5 Tips for Ballpoint Pen Drawing! Filling a Sketchbook Spread with Faces

Yep .

That's right .

Sometimes all you need is some paper and a pen to create some awesome fun sketches .

Hello , everyone .

Welcome back to my sketchbook .

It's just here in this video .

We are going to be doing some ballpoint pen sketches .

I'll show you how I draw faces and give you five inking tips .

And that's right .

We are only going to be using pen today and I'll show you how to achieve some great sketches with just a pen .

Let's begin drawing and starting with tip number one first things first and it may sound simple .

Forget that you're using a pen .

Many people can get easily discouraged as soon as they pick up a pen since it won't be able to erase .

But that's actually part of the reason why I love creating sketches with a ballpoint pen .

It's a great little challenge and I'm able to create these messy lines which actually adds to my sketch .

I like to treat the ballpoint pen that I'm using as if it's a pencil .

And I would actually start off by using the side of the pen to create some lighter lines as if I'm drawing with a pencil now I'm not using any fancy pen here .

This is just a regular stationary ballpoint pen .

I have used many different pens and I realized that the cheaper the pen , the better it is .

So in reality , you really don't need any expensive art supply to create some awesome sketches .

In fact , using a ballpoint pen to draw is probably one of my favorites since I'm still able to create as much variety and depth in my drawing as I'm able to with a pencil , I love that you can create , create lighter marks or really , really dark marks .

You can really build up your line work as well as your values , which I'll talk about in the upcoming tips .

But it's just important you find a pen that you like that you enjoy drawing with and one that is just comfortable for your drawing style .

I just like to pick a pen where I'm able to get different varieties in strokes since I really enjoy experimenting with dark and light lines in my art .

And this brings me to tip number two , even though I've been drawing and using ballpoint pen for many years now , I love keeping a scrap paper beside me or even in my sketchbook somewhere where I can experiment , do different line making , try to draw with the pen lighter and darker .

I literally just do whatever comes to mind and doodle and this helps you get familiar with your tool .

I noticed that every pen reacts differently to the way you draw .

So I love seeing how dark and how light I can get with the pen that I'm using .

And also this is sort of like a warm up for artists is what I like to call it .

When I'm drawing , I use the tip of the pen to make darker dark values .

And then when I want to create lighter values , sort of like a pencil , I use the side of the pen to create lighter strokes .

Also really important .

I like to keep a scrap paper in order to remove any excess ink that builds up at the tip of your pen .

When you're drawing overall , there is no right or wrong to do on your scrap paper .

I just like to mess around and see what I'm able to create .

I go really , really dark and then I create some medium values and I start to do these little lines in order to make sure that my hand is building a muscle memory for the lines that I'm going to create in my sketchbook .

I like to practice different varieties and just get my hand familiar with the motion .

So as I'm drawing the faces in my sketchbook and revealing some tips to you guys .

These first two tips that I've mentioned are really helpful for when I start my drawings out .

I forget I'm using a pen and I just draw as if I'm using a pencil , I build out the foundation using the larger shapes that I practiced and very light lines in my scrap paper .

And then I shade in big main shapes in one direction .

I treat the biggest shape of shadow that I see initially in the portrait as one main value .

As you can see here , I'm shading the large shape diagonally .

And this provides a great foundation for my inking techniques which I like to think of this as a base layer for when I begin to add values .

So this third tip sets us up for the upcoming tips in the next part of our drawing .

After I created my base layer , you can see that I'm building up my values .

And here I have a darker line and then it fades to a lighter line .

Adding variety is very important because it creates the most depth in your sketches .

And a great way to do that is to cross hatch .

Cross hatching improves with experimentation and practice .

But just to show you guys , I like to cross hatch by overlapping the areas that need more values using the opposite direction in lines .

And it's my favorite aspect of creating variety in my art .

I think I actually cross hatch with every medium that I use .

But now that I've mentioned the five awesome tips that will help you create a successful baldwin pen drawing .

Let's take a look at them in action as I show you how I draw these next few faces .

So as mentioned in tip number one , I'm sketching as if I'm using a pencil .

So I'm creating these lighter marks and I'm building up my drawing with using a scrap paper .

