first off happybirthday!!! I hope the next one will be extra wonderful!!!
First found your tf art and ive been following ever since!!!
Iunno if i asked ghis before but!!! Do u have any tips with drawing/shading with ballpoint. Thank you :3
Waa thank you!! I have been getting my TF fix at TFCons but I always miss my robots! Lost Light still has my heart as hostage 🥹
I must set a disclaimer that I am still self-teaching and am not qualified to teach art, but I am always happy to share tips and how I like to do things (might be wrong…!)
As requested, I will focus just on ballpoint-pen shading — FYI general inking and shading basics will still apply! My art terminology is not great, so Tailgate will help me demonstrate.
Tip 1: Paper matters!! If you think your ink stuff isn’t looking as you want it to be — chances are that you are using a different paper. Ballpoint pen behaves differently on smoother paper than textured paper. Here, I compare office A4 paper to an unbranded sketchbook.
Tip 2: Vary your pressure! Ballpoint pen is affected by pen pressure, just like pencil. You can easily capture a range of shadows, textures and values on your drawings.
Tip 3: Layering is your friend. Ballpoint pen is really good for this. This can be hatching, cross-hatching, stippling/dotting, scribbling. Like pencil, layering will let you make really light/shadow transitions. (It’s also better on your wrist…!)
Tip 4: Patience is needed. Compared to most other ink tools, it takes longer for ballpoint pen to make those clean lines and solid blacks. Some cheaper brands are also not as smooth as most ink brands, so ink consistency may vary. If you only do lineart and hard shadows for your sketches, ballpoint pen might not be the best tool — but it’s great for adding soft textures and values to your drawings.
Hope this helps! It takes the same amount of time to figure out ballpoint pen like any other tool, but it is very compatible with certain art styles!
