Yesterday my family and I sketched at the open sketch time at Wet Paint in St. Paul. They had many types of paints, pencils, inks, pastels, and other mediums to try. I have not used sepia ink and a real ink pen before, so I decided to try that. We had the option of many types of natural items to sketch—rocks, shells, pine cones, leaves, corals, a nest, weeds, and flowers. I chose the milkweed first. I liked the textures, the colors, and the shapes. I liked using the ink pen and dipping it in ink. I could make super thin lines and darker lines if I pushed harder on the nib. It was fun to try and I liked the brown lines, instead of the usual black lines I use with my other pen. I next put down watercolors on the sketch. After trying several milkweed pods, I moved to a large shell with a hole in it. I found the shapes, shadows, and spirals interesting. Crab claws were next. And finally a couple seed pods with spiky covers. The thin lines of the nib worked perfectly for all the spikes. It was a great way to spend some time on a very hot day!
