DrawWithMike.net

Last month I had a clean out. All those old, unwanted drawings. Half finished workshop pieces that will never be completed. Stuff that is was just ick, out of date, or not good. Rather than throw it all into the recycle bin, I contacted Roger at Dodgy Paper here in Melbourne and he has made me new paper from old!
https://dodgypaper.com/ All my scraps of paper, sorted into cruddy, good, better and best (best is in the box, mainly 300gsm hot press) Paper making in progress My big stack of new paper Look at it all!!!! And I also purchased new pens made from recycled plastic and reycled ink - brand name is 'Lousy' but they aren't. And Roger gave me some pretty samples of coloured Dodgy to try.

So I have been using the Dodgy paper for a while now, experimenting with it and playing around. I like it a lot, but there are a few things to remember:
- it is exceptionly 'soft'. You cannot erase at all without destroying the surface. It will easily pill. A little blue tack, but because the surface is so soft it indents with the pencil.
- the paper is suitable for inks and markers, however it is absorbent. So you can end up with blobs. Or if you wet it too much with a marker or watercolor you must let it dry completely or else the surface pills.
- the coloured papers are fun, but remember the colour affects to hue of a marker. You can use goauche or the like, but as above, you need to be careful. Some artists I know will treat the surface first a gesso, but that just covers up the lovely speckles and colours.
Anyway, I am working on a series called 'Dodgy Melbourne', all drawn in ink of the somewhat less attractive or out of the way corners of our city. All on the A4 sized paper I have just had made, using Lousy inks, marker pens and Staedler liner pens. Occassionally a Lamy fountain pen (which can get blobbly). Here are a few samples. If you follow me on instagram you can see more #lindaweilfineart The old Shamrock Hotel, now a fancy office building. Drawn with Lamy fountain (see the blobs?), Staedler liner pens and Pantone marker Dodgy Chinatown Alley. I really liked this view of the young lass waiting for her uber. Lousy pens and Pantone marker Dodgy Nudes in Mentone. Across the road from my house, if you stand in the right spot, the tangle of left over wires form the shape of a nude woman. Always makes me smile.
enjoy!

Love this idea Linda!

I think that the Lamy blobs add to the charm of the piece, and as for the Dodgy nudes….what can I say? If your neighbours see your drawing, they’ll never look at that tangle of wires the same way again. Only a true artist would notice something like that!

I must admit that on first sight, I was horrified to see what looks like someone very dear to me about to high-dive from a post... But then I realised she has no head for heights and breathed a sigh of relief.

But what an amazing tangle of wires! And, of course, I love what you've done with it. Your drawing is so vibrant and free.

Way back in my school days, my art master Mike Burton introduced us to Scribblegrams. He'd scribble meandering lines on the board, and we'd go up and try to make something of them. It was a great way to be freely creative.

lol. Don't fret Mike, I am just having a brief a affair with ink and loose drawing. I will return to my love of tightly controlled graphite soon.

and thanks for the vote of confidence Laurene!