Hello, my name is Joer_B,
and I'm a doodle addict. Calgary Plus

Joer_B loves to draw people. Joer's current illustration style started as little Bic ballpoint pen doodles drawn on the edges of his notebooks. As he gained confidence in this medium, his drawings became more and more elaborate and ambitious.

I specialize in adobe illustrator, adobe photoshop, drawing, fine art, illustration, pen and ink, pencil, pencil drawing, portraits.

Joer_B's Uploads

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Love of my life caught in a contemplative moment in a Midtown NYC coffee shop. Ballpoint Pen on Archival 9” x 12” paper, Adobe Photoshop.

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The red Bic pen layer converted to black and white. Model: Imani

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More sketchbook work of Meadhbh. Decided to use the sepia Micron pens as my primary tool, with the Bic ballpoint playing a supporting role.

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Bronwyn lounging on the leather Barcelona chair looking bored. I really don't like drawing feet, which is why I forced myself to draw her feet.

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Sketchbook work...

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Taken me a while to finish this one - not feeling very focused lately. Also, I restricted myself to using Bic’s yellow ink, which is way more vibrant than the cheap 10-colour ink click pens that I usually use.

SteveO with his arms up. An old ballpoint pen sketch from several years ago. Red Bic pen layer converted to black and white.

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Meadhbh standing in front of a green wall. Simplified her hair and the leaves in the background a bit. Charcoal and pastel pencils on 9” x 12” Strathmore archival sketchbook paper, scanned into Photoshop. Model: Meadhbh

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Overwhelmed...started as a little tiny sketchbook sketch and turned into my statement about recent events. It complements my previous post "Fevered Dreams." Bic ballpoint pen on archival 9” x 12” paper, scanned into Photoshop where the text overlay was added. Model: Jose

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Seemingly trapped indoors and inside your head indefinitely, the possibility of living a normal life after COVID seems like a fevered dream. Still one of my favourite drawings from 2020 and a technique breakthrough. Ballpoint Pen on Archival 8.5" x 11" paper

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Imani standing akimbo with hands on her hips. One detail and several in-progress scans. Model: Imani.

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Meadhbh massaging her neck kink after posing. Bic4 Ballpoint Pen on Archival 9” x 12” paper. Model: Meadhbh (Maeve).

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Meadhbh standing while clasping her forearm. Two drawing details along with two in-progress scans of my technique: red Bic pen layer first, then green layer and finally the yellow ink layer. Bic4 Ballpoint Pen on Archival 9” x 12” paper. Model: Meadhbh (Maeve).

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Hand pose 8 with one detail and work progression shots - started with the red pen layer, then green and finally the yellow ink (feature image).

I’m often asked about my Bic pen drawings and how I do them. It starts with a good foundational drawing, the ballpoint pen part is just trying to colour within the lines. I try to do my best to explain the process, but the best way to show my progress is by posting my efforts to master pen drawings over the span of 3 or so years. I have been doodling/drawing with ballpoint pens as far back as I can remember - they were cheap, readily available and always lying around the house. It wasn’t until I was bored during a particularly long team meeting-conference call (around 2016-17) that I started to think about the possibilities of ballpoint pens as serious portrait illustration tools. My first experiments with full colour ink portrait drawings were rather crude, but that’s the point of learning new techniques—as long as the curiosity and the love of drawing is there, you can transfer that skill and passion into any medium. Remember, the most exquisite drawings and paintings you see didn’t materialise fully formed, they started out as failed experiments. Failure after failure after failure. It’s important to remember this when you get discouraged (I've failed spectacularly over the years). The only difference between the accomplished artist and the beginner is hundreds of hours of practice. Talent can only get you so far. It’s the hard work that you do behind the scenes that makes your work look effortless. Keep doodling. Keep learning. Stay curious.

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Imani seated, massaging her neck and shoulders. I may have overworked this one. Charcoal pencils on 9” x 12” brown sketchbook paper.

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Model Ruth resting on a platform covered by red bed sheets. Bic4 Ballpoint Pen on Archival 9” x 12” paper.

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Drawing Prompt Submission

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Abandoned drawing of Ellie wearing a black turtleneck. The lighting in the room was terrible and the black fabric hid a lot of the shadow detail of the folds and it frustrated me. That’s my excuse anyway… Model: Ellie.

Quick sketchbook portrait of Yolanda. Bic4 Ballpoint Pen, Yellow Micron pen on Archival 9” x 12” paper.

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Meadhbh sitting on a bar stool and twisting to her right. Bic4 Ballpoint Pen on Archival 9” x 12” paper. Model: Meadhbh (Maeve).

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Joer_B's Uploads