Teresa Wentzler Art

I will be working on a pencil portrait commission for the next while, so today I’m sharing some links to pen and ink artists’ work/websites.

Please bear in mind that these works and styles appeal to my sensibilities. There are uncounted pen artists out there and styles to suit just about any taste!

A few of my contemporary favorites:

Melissa B. Tubbs: https://melissabtubbs.blogspot.com/. Please take time to explore Melissa’s site. While much of her art centers on architectural subjects, she also has a delightful sense of whimsy. I find her technique really fascinating.

Chloe Gendron: Longstride Illustration. Chloe’s site showcases her wonderful tutorials, YouTube videos, blog, and in her words: “Pen and ink drawings for fans of line art, comics, manga, nature lovers, and bird admirers.” Her style is unique and very eye-catching.

Olivia Kemp: https://www.oliviakemp.co.uk/ . Olivia’s art is, in a word, magical. Intensely detailed and often pulled directly from her imagination, the images she creates invite the viewer into incredible worlds. What astounds me most is the sheer size and scope of her larger pieces. Not to be missed!

A few artists from the past who worked in pen and ink during the golden age of illustration:

Franklin Booth: https://linesandcolors.com/2007/03/31/franklin-booth/. Lots of links to more of Booth’s work are included with this post. Booth is hands down my favorite ink artist.

Howard Pyle: https://linesandcolors.com/2006/05/08/howard-pyle/ . And https://linesandcolors.com/2014/03/05/eye-candy-for-today-three-howard-pyle-drawings/. Like many of the great illustrators of the time, Pyle was an accomplished painter as well.

Joseph Clement Coll: https://www.illustrationhistory.org/artists/joseph-clement-coll . And from another art blog: https://www.muddycolors.com/2015/02/masterworks-joseph-clement-coll/. What strikes me most about Coll’s ink work is his really dynamic use of line and his dramatic use of positive and negative space.

These volumes are on my reference bookshelf, and I highly recommend them:

Treasury of American Pen and Ink Illustration: 1881-1938. ed. by Fridolf Johnson, Pen and Ink Illustration Showcase, compiled and edited by Steve Archibald, and Franklin Booth – American Illustrator, ed. by Manuel Auad. (The first two are available on Amazon.)

These are just a few artists of many, but I hope you’ll find them as inspiring as I do. Enjoy!

Do you have any favorite pen and ink artists you’d like to share?