Platinum Carbon Black | Larry D. Marshall

A Bit of Urban Sketching

Written by Larry Marshall on May 13, 2013 · 2 Comments

Just as spring had sprung and it was starting to be warm enough to sketch outdoors, yours truly decided it was time to get sick. I spent more than a week feeling pretty bad, made all the worse by coming home one day to find water dripping from our first-floor ceiling. I still have a hole in the ceiling to fix but the pipes are holding water again.

Before getting sick, though, I did get out with my buddy Yvan and we rode our bikes on an adventure into Beauport, a suburb of Quebec City. We sketched this house, which I liked very much. I used my Pilot Prera for this one. Same Noodler’s Lexington Gray I normally use.

I did stop in the old city one day as I was returning from French school and I made this sketch in a Stillman & Birn Zeta (5.5×8.5) sketchbook, using a TWSBI Mini and Noodler’s Lexington Gray.

And so, as the weekend approached, and my energy had come back, I was chomping at the bit to go sketching. Mother Nature had other ideas and it rained all day Saturday. Yvan and I went sketching anyway. We headed to the Musee de la Civilisation and while it’s between major exhibitions, it was at least warm and dry and we figured we could find something to sketch there.

What we found was a small exhibit of architectural models of classic structures that were part of old Paris. I chose to sketch Cabaret Le Chat, one of the popular hot spots on the north side of Paris. The model was about 15″ high and fairly well-done, though the building to the right of it lacked any detail, which is how I drew it. Stillman & Birn Zeta sketchbook and TWSBI Mini fountain pen. I had switched up the ink and was using Platinum Carbon Black.

When we finished there it was still raining and we decided that we should board the ferry that goes between Quebec City and Levis, across the St. Lawrence River. The ferry has a nice, cozy passenger area with big windows and we figured we could sketch from there. We hadn’t included the heavy mist/fog in our calculations as you could hardly see the other side of the river, only a few hundred yards away.

So, we just rode across, got off, and decided to sketch out the windows of the ferry building, catching the next boat (30 minutes) for our return. I still have problems sketching while holding a sketchbook in one hand, pen in the other. I generally perch my sketchbook on my knee or on a table if one is available. I also have trouble walking and chewing gum at the same time so maybe it’s just too much for my brain to hold one item (sketchbook) still while moving another (pen) around. This sketch suffers from a case of the wobbles and the fact that I was working quicker than my normal glacial pace. I did this it in a small Stillman & Birn Alpha (4×6) with the same TWSBI Mini and Platinum Carbon Black. Color comes from some quick swipes with Faber-Castell watercolor pencils.

I went sketching. It was a wet day, but a good day.

Music, Friends and Sketching – A Very Good Day

Written by Larry Marshall on January 27, 2013 · 1 Comment

One of the great things about Quebec City is that there are a lot of free concerts. Many are associated with the conservatory here and are mostly students – really good students.

Another source of free concerts are the ‘mid-day’ concerts associated with the Grand Théâtre de Québec. This venue is the site of operatic and symphonic programs, musical plays, and a bunch of big name but not big venue performers. I saw B.B. King there.

The mid-day concerts are held on the second floor foyer, however, and once they’ve set up a stage and a bunch of chairs, it’s about the size of a decent sit-down night club without the booze, though you can get coffee and danish.

And that’s where I was today, to listen to a fantastic group of six jazz singers, all people too young to have so much talent. I arrived a little after ten AM and the concert didn’t start until eleven, though I got a mini-concert as the group went through a couple numbers, getting warmed up and checking equipment, I suppose. With little to do besides look out the window, that’s what I did. I got together with this pine tree, which also didn’t seem to have much to do, and we made this sketch together. We had a good time together.

But when Yvan arrived, the fickle friend that I am completely ignored my pine tree friend. Yvan and I talked about sketching, his new sketchbook, the Series 400 toned paper that Strathmore is selling and some other stuff. When we could, we went up and staked out some primo sketching seats, saving one for Celine.

