Tag: pen and ink

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Pen and Ink Drawing After Albrecht Dürer

Drawing of hands copied from Albrecht Dürer

The image on this page that accompanies the text I am writing is a drawing in black and white gel ink pens copied from a work by the German Master Albrecht Dürer described as “Study of the Hands of God the Father from the Heller Altarpiece” and is in the collection of Kunsthalle, Bremen. Kunsthalle means Art Gallery in German and Bremen means Bremen.

Now let’s talk about Albrecht Dürer. I will heavily edit the information that ChatGPT stole, I mean gathered, from various places on the internet. Will ChatGPT credit its sources? In a word: NO. You can’t expect software or the people that created it to be held accountable for anything. Let’s just enjoy the product that they provided for free (for now). And always remember: it’s not stealing if you somehow benefit from it.

Albrecht Dürer was born in 1471, in Nuremberg, Germany. Dürer’s early training started in his father’s goldsmith workshop, where he learned the fundamentals of metalwork and engraving. This foundation in craftsmanship would later influence his attention to detail and precision in his artistic endeavors. While some fathers forbid or at least frown on art, his father sent him to study under the painter Michael Wolgemut. Under Wolgemut’s guidance, Dürer developed his skills in painting and woodcut printmaking.

During his travels in Italy, Dürer immersed himself in the artistic and intellectual environment of the Renaissance. He soaked in the works of Italian masters such as Leonardo da Vinci and Raphael, incorporating their techniques into his own individual style. Dürer’s extensive knowledge of geometry and mathematics also played a significant role in his art, as he sought to achieve a harmonious balance between aesthetics and scientific principles.

And always remember: it’s not stealing if you somehow benefit from it.

Albrecht Dürer also created theoretical works on proportion and perspective, such as his treatise “Instruction in Measurement”. These writings showcased his deep understanding of mathematical principles and their application to artistic representation. Dürer’s theories on perspective greatly influenced the development of European art, enabling artists to create more accurate and realistic spatial illusions.

Albrecht Dürer’s influence on the art world cannot be exaggerated. His painstaking attention to detail, technical mastery, and theoretical contributions revolutionized the way art was both created and understood. His works continue to be celebrated for their beauty, craftsmanship, and intellectual depth. Dürer’s artistic legacy endures, reminding us of the enduring power of creativity and the timeless relevance of his vision.

And now I leave you with a limerick about Albrecht Dürer by the life of every party, ChatGPT.

There once was a painter named Dürer,
Whose skill made the art world infer,
With precise lines so bold,
His works they unfold,
A master, his talent did stir.

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Pen and Ink Drawing After Raphael Sanzio

Study of the Disputa After a Drawing by Raphael

Next up on our old master artist copy-a-thon, we have a drawing in ink copied from a work by Raphael. My copy was done with the ever-popular gel ink pen available at the finest art supply stores. Stores like Target and Walgreens for example. The original by Raphael was done with brown ink over a non-gel black ink pen. It is a study for the his fresco entitled ‘Disputation of the Holy Sacrament’ located in the Apostolic Palace inside the Vatican. At the tender age of twenty-five, Raphael obtained an important commission from Pope Julius II to decorate a ceremonial hall in the Vatican. Saints, priests, scholars, and poets are portrayed in the fresco. This drawing shows a detail of the overall composition. To portray the figures as lively and realistically as possible, Raphael created nude studies of each after a live model. The individual studies are brought together in this drawing to determine the spatial relationship between the figures. Now I’m not a writer so I am already getting very tired of writing. So I turned to technology to help me write about Raphael.

I used the artificial intelligence wunderkind known as ChatGPT to write about Raphael’s personality. According to ChatGPT, Raphael was gentle and affable. He had a great sense of humor and a warm, welcoming demeanor. He was easy to get along with. He was devoted to his faith. Raphael was highly skilled in networking and socializing. He was well-liked by both royalty and popes. On top of that he had wit, charm and of course, was incredibly artistically talented.

