Marah Maitale Art

Videos · Sketchbook Drawings

Victorian Street Lanterns in Ballpoint Pen – One Blue Pen

26 min · real-time drawing, no talking · watch on YouTube

Ballpoint pen drawing of two ornate street lanterns, filling another page in my sketchbook with just one blue pen – from the first outlines to cross-hatching, shading and the fine metal scrollwork. Real-time drawing with calm music, no talking.

Blue ballpoint pen drawing of two ornate street lanterns with cross-hatched glass panels and curling metal scrollwork, by Marah Maitale Art
Victorian Street Lanterns in Ballpoint Pen – One Blue Pen — Marah Maitale Art

Two old-fashioned street lanterns fill this sketchbook page: one hanging lantern with a domed top and a tall standing lantern with curling iron scrollwork and a tasseled base. Both are drawn with nothing but a classic blue ballpoint pen.

With a pen there is no eraser, so the drawing is built up in layers: light outlines first, then cross-hatching for the glass panels and the shadows, and finally the small decorative details in the metalwork. It is a good example of how much value and texture you can get from a single cheap pen.

The video follows the whole process in real time, with calm music and no talking, so you can relax while watching or draw along in your own sketchbook. There is also a 30-second Short of this drawing on the channel. The rest of the page was filled the week after with an old oil lamp drawing.

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