Three by Three: Guest Artists in Focus

QUESTION 2. Many artists chase expensive supplies, yet you’ve built a practice around an everyday pen. What do you love most about the limitations of blue ballpoint, and how do those limitations expand your creativity?

ANSWER 2. I love the ease of finding this one pen anywhere I go. The ability to get different textures and shades from one cheap tool is amazing.

Bryan Earle
Illustrator

MEDIUM: ballpoint pen

BIO: I'm 47 and have been using a basic ball point pen for the last 15yrs now. I still play around with pencil but ballpoint pen is where my heart is. I do like Ai art but feel that the traditional painting, drawing and sculpting mediums need to be the standard for art.

EMAIL: 116bryandk@gmail.com

QUESTION 3. Viewers often only see the final smooth gradients — but behind them are countless hatching, cross-hatching, and stippling decisions. How do you decide which mark-making technique will bring a particular texture to life?

ANSWER 3. All of my pieces use a form of hatch marks. Its if I choose to smooth shade them like a pencil or leave them all hatch depends more on size and mood of piece. For "Wednesday Morning", it was all hatch marks -- felt that style fit the piece more. But on bigger realism pieces like "Handling Our Future", i smooth shaded for softer affect.

QUESTION 1. A Ballpoint is famously unforgiving — one slip, and the line is permanent. What has using a tool with no eraser taught you about patience, problem-solving, and trusting your instincts?

ANSWER 1. It's the unforgiveness of this medium that made me fall in love with it. Using it, I must slow myself down and look ahead to all of the grey scales in the piece. I've also learned that its only a mistake if you treat it as one.. Sometimes, its opening up your mind to adapt and make it better. Example: in the piece "Handling Our Future", a mistake on one of the fingers forced me to change the soft hands to robotic ones. The meaning of the piece had more meaning to me then.

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Wednesday Morning, ballpoint pen, 7ply tag board, 6 x 9

From Under My Umbrella, ballpoint pen, 7ply tag board, 12 x 18

Handling Our Future, ballpoint pen, 7ply tag board, 12 x 18

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Artwork may not be reproduced in any form without the artist's express written permission.

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Three by Three: Guest Artists in Focus

All copyright and reproduction rights are reserved by Bryan Earle.Artwork may not be reproduced in any form without the artist's express written permission.

All copyright and reproduction rights are reserved by Bryan Earle.
Artwork may not be reproduced in any form without the artist's express written permission.