A few weeks ago, I was sketching on a small island in the St Lawrence River. I did this quick drawing of a windswept tree in pen in ink, and then painted it with watercolour washes.A little bit of history . . .
Pen and ink drawings—either by themselves, or with washes of watercolour—are quite traditional. Ink has a long history, dating back more than 40 centuries. The ancient Egyptians made the first black ink by mixing lampblack (a fine soot) with a vegetable gum. They made their ink into a solid block or stick that would be mixed with water when used. 
The ancient Romans developed a purple ink called encaustum, from which the word ink is derived, and also made a dark brown ink called sepia from dried, powdered cuttlefish ink-sacs.
Today, artist-quality ink is available in a wide range of colours—everything from oranges and yellows, to purples and greens. My own favourites include antelope brown, which is a very warm colour, and sepia, which is sourced from synthetics these days, rather than from cuttle fish!!
My scanner seems to have malfunctioned, so while all the drawings here appear to be drawn in black ink, they were all drawn using sepia ink. No cuttle fish were harmed in the making of this art.
The ancient Romans developed a purple ink called encaustum, from which the word ink is derived, and also made a dark brown ink called sepia from dried, powdered cuttlefish ink-sacs.
Today, artist-quality ink is available in a wide range of colours—everything from oranges and yellows, to purples and greens. My own favourites include antelope brown, which is a very warm colour, and sepia, which is sourced from synthetics these days, rather than from cuttle fish!!
My scanner seems to have malfunctioned, so while all the drawings here appear to be drawn in black ink, they were all drawn using sepia ink. No cuttle fish were harmed in the making of this art.
Ink is a versatile medium; artists working in ink can achieve a variety of effects by using different drawing techniques. In traditional pen and ink drawings, artists apply ink with a dip pen to create fine lines and dots. Artists can use a variety of pen nibs to get heavy or broad lines or very delicate lines. The light areas of a picture are achieved by spacing the dots or lines far apart; dots or lines placed close together are used to create dark areas. Broad areas of ink, called washes, can also be applied using a paintbrush dipped in ink. Another option is to use watercolour paints to wash colour over a pen and ink drawing.
Past masters
Although pen and ink drawings are not often seen any more, pen and ink was a very popular medium in the past. Claude Lorrain (1660 – 1682) was a master who worked in oil as well as in pen and ink. To see samples of Claude Lorrain's work, check out the online gallery at the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco.
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