Edward Gorey needs no introduction. I won't trivialize his massive talents or contributions by trying to come up with a witty line about how influential he has been and continues to be to countless artists of all media for the past 50+ years. So instead, I will just share my observations with you about a show of his work that I was lucky enough to attend today at the
Boston Athenaeum!
The show features Edward Gorey's original pen and ink work in the forms of finished illustrations, loose sketchbook art/writing, book covers (rejected and accepted), writings, and incredible lettering. There are also a few lovely illustrated envelopes, stuffed toys made by Gorey himself, original-edition miniature books, and some early editions of some of his books. Most of the art is original art, except for a few reproductions.
I was unable to take photos since they were prohibited, but for all you art geeks like me, I took notes on some of my observations on his process and the like.
• Writing: I knew he was a writer of course and an excellent one, but after seeing some of his rejects it hit home how truly imaginative and innovative he was with words and with creating his own words. I was able to wrap myself a little bit in his process with some of the papers here and got to get a feel for his process. From what I can tell, it's a lot like the rest of us, which I liked a lot! I also noted that his poetic and rhyming verse is in general extremely technically sound. It's clear that he took pains to make sure that his work was technically correct and that he had a great respect for formal education in language, grammar and creative writing.
• Line work: Some of the line work is done with an impossibly fine and delicate line, and his control and consistency to his style is remarkable, especially given the fact that he likely was using pen nibs and an inkwell and not continuous-flow ink pen such as Rapidograph. Being a
Rapidograph fanatic myself, I found this fascinating and really impressive. I have also used nib pens extensively and I have to wonder where the renegade ink drops are in Gorey's work. that sometimes wind up in my ink and nib-pen art! I think he was so precise and controlled and possibly trained himself to work with an immediate emergency blotter immediately at the ready in case any ink blobs came quickly.
Switching gears from digital talk, I thought I'd share some tips on cleaning a Rapidoraph pen. I have used them for 20 years and I love them.
Take the pen apart When you take the pen apart, have a wide-mouthed shallow bowl handy, or a workspace that is safe for small messy parts so you don't lose any pieces. Line your work area with paper towels to keep tidy.
First, unscrew the colored ring on your pen casing. Then, take apart the pen tip. There is a small tool that comes with the pen. It's called a "nib key". It looks kind of like a black
nut (hardware - nuts and bolts, I mean). Use this to take apart the nib tip part. It's easy to do. This nut-like piece fits onto your pen over the tip. Once it is fitted on, just unscrew the tip part apart. (If you need a visual or further explanation,
click here and scroll down a bit.)
Soak the working parts Soak just the pen-tip working parts (not the casing) in a Rapidograph cleansing solution such as
this one. You may soak in either a mix of solution + water or straight solution, depending on how much cleaning power your pen needs. You can do the soaking in a very small vessel with solution to cover, or almost cover, the soaking parts. This way, you will only use just the amount of solution you need to get your pen clean, and no more. Make sure to cover it to keep it safely away from pets or spills. Depending on how tough a job your pen is, you may soak it for anywhere from a couple hours to a couple days, give or take.
You can do just these steps above and let your pen parts soak for awhile. Then, rinse by running under cold water. Test out your tip on some paper towel occasionally, until you can tell that the tip is clear of clogging and it runs cleanly.
This alone is the general method to clean your pen. There is an additional, optional step you can take. Totally not necessary, but works very well: the Rapidograph syringe. The Rapidograph pen cleaning kit (with syringe)
You can buy a great
Rapidograph pen cleaning kit from the creators of the original Koh-I-Noor Rapidograph pen. It comes with a pen cleaning solution which you would use in the first step of cleaning. The second step: you use this balloon type of gadget that you attach to the pen nib, and you get to squeeze the balloon to force all the ink out of the pen tip to help clear out your pen or water/solution in and water/solution out over and over. This uses a suctioning action to clean your pen. (The suction/balloon squeezing works like a turkey baster.) It's a lot of fun and it is very effective! It works very well to get your pen squeaky clean. (Did I mention it's fun?) (If you do this method, mix up more solution/water just for the suction cleansing.)For more information on this, instructions do come with the kit (and it is not difficult).
General DO's and DON'T's for handling/using your Rapidograph pen•DO Be really careful with the tip. Don't bang it or bend it. Excess tapping on the tip is a bad idea as well. They are strong enough for drawing but they are not invincible and I have killed a tip or two in my time. The pens are expensive to replace, too. So treat them with care.
•DON'T shake the pen to start ink flow. This will kill your pen. To start ink flow, hold the pen in one hand vertically (tip down). While holding pen firmly, ta
Once my pencil work was completed, I went in with my Rapidograph pen (.25 point size nib). I love this part of the process. I can kind of "zone out" and let my brain go on autopilot. Inking the lines is still a very creative process but it's kind of like rollerskating wearing knee pads. You are protected to begin with, but you can take a few chances and still feel safe.
And... Ta-da!! Here is the final painting!
This is a drawing I did oh-so-long ago. I was almost hesitant to post it actually. But I thought in posting it, I could show you where I was way back (about 15 years ago, now). As you can see, my old friend Guinness was busy inspiring me, by the two pugs in the parade here. Anyway hope you enjoy seeing this piece of "my past" (*wink wink*). The times, how they have changed..
Meet Chewy the dachsund. Chewy is no longer with us, but this portrait will serve as a comforting tribute to him. Chewy was aptly named -- he loved to CHEW everything! His family had a great idea of somehow integrating the concept of Chewy chewing his way through the world and beyond. Taking into consideration the source material available to me as well as the "Chewy chewing up the world" concept, I came up with a sketch that the above ink drawing was based on. Chewy's family loved it! (The little kitty cat in the corner is a symbol of Chewy's friend, Chubs.) Next stage will be final painting. Stay tuned, to see the progress!
What a wonderful review Kathy! I'm heading down there in March, I can't wait.
Kathy, this was great! I am making it a "must see!" I am a pen and ink girl at heart too.