Skull on Plaid

In keeping with my effort to stay loose and lively, here's another whimsical skull in brush pen.  Isn't he fashionable on plaid?  I pulled out a gray prismacolor marker to help push the pattern back a little.  This would have taken me a few extra hours if I'd done it with a technical pen, but I'm thinking once I get the hang of this brush stuff it'll be great to blend the tools together... using brush for the fat and flowing outlines and pen for fine detail and hatching.  Lot's to play with there!

On a side note, as a metal fan I'm well aware of how cliche skull art is... yet that allure is always there!  Must be some kind of primal fascination in us.

Mammoth Drawings with Brush Pen

This small set of mammoth drawings had me using a brush pen, ranging from 10 to 20 minutes each.  It's certainly a lot faster than working with technical pen!

 

I've owned a Pentel Pocket Brush Pen for well over a year, but never spent much serious time with it.  Thanks to a nudge from an illustrator friend, I decided it was time I started making a more concerted effort to get comfortable and confident with a brush.  

 

I've been very focused on pencils, technical pens and ballpoints and tend to think of myself as a pen guy deep down.  But with my commitment to black and white illustrations, it's important to be flexible and well-versed with a brush as well.  In the interest of a loose and lively line quality with some really beautiful line weights, these brush pens really are an awesome tool!