Joer_B's Uploads

Meadhbh with her long wild red hair all over the place. 2023, 5” x 8,” Ballpoint Pen on Moleskine Sketchbook.

From 2021, Meadhbh massaging her neck after a long pose. Red Bic pen drawing converted to black and white in Photoshop.

Amber Rose Revah as the character Dinah Madani in the Disney+ (Netflix?) series ‘The Punisher.’ Moleskine Sketchbook Sketch

Recent commission: How do women move forward when doors are continually closing in front of them? Doors that were open in the past are now being closed by those who think that you should live your life the way they do even though your life situation is vastly different from theirs. 2022, 13” x 19” Ballpoint Pen on Paper, Digital. Model: AmyM

Words to live by. Poster design from 2021. Ballpoint pen on sketchbook paper, Adobe Photoshop, Corel Painter. 13" x 19"

Meadhbh wearing a red striped tube dress. 2022, Ballpoint pens on 5" x 8" Moleskine acid free sketchbook paper. Model: Meadhbh

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.

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

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

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.

Sketchbook work...

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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).

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.