Celine and Yvan are quite comfortable doing really great sketches of singers and musicians. Myself, I still struggle with people who are moving around a lot. Heck, who am I kidding. I still have trouble sketching people who are comatose. Yvan has explained, in his patient manner that ALL I have to do is choose a position the person returns to frequently and sketch that position. So far my brain hasn’t gotten the message as it can’t quite sift through all the movement. Practice, practice, practice…

While I tried to sketch the singers, I didn’t do so well. So, I sketched people who were in the audience. These were all very quick sketches – another problem my brain has when in a crowd of people moving around. My brain goes into “you’ve only got a minute, dummy, go fast…blindingly fast.” So, while these spectators were going to stay put for me for the duration of the concert, I was doing 1-2 minute quick sketches. Darn brain.

All of these sketches were done in a 3×5 sketchbook using a Platinum Carbon Black fountain pen, filled with PCB ink. I’ve come to like this pen a lot for detail sketching as it’s really fine, like a .005 Micron. I’m not so sure about it as a people sketching pen for the same reason – the lines are just too fine.

The music was fantastic, being with my sketching buddies always a good time, and there’s no such thing as a bad sketch if you view sketching fun as coming from the process, not the result. I do.

As long as I’m talking about people sketching, here’s a slightly better sketch I did the day before, of a cooperative guy who sat reading. He changed his position only once in the 10 minutes or so I spent sketching him which I thought quite considerate. This sketch was done with my Hero 578 “Chinese calligraphy” (tip bent upward) pen, Noodler’s Lexington Gray ink, and a Stillman & Birn Epsilon sketchbook. You can see that I can get variable line thickness from this pen and I think it adds something to the sketch.

Quick Sketching: Trying Out The Platinum Carbon Pen

Written by Larry Marshall on December 27, 2012 · 3 Comments

I just bought a Platinum Carbon Pen from Jet Pens. I’m a fan of Platinum Carbon Black ink and this pen is supposed to have a feed sized specifically for this pigmented ink. Most people say that it has a very fine nib. Giving away the punch line, I think both of these things are true.

The pen comes from Jet Pens looking like this. I carry my pens everywhere and this one is just way too long. It’s designed to look and feel like a dip pen.And so I “fixed” mine. I cut it off long enough to allow the ink cartridge but short enough that I could post the cap while it was in use. For anyone wanting to follow this approach, that’s 6.5mm from the gold ring around the pen body.

Once cut, I mixed up some epoxy and dabbed the pen up and down in the puddle of epoxy, filling the hole in the end of the pen. Once dry I simply sanded everything smooth and the result looks like this:

Cut down like this, it makes a very comfortable sketching pen. When capped it’s nearly as short as a Kaweco Classic Sport and when posted it’s nearly the length of my Pilot Prera. The balance works out well also.

The pen really shines, though, because of its fine line, which is actually finer than my Pilot Prera (F), which is already finer than a Lamy (XF). The Platinum Carbon lays down a line nearly as fine as a Gillot 303, if you’re familiar with dip pen nibs. Hatching is a dream with this pen.

The Platinum Carbon Black ink cartridge that comes with it is nothing short of spectacular. This ink is the definition of a true black and it’s absolutely waterproof. You can buy this ink in cartridges or in a bottle. I’ve always been a fan of Platinum cartridges because they have a small metal ball that keeps the ink mixed and so I just fill them from a bottle using a pen syringe.

So I sat down and took the pen for a test drive. I did some tonal hatching practice and several small sketches, just to get used to the feel of it. I’ve included a few of those sketches here, all done in a Stillman & Birn Alpha (4×6).

I like this pen a lot. It’s a great compliment to my Pilot Prera and Metropolitan pens and may become my ‘go to’ pen for quick sketching due to its super-fine nib.

The Day It Rained On My Parade

Written by Larry Marshall on May 26, 2012 · 1 Comment

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Into each life some rain must fall – Henry Longfellow

I wonder if Longfellow was thinking of plein air sketching when he wrote that famous line. Probably not. But as spring came to Quebec City it came in couplets, a a day of sunshine followed by a cold, rainy day. And I was poised with sketchbook, wanting to hit the streets to do some sketching.

And so it was when I woke to a ‘to do’ list that said, ‘go sketching’, but the day greeted me with cloudy skies and cool temps. I’d made that appointment with myself and I wasn’t going to let a few clouds prevent it, no matter how ominous they looked. And so I headed out, hopping a bus for the downtown area.

