Isabella Hu
The Art of Ballpoint Pens
2883 Words
International Academy
2012
Table of Contents
Defining the Goal
2
Selection of Sources
3
Application of Sources
4
Achieving the Goal
6
Reflection on Learning
7
Bibliography
10
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Defining the Goal
I love drawing; I love everything about it. Which is why, once I heard about this Personal
Project, I just had to do something that involved drawing, yet wasn’t simply drawing at the
same time. Therefore, I chose ballpoint pen drawing as my personal project.
Ballpoint pen drawing is a relatively new subject, and a rather unpopular one. Ballpoint
pens are incredibly hard to control, and many people who have dabbled in it say that it is
one of the hardest art mediums they have ever encountered. There are few, if any,
professional ballpoint pen artists around the world; most of the people who publish works
done in ballpoint pen are actually artists who specialize in a different medium, such as oils
or graphite or pastel. To date, I have done pictures in graphite, colored pencil, pastel, chalk,
watercolor, and oil. Not all of them were “successful”, per say, but I can safely say that I
have enough artistic experience to tackle something as unusual as ballpoint pen drawing.
Learning a new skill—in this case, ballpoint pen drawing—is the embodiment of
Approaches to Learning. Everyone has different ways of learning, whether it is rote
memorization or hands-on learning. For me, I need pictures and examples to master a skill.
I need guidance, an assurance that what I am doing at the moment is right, or I will be
paralyzed with fear and unwilling to continue, certain that anything I do from that point
would end up disastrous. My reliance on guidance is sometimes a setback, so for this
project, I decided to not have any sort of guidance at all and teach myself this skill.
Another point to consider is the subject of my picture. The subject of any artwork was
chosen carefully and meticulously in order to create a certain effect on the viewer. I have
yet to fully understand the intricacies of picking an image to draw; I just typically pick
something I find interesting. For this project, I have had an irrepressible urge to draw a
person’s face, or more specifically, an eye. The only reason why, I think, is because the eye
is perhaps the hardest object to draw. With every pinprick of light and shade of black, the
eye can express sadness, anger, happiness, anything. The eye is the window to the soul, and
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there is something magical in the fact that a few simple strokes of a pencil, pen, or brush
can recreate something so alive on a piece of sedate white paper.
Of course, there is more to a picture than just an eye. Therefore, I chose to draw a picture of
a girl with her face half hidden by a mask. The reference picture I decided to use was a
piece called “Masquerade” by an artist on Deviantart.com, ATBones.1
For my specifications, I set them as what I, personally, value in any piece of art. First and
foremost, the artwork must be realistic and understandable. It must not be too small—a
normal-sized sheet of letter paper is sufficient. There has to be some sort of message in the
picture. In this case, what I plan to get across is the theme of public image versus integrity.
The mask represents the public image, while the face of the girl represents integrity and
truth. The girl is half-hidden by her public image, but she has not completely given in to the
lure of keeping her social reputation intact, hence the only half-hidden face. Her nails are
painted red to symbolize the ongoing struggle, and the mask is a shade lighter than the rest
of the picture to symbolize the contrast between reputation and integrity.
Selection of Sources
My research was mainly focused on how to use ballpoint pens. For this, I interviewed two
ballpoint pen artists on Deviantart.com. The first, ArtisAllan2, is a French illustrator and
painter named Allan Barbeau. The second is Samuel Silvia, or VianaArts on Deviantart3,
who drew the famous picture of the red-haired girl in ballpoint pen.
Another resource I used initially was Art of Sketching.4 This was used mainly because it
included pictures and steps on how to use a certain technique. As for the care of the
finished product, I consulted Margaret Ellis’s The Care of Prints and Drawings.5
ATBones. Masquerade. 2012. Deviantart.com. DeviantART. Web.
Barbeau, Allan. Online interview. 27 Sept. 2012.
3 Silvia, Samuel. Online interview. 25 Sept. 2012.
4 Tizon, Natalia. Art of Sketching. New York, NY: Sterling Pub., 2007. Print.
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2
3
Besides the interviews, the resource I consulted most extensively is Birodrawing.co.uk.6
This is a sort of personal blog run by James R. Mylne, a ballpoint pen artist in London. This
site was done very informally, but it included a page dedicated solely to tips when drawing
with ballpoint pens, a step-by-step video, and close-up pictures of works that incorporate
the techniques he discussed.
Application of Sources
I already had a few ideas on how to use ballpoint pens from my graphite and colored pencil
art classes. I consulted my earlier works and drew a few practice sketches with pencil to refamiliarize my hand with the process of cross-hatching, a sketching technique that all of my
previous art teachers recommended for graphite and colored pencil.
