Van Gogh and his Reed Pen

Vincent Liked to Draw!

Drawing Media:

* Pencil: He employed pencil for preliminary drawings and then combined it with ink. He often worked with a carpenter's pencil. He liked to press hard and often worked on wet paper.
* Pen and ink: Van Gogh had a remarkable gift for pen drawing and graphic technique.
* ** Most of Van Gogh's pen and ink and brush drawings are executed first in pencil . He then inks/brushes over the pencil marks once he is happy with them.

• some of his pen and ink drawings are drawn without any preliminary use of pencil

• During his visit to Arles in 1888, Van Gogh discovered the reed pen (made from local hollow-barreled grass, sharpened with a penknife). It changed his drawing style. He created some extraordinary drawings of the Provençal landscape, including a series of drawings of and from Montmajour (east of Arles) , in reed pen and aniline ink on laid paper. The ink has now faded to a dull brown.

Van Goghs at the Museum of Modern Art

Portrait of Postman, Joseph Roulin


Our Project:

• Your hair will be recreated using your twig and ink.
• Try to emulate the style of Van Gogh
• Texture is an element of art. This element is the emphasis for this project.
• The last stage will be to add watercolor.
• See last year's pictures.

More practice...we will do this together in our sketchbook:



An Exhibition...here!

Relatives of Vincent Van Gogh!
Credited by B. Moriarty to Nancy Sojka of Decorah, IA, on ArtsEdNet Talk listserve, Jan. 27, 1998.