Some snakes emerged from my dip pen this week. I think it’s worth knowing that the paper I’m drawing on is not traditional and it effects the types of lines I’m able to draw. And this affects what comes out of the pen.

So, this paper: when I order ink for my printer they always tuck in free sample packs of photo printing paper. It’s very glossy on one side and it curls up slightly. I draw on this glossy side. The crow quill nib catches or skips or moves unequally across this artificially smooth surface. It’s just a thing, not a big thing. But it does have an effect on what happens when the impulses travel between my head and my hand. Sometimes this is the most important and revelatory part of making art: the plumbing between the mind and the material.