2nd entry for Jan 9, 2014

These are three 10-minute studies above, and four 15-minute ones below. I have this recurring interest in the idea of three or four Pentel brushpens with a mix of ink densities. They do for sure allow some good brushy linear options. But as with the studies of Ben, they don't flow fast enough to build up large even areas of value.
I was considering that that is maybe a function of image size. If the drawings were smaller, there would be less ground to cover. I am not so far any kind of a Moleskine-sized drawer. 18 x 24" still feels constraining.  But for some drawing situations, like a crowded Collective session in a small space, working small has definite advantages. And the Pentel pens being self-contained have a lot less mess factor for onsite drawing anywhere where carpets or such are a worry.
Another consideration with water-based media is warpage; thicker paper stocks are the best alternative to stretching paper, but they get costly, unless subdivided.
All of these have lines with a Pitt medium-point pen. The top two studies here are on 18 x 24" Canson Recycled Sketch paper - nice and slick, and washes stay up top, but buckles quite a bit. The more creamy paper is an 18 x24"  90 LB Somerset Book which doesn't buckle much and ink sinks really nicely into it., with mild buckling.
The next two are on Strathmore Series 400 paper, which I find fights the ink a bit. The last two are on Canson XL Watercolour paper sheets. The ink behaves quite well on these and stays more on top for making for easier blending, and I succeeded in bringing the scale to much smaller than usual, which meant less time needed for patchy filling of areas, and more time for building up.
I also worked out that if I touched a brushpen with a pale wash in it on the tip of a black pen, it gave me  a brief dark tone that is easily graduated to a lighter value, which really expands the rapid tonal possibilities.
I typically crop out the excess blank paper in these studies, but at the bottom is a picture of the whole 18 x 24" sheet of the last study.