The Art of Ron Jones

Every artist has personal specific medium, style, rhythm and thought process that they heavily invest into each masterpiece they create. So many people ask artists all the time,

“How did you do that?”

As artists we can give all kinds of technical details on the process involved in creating each work of art, but ultimately the finished product isn’t decided by anyone until it’s completed. In regards to my ink drawings, pencil drawings, paintings and sculptures I really have no clue to how any of them will turn out. I just trust in my Power of Intention to stay focused on what my goals are and then I let the thoughts flow through the medium and into the artwork.

Described below are the tools, hints and some examples of what I use to create the detailed drawings in my line of artwork. I am obsessed with the boldness and quality of India ink, but I have also experimented with acrylic and watercolor. Creating sculpture is currently just an idea in the back of my brain but someday I hope to implement those ideas into reality.

Stencils

Stencils 1	Stencils 2
Stencils 3	Stencils 4

My ink works are based on the mathematical details within the Fibonacci numbering system also known as the Golden Mean. If I am to truly define these arithmetic patterns and equations I need to follow the specific measurements within this system. I do that by utilizing the techniques used by architects and blue print designers. Because I use these technical instruments my work is very precise and symmetrical, which is probably why my hand drawn works have been mistaken for computer generated artwork. During the creation of my images the computer is never used.

The tools listed above in Stencils 1 are my most used. Along with these stencils, I use 4 rulers of these different sizes: 12”, 18”, 24” and 48”. A ruler is used in every work. Some examples and the stencils used to create the imagery are below:

Circles Under Christ

DNA Prophecy

Cityward

Sense the Savior

True Sight

Dream Link

Sisters Dream

My drawing titled "Visions of the Enigmatist" is by far the most detailed and intense work I have ever created. Virtually every different stencil I own was used in the creation of this original. I invested over 500 hours spread across 9 months to complete this masterpiece.

Tools and Accessories

Shown below are most of the tools I use to create my original ink drawings.

My early originals were drawn using a Sharpie Ultra Fine Point ink pen. I used the larger tipped Sharpie to fill in borders as well as to create the cave in "Calming the Waters".

I chose the Sharpie because at the time I was interested in $$ value due to the amount of ink I was using. I averaged 3-5 pens on each original. I was also paying close attention to how quick ink would dry. The Sharpie ink dries very quickly and there is pretty much zero chance of a drip.

The only issue is that I don’t think it’s considered “archival” ink. I still have most of the original drawings so they are now 11 years old and have not faded. As long as they are kept out of direct sunlight or excessive heat, like most artwork, the original ink should last a long time. We’ll just have to wait and see.

I also experimented with a brand of ink pen called Micron as seen here on the right. This brand of pen is marked archival. I didn’t use them for long though because the felt tips were very delicate and they split and bent easily. What I did like about these pens is the variety of tip sizes.

I had used the Sharpie Ultra Fine Point pretty much exclusively until I designed Chapter #18, "Boston". The many vines that I created for this work were small enough that even the Ultra Fine Point was too large for the detail I needed to capture. Then I remembered hearing about a type of metal tipped pen with a refillable reservoir. It was called a Rapidograph.

As you can see in the image on the left the Rapidograph comes in all kinds of sizes. The different colored caps have the actual size displayed. The size is also displayed on the tip itself. The image on the right is a close up of these pen tips. The most common sizes that I use are .50, .35, and .25.

The image on the left demonstrates what the Rapidograph looks like unassembled. The actual tip itself is also removable but once it is removed then it needs a thorough cleaning with water before putting it back together. Also before putting the tip back together it needs to be totally dry. I shake out the excess water and also blow it out.

When putting the pen back together the reservoir should only be filled ¾ full to prevent any spillage. Also make sure to bleed the pen before starting to work with it after a refill. Each tip portion has an air hole to allow the ink to flow. If there is excess air behind the ink flow (from reattaching the reservoir) then pressure could cause a drip to happen at any time. What I do is wrap the tip in multiple sheets of toilet paper and shake the pen a few times, vigorously, up and down with the tip facing the floor. The pen has a mechanism that will move back and forth when shaking which forces the air and extra ink out of the small air hole. The process of bleeding the pen is completed when absolutely no ink comes out from the air hole. After a good wiping with some clean TP it’s ready to create.

The Rapidograph was now my pen of choice. The size options of tips as well as the refillable reservoir were a needed change. I really got into the detail using the Rapidograph while creating Flowering optimism. The metal tip also acts as an engraver and actually helps the ink penetrate deeper into the paper.

The next set of pens I only utilized to create 2 originals. They are Chapters #21, "Born Again" and Chapter #22, "Sense the Savior". "Born Again" was the first original that I added colored ink. At the time I didn’t want to fill an entire reservoir with other ink colors to then only use a small amount. So I used these Classic Fountain Pens and different nibs to dip into the different colors and apply them to the original.

Classic Art Pens	Nibs

After "Sense the Savior" I changed to using brushes with various size tips to add any colors.

In my early works I didn’t really use much Graphite to sketch out the drawing before I started inking. The first original that I applied more pencil before the ink was in "Deliverance". My more recent works are based on geometric patterns and grids so I use some art pencil in every piece to ensure my measurements are precise. Again, ink is totally unforgiving.

After the original is completed I use a motorized erasure (center image) to remove as many pencil marks as possible. Then I use the large hand brush to sweep off the used erasure bits.
To demonstrate how I use the art pencil in my work I left all the pencil marks within the original titled "Schematical Core of Time". (NEXT PAGE)