Dip Pens and My Inktober Experience

Deleter Trial Pen Set by Deleter Japan

This article was originally published on January 10, 2020 for Might Could Studiomates, and has been edited to remove community-specific content.

Have you ever seen this kind of pen? No, this is not a dangerous weapon. This beginner's dip pen set with various pen tips is by "Deleter", a famous Japanese brand known for making products used by comic artists. They are also often used for calligraphy.

In 2019, I participated in Inktober for the first time, so I decided to try a new tool to help motivate me through the prompts. It proved to be a really difficult tool for me to use, but I learned to let go by making plenty of mistakes!

Here are the two prompts I drew using this tool and the basic black ink.

I used the G-pen tip for this one and was able to make many intricate lines. I did smudge it a bit, but not too badly.

This one turned into a huge mess! I managed to put the side of my hand down, and without thinking, straight onto the wet ink lining the top of her hair! Then, I just went for it and started smudging on purpose. It was kind of cathartic in the end, and my hand was covered in ink for a couple of days.

🙋 Got an answer, recommendation, or question about dip pens?

If you're familiar with these kinds of pens, I'd love some advice on how to use them more effectively. Have you ever used dip pens? If you have, how do they compare to other pens? Which brand do you use? If you haven't, what would you want to try?

Using What You Have

This article was originally published on April 2, 2020 for Might Could Studiomates, and has been edited to remove community-specific content.

Mottainai Grandma, Using Colored Pencil Stubs to Make a Jumbo Rainbow Pencil

There's a famous children's book in Japan called "Mottainai Baasan" or "No-Waste Grandma". Children love the story because this grandma can turn any trash into treasure! When I first read the book, it felt like I was revisiting a memory with my own grandmother as a child. My grandmother was a person who could make or fix anything, even going so far as to crocheting up holes in her stockings with little tiny needles! In the time in history that we're living in now, getting your hands on new materials can prove more difficult than usual. However, I think this is a perfect time to think like the "No-Waste Grandma" and look around your house for things to upcycle, recycle, or evolve into brand new art!

Here's five projects that might inspire you to take another look in your recycle bin and old arts-and-crafts box.

1. Potato Stamps

Do you have any leftover potatoes? You can cut into them and make custom stamps to decorate with.

Image from The Best Ideas for Kids.com

How to Make Potato Stamps by Best Ideas for Kids.com How to Make Potato Stamps by What's Up Moms (Youtube Video)

2. Food Scrap Textile Dyeing

There are a lot of interesting natural colors you can make with vegetable scraps. I haven't tried some of these yet, but it seems like an easy way to upcycle clothing or textiles you have around the house. You can also tye-dye or dye using Japanese oshibori methods. This could also work great for Easter Egg dyeing!

A Second Life For Scraps: Making Natural Dyes with Fruits and Vegetables, BeakerLife All Natural Tie-Dyeing, Kids Lab with Professor Figgy and Martha Stewart (Youtube)

3. Collages

If you have paper magazines or newspapers lying about, you can make a fun magazine clippings collage! I enjoyed making a collage with a fashion catalog I got in the mail. This might also be fun to extend to junk mail if you cut out the words. Also, how about a Bottle Cap Flower collage?

4. Art Supplies Organization

Maybe you've gathered a lot of supplies, but you can't see clearly what you already have at your disposal. Luckily, you can make customizable caddies and holders for your art supplies out of almost anything! Some interesting ideas I've found include reusing toilet paper tubes and Styrofoam food trays.

DIY Toilet Paper Organizer, The Seaman Mom

DIY Wall Organizer from Styrofoam Trays, Creativities

🙋 Got an answer, recommendation, or question about using what you have?

This is only tipping the iceberg since there are so many ways to use things you have around the house! Have you tried any of these projects? I'd love to hear from you about recycled art projects that you have tried and or recommend.

The Unexpected Canvas: Drawing on Everything

This article was originally published on June 5, 2020 for Might Could Studiomates, and has been edited to remove community-specific content.

I have a faint memory of drawing with a crayon on a white wall in my house, a common pastime for small children that usually results in negative consequences for the young artist. We learn as children where and when to draw, then what aesthetic we should aspire to in order to be considered a "good artist".

As Christine Nishiyama has mentioned in many of her essays, we have the creative rebel within us that wants to break the rules. How can we break the rules in a creative way and think out of the box? Here are some examples of how some artists break the rules by making their canvases everything and anything!

Permanent Marker on Everything Shantell Martin

Image from Shantell Martin’s Official Website

Shantell is known for her signature drawing style that was developed from doing live drawings at clubs in Tokyo. She literally draws on everything - walls, bicycles, clothing, circuit boards, you name it!

Turning Ordinary Household Items into Art Tatsuya Tanaka

Images from @tanaka_tatsuya on Instagram

Tatsuya was probably one of those kids who didn't listen to his parents about not playing with his food. He not only uses food normally found at a Japanese dinner table but goes a step further to integrate other household objects into scenes that mirror real-life and fictional scenes from TV, games, and movies.

Adding Flourishes to Daily Use Objects

Revitalizing an old canteen was a fun experience!

Applying what I used in a Skillshare class by Peggy Dean (Botanical Line Drawing), I revitalized this old canteen with some fun florals in a variety of colors and finishes. For this project, I used a combination of permanent markers, including metallics. I also continue the project by drawing on my iPad case as well. I wholeheartedly recommend this project for rebellious artists of any skill level who enjoy expressing their unique style!

🙋 Are you a rebel artist?

Have you ever tried drawing or painting on an unexpected canvas? I'd love to hear from you about the rebellious projects that you have tried and or rebellious artists whom you recommend. 😎