I used to admire Raphael, but due to ChatGPT, I find him very annoying. And that my friends is progress.
What about the subject of ‘Disputa’? Well, what about it ChatGPT? I tried to ask ChatGPT and it told me and I quote “!
Something went wrong. If this issue persists please contact us through our help center at help.openai.com.” So there you go, that is all I have for today.

Click here if you want to see an image of the study of the Disputa by Raphael.

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Pen and Ink Drawing After Albrecht Durer

Pen and ink drawing of the Arm of Eve

Here is a drawing of an arm. It is an arm copied by hand that was copied from the artist Albrecht Durer. It was done in white and black gel pens on gray-toned paper. The arm is that of Eve holding an apple. I assume it is an apple. I never went to church growing up. This means that I’m at a huge disadvantage when it comes to being hypocritical and feeling superior to others of a different religion. I guess that last sentence shows, albeit sarcastically, that I feel I am superior to religious people. I think I just outed myself. Well, let us talk about the drawing I copied from Durer. The original can be found in the Cleveland Museum of Art. It was drawn on a special blue Venetian paper with black and gray washes and highlighted with white gouache. Gouache is like watercolor but more opaque.

I never went to church growing up.

This is what the museum says about the drawing: This drawing of the Arm of Eve, done in 1507 is the only surviving preparatory drawing for Dürer’s life-size panels of Adam and Eve in the Prado Museum in Madrid. This is also the only drawing by the artist made on that Venetian blue paper I mentioned before, which he used during his winter trip to Venice in 1506–7 to practice chiaroscuro. Using only black and gray ink, wash, and gouache for shading and heightening, Dürer’s composition of a disembodied arm and hand suggests the grace and balance of the complete human form. An ideal proportioned study of a hand makes a reference to Albrecht Durer’s artistic skills.

Albrecht Dürer was one of the greatest Renaissance artists. His ingenious ideas about geometry and the proportion of the human body, as well as the realistic representation of nature, earned him the reputation of being the Leonardo Da Vinci of northern Europe. Dürer believed that nature, as God’s creation, was the true source of art. His art embodied the belief that artists should draw exactly what they see in order to make their work as convincing as possible: “The more precisely the forms in your work are compatible with life, the better it will appear. That is the truth. So never imagine that you can or should attempt to make something better than God has allowed his created nature to be. For your ability is impotent compared to God’s creativity.”

If you would like to see the original drawing of Eve’s Arm holding an apple by Albrecht Durer, click here.

If you would also like to see the final painting of Eve by Albrecht Durer, click here.

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Pen and Ink Drawing After Rembrandt van Rijn

Man Sitting on the Ground After Rembrandt

Next up we have a copy of an etching done by Rembrandt van Rijn of a man sitting on the ground. I drew my copy with a pen called “inkjoy” which is made by the really great folks at the Papermate company. Unfortunately, this particular pen is not that great for drawing. However, whenever I have a bad day at work I like to come home and grab my “inkjoy” pen and all my troubles start to melt away. In these tough times it’s nice to know that the outstanding people at papermate are fighting for our “joy”. The “inkjoy” pen is available at Walgreens or anywhere fine art supplies are sold. I basically copied that from my Instagram account because I’d like to think I’m kind of an expert when it comes to myself. And there is no Wikipedia page on me. Believe me I have searched. When you type in ‘Brad Luthin’ at Wikipedia, a prompt comes up saying did you mean ‘brand luther’. If you click on ‘brand luther’ it takes you to a page saying that the page does not exist. So I googled Brand Luther and there is a book entitled ‘Brand Luther‘ which is about Martin Luther who started the Protestant Reformation. Martin Luther used the power of publishing to promote his ideas. And wouldn’t you know it I used to work in publishing. I designed newspaper advertisements. Martin Luther also gave us the Lutheran church. Growing up there was a Lutheran church in our neighborhood and it was listed in the phonebook next to our family name ‘Luthin’ and people would sometimes call and ask if we were the Lutheran church. I know that’s not much of a story but it is true and this is a Free blog with no ads (yet). At this point, you’re probably asking yourself what is the point of all this. That is a great question. My answer would be nowhere, because this post went nowhere. Enjoy the rest of your day!