Though it was a bit cool, I was having a great sketching session as I sat on my Walk Stool, capturing one of the many interesting buildings within my habitat. As the Urban Sketchers say…show the world one sketch at a time. I’d gotten the sketch to the point of adding details when it started to rain. In atypical fashion, I’d actually anticipated the need for an umbrella and I got it out, opened it, and decided that I should take the proverbial ‘location shot’ before I left for the day.

Aside from the fact that the umbrella was one of those small things that are too small to truly protect humans my size, I bumped against another problem; I didn’t have enough hands. If evolution was so smart, we’d have three. I only have two.

I needed to hold the sketchbook up so the photo would include both the sketch and the actual building and, of course, I needed to hold the camera. I could put the umbrella down but then the sketch would get wet. And so it was that I was trying to hold umbrella AND camera in one hand, the sketchbook in the other.

I had looked relaxed and confident while I was sketching. Now I looked like some sort of contortionist. Trying to hold camera and umbrella while looking through the viewfinder, while holding the sketchbook out in front of me was, well, trying. And then there was the problem of having a free finger to push the button. I gave up on trying to look through the camera. I shot several quick photos, hoping that one of them actually included sketch and building.

Somewhere along the line my oldsheimers caused me to forget this sketch and a couple weeks has gone by. I ‘discovered’ it as I was flipping through my sketchbook and I decided it was overdue for completion. This is the result. Hope you like it. Have you ever been caught in the rain while sketching?

Like all of my sketches, this one was done in a Stillman & Birn Alpha (10×7) sketchbook. I used a Lamy Al-Star and Platinum Carbon Black ink to finish it. I may have used the same pen when I started the sketch too but oldsheimers strikes again. Color is Winsor & Newton Artist Watercolor.

What Makes A Sketching Day Fun For You?

Written by Larry Marshall on May 8, 2012 · 4 Comments

Spring is still struggling to show its head here in Quebec. It’s raining here today, but yesterday was gorgeous. Heck, we got all the way up to 68F! So I grabbed my sketchbook and headed out to wander the back streets, looking for something new to sketch. I went to an area I hadn’t been before.

It was a residential area, constructed during the early 20th Century. Many of the buildings had a lot of peeling paint and some even had molding pieces missing or damaged. But there were some gems too.

But I was drawn to a fairly small, simple house, mostly because of its bright colors and absolutely immaculate condition. I think someone must dust the exterior regularly. Obviously its residents cared about their home.

I set up across the street and started drawing it. Here’s what my finished sketch looked like. I hadn’t carried my painting gear with me so I added color at home, after dinner. The sketch was done in my 10×7 Stillman & Birn Alpha sketchbook using a Lamy Al-Star and Platinum Carbon Black ink. Here it is with color added.

One difference you’ll see between the finished drawing and the actual house is that the shade is pulled in the window on the right. During my session, that shade went up and a little, round-faced old lady looked out at me. I envisioned the dialog. “Hey Clarence, there’s a guy out there staring at our house. Looks like he’s making something in his lap. Should I shoot him?”

Alas, there were no shots. this is Canada, after all (grin).

A Sign Of Spring In Quebec

Written by Larry Marshall on April 20, 2012 · 2 Comments

The Internet has affected our views of the world and for the past month or so I’ve ‘experienced’ spring in many locations on our fair planet as people talk about flowers popping out of the ground, birds chirping, etc. In Quebec spring is a bit different. It’s a time when temperatures fluctuate a lot. One day we’ll be in shirt-sleeves and the next we’re back in our heavy coats. Spring is when the snow melts, though, and we’re left with a bunch of brown, matted grass and no green on the trees. When the trees finally flush, it seems they do it overnight and summer begins.

So, while we “know” it’s spring, the birds haven’t shown up yet and there aren’t those flower indicators of it. Instead, our indicators are big blue trucks. All winter the city’s efforts to keep us moving involves regular gravel/dirt treatments of our roads and sidewalks. Spring snow melt leaves a coating of the stuff everywhere and so the big blue trucks come along, with nice guys in orange coats who wash the sidewalks with power hoses. later, other big blue trucks (actually streetsweepers) come along and suck up the gravel from the streets.

A couple days ago they came and while they weren’t in one place long enough to sketch, I took a couple photos and did this quick, for me, sketch of the activity. We like it clean in Quebec City.

