What’s the Pointe
What little girl did not want to be a ballerina when they grew up?
I for sure was one, and I did take ballet lessons for a few years when I was really young. (If you ask my mom, I’m sure she would love to share pictures!) I always wanted pointe shoes! I remember looking at all the older girls and wanting to be just like them. Dreams change, and little girls grow up and realize they were definitely not cut out to be a ballerina. Which is okay, but I do still look up to the amazing, graceful, elegant, and strong women who become ballerinas! Although I did end up in a different field where you have to be just as tough, just not as graceful!
This drawing started out as just a something I wanted to draw for myself, just a practice sketch. So, I drew a ballerina on pointe…just the pointe shoes in graphite. Just a note, I do like to use a white pastel pencil to accent my highlights, especially since this paper is not brilliant white. To be more specific, I use Stabilo Carbothello pastel pencil in white.
After the first one was finished, I thought, let’s see what this looks like in a different medium.
So, I drew a second ballerina on pointe. This time with a Bic blue ball point pen. Which is a little ironic…drawing a POINTE shoe with a ball POINT pen. Anyway, I digress….I’m not sure why I use Bic, because I have not tested a large number or brands of ball point pens, but it is really the only brand I use for drawing.
Once this drawing was complete, I put them both aside and did not think about them for quite a while. I don’t really remember what sparked the thought, but I thought it would be nice to do a trilogy of sorts. You know, frame them all together. So, I decided to do one in color.
This one was a mixed media creation. But the majority was drawn with Faber-Castel Polychromos pencils.
And being the typical artist that I am, and since I have been messing with some black ink pens, I decided to see what it looked like drawn this with my new favorite pen.
****Spoiler Alert-big announcement coming soon with some art using this black pen!****
This is a PILOT Precise V7 RT Liquid Ink Rolling Ball pen. I am pretty much in love with this pen. I totally found it by random accident. I was at work (my firefighter job), and I needed a pen, found this one lying on a desk at the station, so I borrowed it. I was amazed at how smooth it was, started asking around…found out who it belonged to, and thankfully he decided to give it to me. About a week later, I went and bought more…and I’m definitely using them!
After this one, I just had to stop myself!
I ended up framing the 4 photos together and they are now owned by a private collector (one of my best customers!)
“What’s the Pointe”
Which one is your favorite? Let me know in the comments below! Is there another subject you would like to see in a study like this? Same picture drawn in different mediums.
*I usually buy most of my art supplies at BLICK. I always price shop and they usually come out the best, plus they do offer coupons to save even more money.
**I am not compensated in any way for recommending any of these products or services.