To my pleasant surprise, both of the ballpoint pen artists and the blog recommended using
the cross-hatching process. All three sources also recommended using the Bic Cristal©
ballpoint pens because they were easiest to control and least likely to create “ink blots”
(the buildup of ink that results in a “blot” of ink on the paper). Therefore, I went to the local
superstore and bought the multi-colored pack of the Bic Cristals.
For the coloring of the skin, I looked at what ballpoint pen artists on Deviantart used. Many
of them used orange and brown, and a few used yellow. All used pink to add blush to the
skin. However, there was not orange or brown in my pen pack, so I had to look for other
recommended pen types. Staedtler was recommended a few times, but I could not find any
stores that sold Staedtler ballpoint pens. I eventually had to test a few pen types myself for
the aforementioned “ink blots” and smoothness of ink, and settled with the Papermate
Profile© pens. They are more likely to create inkblots, but the ink comes out smooth and
Ellis, Margaret Holben. The Care of Prints and Drawings. Walnut Creek: AltaMira, 1995.
Print.
6 Mylne, James R. "Ballpoint Drawing Tips (& Video)." Ballpoint Drawing Tips (& Video).
N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Sept. 2012.
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steady, and I found that I could control the likelihood of inkblots appearing on the paper by
angling the pen a certain way.
According to The Care of Prints and Drawings, ballpoint pen works fade extremely easily.
Therefore, as soon as I finished a work in ballpoint pen, I stored it in a frame to keep the
colors vibrant. Art of Sketching suggested that I tape down my paper when drawing to
prevent wrinkles and the curling of the edges. It also suggested that I draw multiple copies
of my artwork and compare them later to see which one turned out better. Because of this,
I drew two copies of my final product. I messed up on one when I was coloring in the hair,
so I did not keep it.
As for the learning process, I drew multiple close-ups of certain aspects of my drawing. The
part I drew most extensively was the eye. Samuel Silvia told me that if I were to choose
something with an eye in it, I had to make the eye absolutely phenomenal because that will
be what people concentrate on first. So, I drew an entire paper’s worth of eyes and looked
to see which one I liked the best.
A major issue was the smearing of the paper. Because I’m left-handed (and this might also
apply to those who are right-handed), the colors usually smear on the paper when I draw.
By the end of a drawing, I find that my left hand usually looks something akin to a squashed
rainbow. Because of this, I consulted my art teacher and a few artists’ websites to see what
I should do about that. My teacher told me that I should have a tissue under my hand when
I draw so that my hand does not actually touch the drawing itself. Furthermore, a majority
of the blogs also recommended those who are left-handed should start with the upper right
corner and work their way down. One, however, suggested that I should start with the part
of the piece I find most challenging or important before doing that. Since the eye will
apparently be what people will see first, I started with that, then worked my way down the
rest of the piece.
Allan Barbeau also suggested to me that I keep a tissue handy with me in case I do get an
inkblot on the paper. Another way to “erase” any mistakes was either using a white colored
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pencil—but he warned that it wouldn’t work very well—or using white acrylic paint. I did
not want to go through the hassle of finding a bottle of white acrylic paint that had just the
right amount, so I took my chances and used the colored pencil. Like Allan said, the white
colored pencil did not work very well, but it did sufficiently blot out most mistakes.
Lastly, many of the sources recommended that I use paper made for graphite and colored
pencil. To me, that made sense because ballpoint pen is very similar to pencils in that they
are both structured the same way.
Achieving the Goal
I am satisfied with the final product. Of course, there were certain parts of it I thought I
could have drawn better, namely the mask, but overall I was very pleased with the results.
With my final product, I taught myself how to draw, color, and shade with ballpoint pens
and with my specifications, outlined what I thought would be a high quality drawing. I
award a level 4 for my final product.
All of the specifications I set for the project have been completed:

A drawing about the size of an A4 sheet of paper

Understandable subject of drawing

All of the elements (red nails, lighter color for mask) of my theme

Obvious time and effort spent
Of course, the final product is not yet the quality of a professionally done drawing; I still
have quite a ways to go with that. However, I have been looking my final product over, and
I believe that certain parts of the drawing were truly impressive. Granted, I might be biased
as the artist, but I thought this project was incredibly successful, especially considering
how I taught myself how to use ballpoint pens with practically no guidance. If I were to do
this again, I would most likely choose the same general topic, but draw a different image;
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the one I chose for this project was a bit too time-consuming mainly because of the sheer
amount of empty space. I would also ask for an art teacher to help, because I think my final
product would most likely have gone much more successfully if I had some sort of help
along the way.
Reflection on Learning
When I first heard of this project, I had literally no idea what it entailed. Are there only
certain areas I could choose for my topic? How was I supposed to be graded? What is this
“personal project” even supposed to be?
Therefore, I decided to be safe and choose something I already had a bit of practice in.