Stillman & Birn 5.5×8.5 Alpha; Lamy All Star w/Platinum Carbon Black ink; W&N artist watercolors

Cool Spring Sketching Isn’t So Cool: It’s Cold!

Written by Larry Marshall on April 12, 2012 · Leave a Comment

I’m so excited that it’s finally spring in Quebec City. I got interested in sketching last fall, just before it started getting cold here, and so I’ve been trying to get out sketching as often as I can. I may be premature in that because Quebec spring is still pretty cool, and often windy.

A few days ago when I’d made the decision to go sketching. The temps were just above freezing and it was quite breezy. But I went anyway. I headed downtown, looking for something to sketch, my face and ears screaming “Are you nuts?” to my stubborn sketcher brain, as the wind defoliated my skin.

I set up next to a wall that blocked most of the wind. It was across the street from a dental clinic that seemed worthy of sketching.

I start these sketches with pencil and I have two goals. I want to get the perspective right and I want to locate all the foreground thingies that determine where the background lines start and stop. I don’t worry about drawing the details at this point, but I’m slow enough as a newbie sketcher that this takes me longer than it does for most sketchers. I’d been sitting for about 45 minutes and I was beginning to empathize with popsicles and dream of fireplaces. I called it a day, packed up, and went home. This was the state of the sketch at that point.

Later, in the warmth of my home, I inked (Hero Calligraphy pen w/Platinum Carbon Black ink) the sketch, added some details, and used Winsor & Newton Artist watercolors to give it some color. Hope you like it.

By the way, the more I use it, the more I’m enjoying my Stillman & Birn 10×7 Alpha. I’ve been using Alpha’s for a while now and love them and spiral format is really convenient for outdoor sketching…even when it’s cold.

I went out this morning to sketch some more. I headed to the marina, expecting that some of the winterized sailboats would be back in the water. It was spring, afterall. Turned out that, once again, I had been overly-optimistic as the marina is still covered by ice. Spring is here, but not really.

Adventures Of An Urban Sketcher

Written by Larry Marshall on April 8, 2012 · 6 Comments

Thursday morning I decided to walk south and visit an industrial area near a railroad yard in Quebec City. I’m something of a train nut and I thought maybe I could sketch some trains.

I was walking to the freight yard when I happened upon this scene. I liked the yellow wall, juxtapositioned next to the brown train car and the harsh shadow between them, so I decided to sketch it.

I set up to the left of where this photo was taken, on a sidewalk, with the street behind me. My WalkStool was actually straddling the railroad track. Those railroad tracks crossed the street and went somewhere. I didn’t pay much attention. I remember chuckling to myself that at least this subject wouldn’t drive away like a car I was sketching earlier in the week.

I was having a really nice time as the sun felt good, it was quiet, and the sketching was going well. I’m a really slow sketcher so I’d been there more than an hour and I was intently adding color to my ink sketch.

I was so concentrated on the work that I didn’t even hear it… until a guy walked up to me and his shadow crossed my paper. ”Qu’est-ce que tu fait, Monsieur?” (What are you doing, Mister?) I looked up to see a guy in overalls and a baseball cap staring down at me. And then I saw IT. It was an EMD SW-1500 switch engine, idling no more than ten feet from where I was sitting – on the railroad tracks.

I told him I was sketching and showed him my sketch. I stood up as I did and he told I’d have to move. As I was packing up he walked over to the derail (that yellow thing clamped to the track), disengaged it, and motioned to the engineer to move forward.

By then I was taking photos of the engine. I did mention that I’m a railroad geek didn’t I? Once they’d engaged the boxcar, the guy dropped off the engine, walked back to me, and asked if I could show the engineer my sketch. I was both amazed, excited, and nervous all at once. The sketch you see below bought me access to the cab of that engine, which for a railroad geek is a really big deal. And then they hauled my boxcar away. And that, my friends is what I call a great day of sketching.

Here’s the sketch. I still have to add the white letters on the boxcar and I’ll probably do that with a colored pencil. This sketch was done in my Stillman & Birn Alpha sketchbook (10×7), using a Lamy Safari XF and Platinum Carbon Black ink. Color is W&N artist watercolors. Has anything like this happened to you while you were sketching?