Trying out a new / old technique

Using pen and ink with a watercolor wash is nothing new to me, but I’ve recently gotten reacquainted via a fun artist’s tool called a Pen Brush (or Brush Pen, or Watercolor Brush.. all the same). Essentially, it’s brush with a small reservoir in the handle that holds water.

After watching this video about illustrator Tommy Kane, I wanted to experiment with these myself. He uses a brand called Niji, but the art store near my house carried a brand called Creative Mark. They seemed identical, so I bought them, drove home and my kids and I watched the video again. At the end, we turned on some tunes and got busy!

The kids really responded to the brushes and it seemed to make drawing and painting more fun somehow..  if you’re a parent, I you can’t really go wrong trying these out for roughly $4, eh? Here are two quickies I did on Saturday night and Sunday morning.. let me know if you like ‘em.