As mentioned in tip number two , I found a way to draw and make lines with my pen that I felt was comfortable for me .

And as mentioned in tip number three , I shaded in the larger areas using a diagonal mark as a foundation for my big shapes of shadows that I see .

I also then be to create lots of variety in my drawings , darker and lighter lines in certain areas , which gives it a really nice stylized look .

I selectively pick where I'm going to add darker and lighter lines .

And I like to look at the overall sketch and see where it's necessary .

Usually as a bonus tip , I like to focus on the darker areas and just include a darker stroke in my pen making and fade it out to a lighter mark .

As you can see I'm doing here again .

I have just experimented with some little lines in my scrap paper .

So I'm just feeling what feels natural to me when I'm drawing and including it in my sketch .

And I always love to crosshatch since it adds the most variety to my art .

So I created some faces using the black ballpoint pen .

But you guys know , I love to switch it up .

So it's time to get colorful .

A while ago , I had picked up all these random colors from the store and I decided to try using this green , lighter green ballpoint pen that I had and begin to add some color to my sketchbook spread .

And you guys know from my sketchbook tours that I love adding color and just creating some variety in my sketchbook spreads .

But of course , as always , I make sure that everything is connected .

So I'm just following up with the tips and steps that I mentioned in the beginning of the video and I'm building up my line work and drawings slowly for this sketch .

So I wanted to show you guys all the tips in action once again for some upcoming examples .

So let me know if you spot all of them while watching these last few drawings when making my face drawings .

I like to keep the messy lines as a little kind of stylization in my artwork .

So I'm not really too preoccupied with making it extremely neat .

I actually enjoy creating scratchy marks in order to create some more depth and more I guess , rhythm and fun in my drawings .

The green sketch was complete and now let's see which color I'm going to pick .

Next .

I was immediately drawn to the red pen .

I actually love drawing in red .

So let's do the next face .

If you guys have never experimented with drawing with color ballpoint pens , I highly recommend picking up a cheap simple pack of colored ballpoint pens to try to up and bring some color to your sketches .

I love drawing with the colora prisma colored colored pencils .

So , drawing with pens kind of reminds me of that .

It's a good pen alternative .

I also know that they sell the multicolored pens where you can switch the color in one pen itself and I do use those as well and I love them a lot .

So if you can get those wherever you are , they're especially good .

If you're on the go and you don't want to carry too many pens in your pencil case , it holds three or four different colors in one pen .

And they are super fun to draw with plus in some stores , you can find some real good gems or you can find different shades of different colors .

I think I found a rainbow pen where I've had like 10 colors in one big giant pen , which is a lot of fun .

So as much as I wanted the video to go on and on and keep drawing , I wanted to do one last drawing with the purple pen .

I haven't usually drawn with purple , but I ended up loving the way that it draws and just the pop of color was a really nice transition from the others .

And I know you guys have been messaging me to do more videos and show more work , but I'm doing my best to get out as many videos as possible .

If you do want some slow down version and super long videos , almost an hour long .

You can check out my Patreon where I am doing real time slow exclusive videos where you will have access to all the monthly exclusive videos that I put out .

You'll also be part of a discourse server where we give feedback on each other's art .

I have monthly prompts .

I also have a tier where you can receive mail from me .

It's totally optional , but be sure to check it out if you haven't already done .

So I'll have everything linked below and just to remind you guys , all of the prints are up in my shop .

So if you want to check out my website as well , feel free to do so as I'm finishing up this purple sketch , which I ended up loving so so much .

I made sure to keep in mind the tips and steps that I mentioned throughout the video .

It's just how I sketch and a great process that I found that works well for me , which is why I decided to create this highly requested video and help you guys to inspire you and share my tips with you that I have personally helped me .

Let me know which one of these faces you like the most in the comments below .

I really enjoy reading all your comments and seeing all your feedback .

So be sure to hit the like button and leave any comment below .

Thank you guys so much for watching today's video .

I hope you enjoyed it .

You guys know , I love sharing my sketchbook spreads with you and spending time in it .

So I hope this motivates you to do some work in your sketchbook today .

Wishing you guys an awesome day or week or night , wherever you are , don't forget to stay creative and I'll see you guys in the next video .

Bye .