About Ballpoints, & Using Them In Art

Drawing With Ballpoints

Since the first version of this site went up (Aug/2006) many people have asked to know how to use a ballpoint to create fine drawings. Others have mentioned a tutorial video in order to help explain, but even sometimes to help them 'believe'. Further down the page is explained how to do it (roughly) in words, but the best way maybe to see it in action.
Recently over the course of 4 drawings a lot of attention was put into documenting their construction from beginning to end through photos and close up video capture in normal time and sped up footage. This video is intended to help people understand, but also, admittedly, to help promote the work.

Biros & Ballpoints For Drawing

This page focuses mainly on the use of ballpoints in art, for an in-depth understanding of ballpoints & their history see: The Ballpoint Pen article at the BBC Wiki.
Using ballpoints for artwork is a relatively recent phenomena. The common ballpoint has only been around for about 50 years. I remember my old art tutor told me at college "My art tutor, when I was a student, told me NOT to use ballpoints for drawing". So even in the art world which uses ALL types of mediums, it is only recently being widely accepted.

The term 'Biro drawing' is mainly only used in the UK, more commonly known as ballpoint art. Serious use of a ballpoint for artwork (especially photo-realism) is rare. As you may well be aware, you can not rub out or paint over any errors made with a ballpoint. So in a way biro drawing is more like sculpture than pencil drawing or painting. Any strong definition made is permanent. If you create an outline of a figure, fill in the backround and then change that outline, you can only "eat" into that figure, taking away light in place of stone. You may think that applying Tipex to an error might be OK, but not only is it in fact quite visible, but try drawing over that splodge of Tipex. That doesn't really work how you might hope or imagine.

I have always been quite surprised that use of ballpoints for drawing is generally quite rare. Their ink has a deep blackness which is visually very strong and very permanent. The contrast of that ink on white paper can make for impressive effects. On top of this, the level of fine precision that can be applied with it makes it a handy instrument and obviously a cheap one too.
When pressing hard on light & medium thickness paper with the pen consistently (if you are covering an area in black) the surface of the paper is 'warped' into a 3D like wave of rejected and projected areas. On the right is an example of this effect, you can see the highlighted and shadow areas created from the 'warped' surface. To the touch this surface has a leather like texture. Some people (from my experience) like this quiality, but this effect can be avoided by using thick paper or card.
Another quality that the surface of paper that has been covered in biro ink has, is the occassional reflection from some angles. The photo on the right demonstrates this. The drawing in the image (also shown in the video at top) has had the background fully filled in with a biro, not once - but twice. I think the photo also gives a feeling for the thick leather or tar like surface created from this process. This drawing is on card, and the photo was taken only a coupe of hours after completeion, so it is still drying to some degree at this stage, and it is only from a certain angle this type of reflection can be viewed.

It is quite difficult, I think, to use a ballpoint for drawing properly (technique is addressed below). Secondly, even when used properly it can take a long time to cover a large area of paper. This is because the maximum area of paper the tip of the ballpoint can cover at one time is always the same (less than 1mm sq). Unlike painting where a large brush can be used, or in pencils where a thick pencil can be used, like an 8B. But, as they say, patience is a virtue.

There are people who say ballpoint ink fades over time. No one, though it seems, is absolutely certain. People working in banks etc in the 60's were advised not to sign cheques will ballpoints (believing that the ink would fade in a few months). Personally I am not convinced, I have biro drawings, that I drew in the early 1990s that look exactly the same as the day i finished them (they weren't even properly stored). Obviously, if you leave your ballpoint artwork in direct sunlight, then over time, it will fade. This is, though, true with oil paintings etc too.

Tips for Ballpoint Drawing

• Use one ballpoint for filling areas and another for the half-tone, detailed areas. (After using a ballpoint for a time for filling areas, the ink finds its way out easier than usual, a build up occurs and this is bad for detailed areas as a blob of ink can suddenly make its way onto your paper without warning. This is good however when you want to quickly cover an area in that colour).
• If photo realistic effects are your aim, be prepared to spend a lot of time on a small area for a long time. It is time intensive work, you need to be motivated to find the energy, so it helps to really WANT to draw the image you have in mind.
• Start a drawing (if you are right handed) from the top left side as your right arm will be resting on the paper or surface and it could ware or fade down any ink already on the paper under your right hand / arm.
• Touch the paper you draw on as little as possible. Rest your hands when working on tissue or other pieces of paper. The natural grease and oils in our skin can easily transfer and be absorbed by paper, and over time the build up of this in the paper will have an effect on the application of ballpoint ink.

My Ballpoint Drawing Technique

Personally I have never felt the need to use any other kind of ballpoint than the standard Bic Biro medium. It's fine enough for sharp detail and loose enough to realease ink at a constant rate for filling areas.
I have been often asked what technique I use when drawing with ballpoint. Firstly, I have developed my current technique from the rather simple but common method of cross hatching over eleven years. Now I gently stroke the surface of the paper with the end of the nib in a quick repetitive action. Skimming the surface lightly leaves a light line. Each line or stroke is as close to the former as possible, creating what appears like a smooth gradient. (Someone asked me how I could see the individual lines). When I draw my head is a little too close to the paper, so I can see it. Unfortunately my long vision is beginning to suffer, and my bad posture has helped cause repetitive stress syndrome in my arms and hands. It is important to remain relaxed and allow the motion of the hands gripping the pen to do all the work. Don't "tighten up" or become concerned. On each pen stroke you can adjust the pressure of the nib in a certain area very slightly to create a gradient along each line, so as long as you place the pressure in the correct areas, after a time of drawing a surface is created that represents shading. I also make each stroke follow what would be the contours of the object I am drawing as it exists in 3D space. For instance in the image above if you look at the 250% image, you can see that the lines are flowing in the direction the fabric is lying on the man's chest. This obviously, can help the photo-realist effect.