Spotlight on Art: Pen Pals

Several months ago, I got an iPad. I can’t tell how handy (not to mention fun!) that device has been in fulfilling all my duties. But one thing I’ve noticed is that I spend quite a bit less time with a pen in my hand. Computers, keyboards, and all that technological paraphernalia just keeps growing and growing in prevalence, making old fashioned tools like pens and pencils even less necessary. Who knows if in coming years, the saying “The pen is mightier than the sword,” may become entirely metaphorical or even obsolete, but one thing is for sure—for now at least, there are times where the exact thing you need is a good, old-fashioned pen. Today’s spotlight artwork from our art studio shows some of the great effects you can get by using My Legacy Writers—or other pens—for more than just journaling.

I love the fresh color scheme in this playful layout, celebrating this beautiful family. Can you spot all the places where pen lines have been added to subtly emphasize different elements? If you spotted the grid lines on the right page, the frame around the inside of the large left page photo, the outlining of the letters in “Play” and on the Cricut “You & Me” banner, in addition to the journaling on these pages, then give yourself a  hand! You’ll notice that the lines are doubled up all the way around. By using a ruler to draw one long straight line and then adding a second line freehand, you get the benefit of making your pen line more prominent as well as the chance to cover up any goof-ups. Plus the sketchy look that results adds a nice, fresh touch to your artwork.

Pens can give you a cleaner look, too, especially when you use the ultra-fine tip of the My Legacy Writers paired with a ruler. The stitching and outside frame on this card are very cleanly-executed. Our artist also employed another nice trick here: to create the sentiment, she masked off the letters in “hello” while coloring the surrounding cardstock with the spray pen. To clean up the edges of the masking, she then outlined the letters using the My Legacy Writer.

Using the fine writing tips of our Exclusive Inks markers, you can get the same effect in color! The lined paper on this card as well as the border around the outside was all made using markers and a ruler to keep the lines straight.

There’s almost no end to the types of effects you can get using these tools. Here, a Honey marker creates the stripes on Buttercup Cardstock, making it look like B&T. Using your imagination, you can really find a lot of ways to harness the versatile power of pens and markers. The iPads may have them beat in some ways, but there are other ways in which the pen still is mightier!