ZMACS: AUG 30: Ball POINT

I have been reading "The Art of Ball Point," by Matt Rota. Ball point pen (Biro) is a fascinating medium. It is cheap, and it makes a consistent line. This can be a challenge, as depth is often communicated in pen-and-ink with variations in line, but it is also an opportunity to practice a variety of shading and cross-hatching techniques which lend themselves to a consistent line. Color blending is another challenge with ballpoint -- you have to think a bit like a printmaker to make color changes work. One more challenge/ opportunity with ballpoint -- you need to plan composition like a watercolor artist, as you need to think in layers and plan ahead a bit as to how the whole thing will come together. (An underlayer of pencil is helpful for many beginning artists in planning out the strategy for the art work.) Ballpoint "plays well" with other media in mixed media, including with acrylic and water media washes, collage, textiles, wood, and other interesting materials.

Here are some interesting ball point pen art tutorials:

Composition and layering strategy with ball point pen -- click on the tutorial to enlarge it, a broad intro video to biro on youtube, If it's not in this hour and a half long video ... well, it will be in another video somewhere, I love this Youtube channel with art strategies/ instruction -- this one features some great ideas for portrait drawing for beginners with ball point, an interesting tutorial on using three colors -- check out the rest of his cool ball point pen tutorial videos!, quick basic ballpoint technique and strategy youtube tutorial, "scribbling" technique -- I kind of gravitate toward scribbles, and I love this tutorial, but the booming voice on this one .. well, be warned!, another nice overview -- very quick, and my favorite ballpoint video for enthusiasm and hand gestures!

Now, for the theme: Making a POINT. I challenge you to come up with something that you really want to communicate, something that you have some passion and belief to represent. This could look like a scene, a gesture, words, a portrait -- as long as it shows opinion, makes others think about a position that you are taking, or compels the viewer to be a bit challenged and go deeper. This art might somewhat nettling or disturbing, and that is OK. It's about making a point and making others think! What a gift it is to share and receive knowledge and opinions from others to help us develop and challenge our own points of view.

Finally, the swap: one piece of mail art (such as a postcard, set of ATCS, a drawing, et cetera), featuring ball point pen as the major medium, that makes a POINT -- and sent to one partner. Partners, please rate on the art, and whether it made a POINT, not on your personal opinion on the POINT (but of course, as ZMACS members, you knew that was the POINT of mail art ...).

Open to all ZMACS members in good standing, and I am happy to POINT all unsent swaps :) Stay tuned for a mixed-media swp involving ballpoint pens!!

Image is by Eugene Hon, and is a commentary on the internet and social media entitled "Sink or Sail" -- here is his discussion of the meaning behind it.