Pen and wash is a wonderful way of capturing the subject which interests you. If you draw the ink first, it offers a firm scaffolding to hang the beautiful washes of watercolour upon.

For convenience many artists use fibre tip pens with pigment ink. These are convenient, but the marks they produce lacks character. In this course we explore the joys of working with a dip pen and waterproof Indian ink. It is a process full of a life of its own.

The dip pen we use is a simple folded nib pen which you can make at home in 5-10 minutes, using materials you will have readily to hand. These pens are often called Cola pens, as they are made from a drinks can. Originally developed for calligraphy, they offer the adventurous artist a wide range of exciting marks and possibilities.

Having made the pen, we put it through its paces in the painting of a red kite. But the pen is not just for capturing wildlife, it is a great addition to the urban sketcher's tool kit or for anyone who enjoys line and wash.

You do not need any experience of line and wash or to have used a dip pen before to enjoy this course. A little knowledge of watercolour will help, as will a love of drawing.

Please see the materials list for what will be used.

 If you have enjoyed this course and share the work you've done on it, please make sure to tag me on social media (@lizchaderton on Instagram and /lizchadertonartist on Facebook) so I can get to see it too! It would be great if you could say that it is from this course, as that helps spread the word.

If you are not a member already, why not join Watercolour Studio over on Facebook? https://www.facebook.com/groups/694706731930461 And finally, you should not exhibit or display pieces completed on this course without my written permission, to comply with copyright law. I really look forward to seeing what you do. 

You may be wondering why bother making a Cola pen, when you could just use a commercially bought pen. In this short film you can see the versatility of the mark it produces and a few examples of paintings produced with it. Watch and you will be a convert!

This pen should take between five and ten minutes to make. You can make 8 nibs from one can, so it is probably worth making a few, because you will love using them!

You can buy professionally made Cola pens from Etsy, should you prefer a longer lasting version.

Let's start by drawing out the red kite.

The drawing should be kept light so that it does not damage the paper or show through in the finished art work. 

The drawing is a guideline only and I encourage you to amend your line if required, once you start to apply ink, so this stage should not take too long.

Now your guidelines are in place, you can start to use your cola pen, making any adjustments you need.

In this first section, we will map in the main areas before letting it dry and coming back to add details.

Having mapped out the main structure, we now add details and develop patterns. You will be encouraged to stop too soon, rather than too late. 

You can always return and add more ink once you have completed the watercolour layer. It is far harder to remove ink than it is to add it!

With the ink fully dry, it is time to add loose washes of watercolour. 

Our aim is to make the sum of the ink and watercolour add up to more than the two parts on their own. It really is a case of 2+2=5. The watercolour will soften and exten the bold ink marks you have already developed.

Having allowed the watercolour washes to fully dry, it is time to look very closely at your work to see if any final adjustment is called for. You can add more watercolour or more ink or both, however you will be encouraged not to lose the sponteneity and life of your work.