Another sketch of the rear windows of the Circus (older versions below), this time using the Kuretake #40 ink-brush. Ink-brushes are wonderfully suited to drawing soft, curved and organic subjects (people, clothing, foliage, landscapes etc) so I’m seeing how they work with subjects that are more linear and ‘technical’. I’ve darkened the ink (or rather, stopped diluting it) and this has helped to make the brush-strokes more definite than in the second earlier sketch. The soft brush-tip demands more control than a pen-nib to ensure lines have a consistent width when needed, but this is more than balanced by its speed, versatility and expression.

Lexington grey in #40 ink-brush and water-brush, water-colour, A5 – 30 mins

If you want to try ink-brush/brush-pen sketching I recommend the cheaper, but still excellent, Kuretake #8 which has a nylon brush-tip. (There’s a more expensive #13, but this has exactly the same tip as the #8 (and also a #50, which again has exactly the same sable brush-tip as the cheaper #40!)). And even cheaper is a ‘detailer’ water-brush filled with ink… Whichever you choose they all have much better ink flow and brush-tips than the popular Pentel brush-pen. There, no excuses for not having a go!