Piano was out of the question; I do not have the musical creativity to write a song, nor can I
learn a brand new piece to the standards I typically set for myself in a span of mere months.
Drawing, however, was something I found I could work on and complete to a satisfactory
degree from September to the beginning of January.
Thus, I picked a topic and decided on a goal. Another secret goal I had set for myself was
that I would, under any circumstances, procrastinate. Procrastination, I freely admit, was—
and is—a long-term issue of mine; I do not think I can remember a time when I started a
major project before the week it was due. Once I do get working, though, I am typically very
efficient at finishing my tasks.
However, as the days flew by, I found myself doing what I do best—procrastinating.
Whenever someone reminds me about the project, I dismiss the topic, saying to myself that
I still have plenty of time to work on the project. After all, why should I work on some
picture when I could be doing homework and studying for tests that were much more
important? To me, ballpoint pens would be as easy as pencil in terms of drawing.
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But, when I actually got around to working on my project, I found that ballpoint pens are
much, much more difficult. The biggest setback, for me, was the fact that I could not erase
anything. My abilities as an artist fluctuate during the day; the time when I find myself most
able is late evening. However, I could not do my entire project in the late hours of the
evening; I had to do something during the day. If it were any other medium, I could work on
a certain part of the picture, be dissatisfied with it, and do other work until evening when I
could completely erase the entire thing and start over, learning from my past mistakes.
However, with ballpoint pens, it is more of an all-or-nothing deal. That, to me, was the
largest obstacle. I realized during the process that I could not get around the notion of
being unable to fix my mistakes; my hand practically freezes in fear just inches from the
paper whenever I try to work on my final product. I knew my limitations; I just could not
accept the reality of them. I could not look at one of my finished works and see the glaring
proof of my inability to shade in the mask, or the hair, or anything.
Eventually, I realized that this was precisely what Approaches to Learning is about. The
idea of teaching oneself a new skill, not sure if what he or she is doing is even correct, is a
daunting concept. In order to overcome such roadblock, he or she must develop a sort of
“learning method” to ease around these challenges. In this case, my challenge was not being
able to erase, and I had to overcome it.
Hence, I drew countless copies of everything I could see. I drew eyes, lips, flower vases,
even the pens themselves. Whenever I made a mistake, I forced myself to get over it and
continue with the piece. I learned to adapt mistakes into the final product, color that
particular area a certain way so that the mistake is barely noticeable while the overall
picture still looks realistic. Over time, I learned to accept my mistakes for what they were
and incorporate them into my work so that they look real and intentional.
This project, in terms of the topic I chose and the area of interaction, taught me that I
should not underestimate anything. I underestimated the difficulty of ballpoint pen art,
and later found myself working overtime to make up for that mistake. I also learned how
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hard it was to learn teach yourself something. If I did have guidance through the duration
of this project, then my final product would probably have been better in terms of quality
and preparation. Then, there was the impediment of not being able to erase my mistakes,
which I learned to overcome with the idea of Approaches to Learning.
As for myself as a learner, I learned that I am a perfectionist. Whether it is in school, piano,
or drawing, I do not settle for anything but the best. I had to have straight A’s, I had to win
the highest honors in piano competitions, I had to have the best picture. However, as a
person I am incredibly lazy; I am usually unwilling to work for such high ambitions. For
example, in piano, I rarely practice more than two hours a day, even though my teacher
usually recommends around three to four hours of practice.
The only way, I realized, that I could motivate myself into working was by constantly
reminding myself of the goal. Write and post sticky notes on my wall, have people
constantly nag me about it, anything works. As a student, I had to see an achievable goal, a
light at the end of this seemingly long and endless tunnel. I had to see the looming date of
my piano competitions; panic as the big midterms comes closer and closer. I also realized
just how difficult it is for me to teach myself a skill. The art of self-teaching is extremely
hard. With this knowledge, I can become an even better learner, and to me, that is one of
the most important lessons I could possibly ever have.
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Bibliography
ATBones. Masquerade. 2012. Deviantart.com. DeviantART. Web.
Barbeau, Allan. Online interview. 27 Sept. 2012.
Ellis, Margaret Holben. The Care of Prints and Drawings. Walnut Creek: AltaMira, 1995.
Print.
Johnson, Cathy. Watercolor Tricks & Techniques: 75 New and Classic Painting Secrets.
Cincinnati, OH: North Light, 1987. Print.
Mylne, James R. "Ballpoint Drawing Tips (& Video)." Ballpoint Drawing Tips (& Video). N.p.,
n.d. Web. 19 Sept. 2012.
Silvia, Samuel. Online interview. 25 Sept. 2012.
Tizon, Natalia. Art of Sketching. New York, NY: Sterling Pub., 2007. Print.
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