I like to go back and put a second line around them to make it look like a frame.

A pile of Rocks - practise crosshatching shadows

2. Draw a pile of rocks from your imagination. Just pile the rocks up 2 or 3 on top of each other as you fill up one of your drawing boxes. Decide on a source of light and add some shadows. (I use my 03 for this) Then add a few grasses around them.

Drawing from your imaginations helps to move away from the idea of 'exactness'. It allows you to draw lines confidently, not worrying about getting it right. At the same time, begin to notice your lines. When drawing the grasses you can see the power of a dot or squiggle. They can suggest flowers or buds on your grasses. Adding those shadows helps in practicing your crosshatching.

Tree, stump & bushes - Don't forget a few shadows

3. Trees and stumps can be fun. Draw bare trees, enjoy the mark making of the grain on the trunks. It can be any design and still create lots of interest. Pay attention as your pen tells you what interesting things it can suggest. Don't forget to add a few shadows.

Plants, leaves and mountains - Try different line work for shadows

4. Plants, leaves and mountains puts you in the free flowing mode. There a many things from nature you can draw from your imagination. You do not need to outline first with a pencil. Just start drawing.

Don't forget a few flowers - make sure your petals are NOT perfect

5. Graphic Flowers always bring a smile. Simple clusters of flowers or even 1 big one can get your pen dancing. By keeping the movement free and loose you end up with very lively petals. It helps you embrace the wobbliness.

I have suggested a few things that you can draw form your imagination. I am sure it will inspire you to draw other things as well. Be sure and make your frames different sizes and shapes. This will inspire different compositions. A collection of rock piles would look very different when you vary the sizes, shading and frame shape.

Of course you can draw other things, buildings, houses, food, and more. My only caution is you may find you want to layout in pencil first. That is a great stepping stone in mixing free hand drawing with layout lines. But don't underestimate the value of freehand drawing. It really builds confidence in your mark making.

More discussion and examples on my YouTube Video: More Ways to Keep Your Pen DANCING

Upcoming Events:

4-Day Outdoor Sketching Art Retreat in the Shuswap with Wendy Mould, hosted by Joanne Dennis, June 12-15, 2026. All inclusive: food, instruction, accommodations and drive from Lower Mainland. $400-$750 depending on room choices. https://www.joannedennis.ca/events-list/aventurasretreats/

Outdoor Sketching Mini-Adventure:

Join Wendy for 2.5 hr in local North Langley parks. Practical instructions in gettin your sketch on paper and bringing your memories to life. Mediums: pencil, pen & watercolour.
Dates: Wednesday or Thursday, June 24/25, July 22/23, or Wednesday, August 5 or Aug 12. It is best to go 10-12:30am as the light is good for shadows. 6-8:30pm also works for evening sketching. Bring a lunch or small dinner to add to the adventure.

Individual $85 Small group 2 or 3, $65 ea. Payment is due once your dates have been confirmed.

Always Available at Art by Wendy's Studio

, , , of her Work,

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Have a great Artful Day,

Apr 19, 2026

Teach Your Pen to Dance - Painting & Drawing Tips

Is your Pen your Friend?

I love drawing with my pens and they definitely are my friends. Especially, the BLACK ones!!

Sketchbook Activity: A Quiet Spot on the Trail

The feel of the smooth flow of ink on paper is very satisfying. It exciting to watch the crisp black lines move and dance across the page as my picture comes alive. It draws me in and makes me want to draw more.

I know for many, the idea of drawing freely with a black permanent pen is terrifying. I can certainly understand the feeling as I wasn't always a big fan of pens. Somehow that has changed for me and I hope with a few different activities (which I will post in my upcoming blogs), I can convince you to become better friends with your pen.

One way to get comfortable with your pen is to draw wonky lines. This reduces the feeling that everything needs to be precise. It changes your grip on your pen which also brings that sense of freedom to your mark. Adding to that we will be drawing things from your imagination. Again, the feeling of 'percisement' is not there. You will quickly get that feeling of the freedom in your mark.

Let me show you. . .

************** You can see a YouTube version of this blog which has more discussion on this topic.
How to Teach Your Pen to Dance
**************

My everyday Mixed Media Sketchbooks

To Start you will need:

-    a Permanent Ink Pen. I like to use the Micron Pigma Pens 05 or 08, the Staedtler brand is also good
-    A sketchbook - Strathmore 8.5 x 5.5 Mixed Media or Canson 7 x 10 Mixed Media are my favourite. I use Mixed Media books because I like to mix watercolour with my pen work. Watercolour is your Pen's best friend and they are both happier when they work together.
-    Some watercolours and a brush - a gray, blue and 1 other colour

Let’s get started. Part 1 - Drawing

Lay out trees in pencil

- Loosely place 2 trees shapes on your paper in pencil. With light lines indicate the trunk and branches. Focus on general shapes and not on the details. Now pick up your pen. Your are ready to rock and roll. Literally. With your pen draw a few rocks on the ground. Don't hesitate to pile a few up.

Ink in rocks and outline of trees

- Leave room for a few bushes to go near the trees. Now draw your trees, filling out those loose lines from Step 1 to make a trunk and branches. Interlock the trees by having the branches of one tree go behind the other.

- Now its time for a few bushes around the trees. Bushes are just shapes and so use a few swirly lines to make bushes. You can have a few stems sticking out the top for single leaves or ferns. Have some of the leaves overlap the edge of the tree trunks.

Add some bushes around the trees

-Now redraw the trees. Starting at the bottom, draw rows of wobbly lines up through the trees and branches. They can even overlap a bit. It your tree needs to be tidied up a bit, now is the time to do it. You can even make it fatter by drawing some of those lines 'outside' the tree.

Draw wobbly lines up through the center of the trees.

- Add another layer of bushes behind the trees. Notice this new layer echos the shape of the small layers but is looser, larger and few details.

- I added a few cloud shapes behind my trees. Like the trees I repeated the lines 2 more times.

NB: The whole drawing is now done 'free hand'. Pretty neat, eh?!

Part 2 - Add Some colour
Like our lines, think a bit wobbly. The idea is to not paint everything, leave white spaces.

Add gray on the shadow side of the trees.

- Use a soft gray to add some shadows. Pick a direction for your light to come and keep that in mind as you add some shadows. I have my light coming from the left side of my painting. Don’t paint all the shadows, leave a bit of white. Also make some darker than others. This is a random thing but at the same time, look at your painting and see what 'looks treelike'.

Add your sky loosely painting around some cloud shapes

- Pick a blue for your sky and start painting. LEAVE WHITE SPACES. Paint loosely leaving white space and water some of it down so there are lights and darks.

Add a bit of colour to the underbrush

- Pick a colour to do some painting in the underbrush. I choose an orangy-red, I made with my yellow and red. I did some washes, leaving lots of white spaces in my rocks and bushes. (Don't feel you need to colour in the lines.) Then added a bit of yellow at the edges of the orange. When it was dry, I went back and put a few darker marks with the red. Notice I did it at the base of the trees to really draw attention to that area and to ground the trees.

When you are finished, stand your painting up and step back. What are 3 things happening in the painting that you really like. Why do you like them? These are the things you want to remember and try in another painting.

************** You can see a YouTube version of this blog which has more discussion on this topic.
How to Teach Your Pen to Dance

I hope you have a happy feeling when you review your painting. When I look at mine, it brings a smile to my face. It feels good.

Try drawing a few more of these imaginary places. It really helps in getting to know your pen. I have a few more things you can try. See you in my next post.