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GATHERINGS182 QUICK NOTES
Disposable Pens O n a cold day in Venice, t w o
tourists and their gondolier drifter
DISPOSABLE PENS (ballpoints, fiber- or idea. Quick-drying, these pens enable past m e on a canal.There w e r e c
seconds t o snatch this impression
tips, rollerballs, gel pens) are the most you to sketch, jot notes, turn the page, between their emergence from
convenient of all materials with which to shut your book, or put the paper in your one bridge and disappearance
travel. Unlike pencils, which can snap or pocket instantly without fear of smudging. beneath the next.
pierce through your clothes, a disposable Available in blacks and ranges of colors,
pen with its clip-on cap goes anywhere, they each offer distinct and sometimes
dropped in your pocket and forgotten till unexpected qualities. For example, a
needed. So many stores sell them, they can ballpoint will make faint lines, indent
be obtained within minutes. paper, build to a rich, dark sheen, blob
I keep quantities at home, in the studio, when old, or turn into washes and make
in the car, and in most pockets so I monoprints if flooded with an alcohol-based fine fiber-tip Drawing with a fine fiber-tip
can always record a thought substance such as hairspray.
pen, I swiftly focused on gesture, trusting
shape and form to follow. At a time like this,
aiming for correct outlines would result in
drawing too slowly to c a t c h the moment.
CHOICES AVAILABLE
T h e r e a r e m a n y d i s p o s a b l e p e n s t o c h o o s e from. The f o u r
illustrated here represent a basic range. Remember, if you wish
your drawings t o last and not fade o r blur with t i m e and exposure
t o light, choose pens labeled "permanent" o r "lightfast."
1. BALLPOINT: Black and bold colors 3. FIBER-TIP: Manufactured for artists and
o f f e r diverse qualities. Lines thicken as t h e designers in a range o f widths, t h e y are
p e n w e a r s o u t G r a n d Canal (see pp.188-89) lightfast, water-resistant, permanent, and
and Caravans (see pp. 192-93) w e r e b o t h pressure-sensitive. Ideal for precision w o r k
made with a ballpoint. (see p p . 7 6 - 7 7 and 214-15).
2. R O L L E R B A L L : A c o n s t a n t i n k flow 4. G E L P E N : P r o d u c e d in b l a c k w h i t e ,
is d e l i v e r e d t h r o u g h a m e t a l t u b e o v e r a and ranges of colors, including luminous and
tiny ball bearing. Insensitive t o pressure: metallic. W h i t e gel pens are very effective
lines d o n o t vary in w i d t h o r tone. on dark papers.
