Asemic Writing
Posted: Sat Feb 21, 2026 9:12 pm
I have ordered a couple of pens. I used to like fast flowing gel roller balls that slid easily across the paper, but it's been a longtime since I purchased any pens specifically for drawing. Being unsure, I found a man who made a video about his favourite pens for sketching. I ordered a fountain pen, and a brush pen, both he recommended. They're also refillable which reduces single-use plastic waste. I still have a tub of old pens and old pencils which have seen better days, but they remain usable. The new pens will bring a different character to those I already have.
I used to favour heavy weight cartridge paper, but have gone for 100 sheets of 100gsm. That's the thing with this type of art making, I can fill reams and reams quite easily without producing anything I feel is worth sharing. Again this is from a waste/material/resource perspective.
I'm not considering other mediums for exploration at this moment. We were encouraged to experiment with technique and medium at art school. This time round, I'm not interested in other people's views on how I should do this. It will be inward looking, an introspective project. I have memories of the views of others, from my student days, and more from the decade that followed, also the views of non artists, views from people without understanding or schooling or appreciation for art (so what I did was hidden from those people). That is enough interference! If I want to experiment then I will, but until then, I won't. Pen/Pencil/Paper. Draw.
Re waste, I could go digital I suppose. Get a graphics tablet for the PC, and draw using a pen but directly to digital format. I suspect much disconnect between the physical device and the digital apparition on screen, especially at the lower budget I'm more likely to find justifiable to expend money on for a non marketable crackpot idea.
Or maybe I could go to the beach. Draw in the sand. Buy a drone and take photos from above. Expense of travel, time taken to travel, would the rare mineral resources that comprise the electronic circuitry of the drone, it's plastic case and components, how much paper and plastic pens, wood, and graphite, and other coloured pigments, ink or crayon, how much of this would it be equivalent to.
Re other, I have noticed asemic qualities in the Mandelbrot set, but haven't explored it from an asemic persepective. Again, energy usage, I have the equipment (a PC with GPU) for the calculations, but time to navigate, time to calculate/render, it's very slow and energy demanding - the GPU gets to 80°C. Pen/Paper is much more immediate and direct.
I used to favour heavy weight cartridge paper, but have gone for 100 sheets of 100gsm. That's the thing with this type of art making, I can fill reams and reams quite easily without producing anything I feel is worth sharing. Again this is from a waste/material/resource perspective.
I'm not considering other mediums for exploration at this moment. We were encouraged to experiment with technique and medium at art school. This time round, I'm not interested in other people's views on how I should do this. It will be inward looking, an introspective project. I have memories of the views of others, from my student days, and more from the decade that followed, also the views of non artists, views from people without understanding or schooling or appreciation for art (so what I did was hidden from those people). That is enough interference! If I want to experiment then I will, but until then, I won't. Pen/Pencil/Paper. Draw.
Re waste, I could go digital I suppose. Get a graphics tablet for the PC, and draw using a pen but directly to digital format. I suspect much disconnect between the physical device and the digital apparition on screen, especially at the lower budget I'm more likely to find justifiable to expend money on for a non marketable crackpot idea.
Or maybe I could go to the beach. Draw in the sand. Buy a drone and take photos from above. Expense of travel, time taken to travel, would the rare mineral resources that comprise the electronic circuitry of the drone, it's plastic case and components, how much paper and plastic pens, wood, and graphite, and other coloured pigments, ink or crayon, how much of this would it be equivalent to.
Re other, I have noticed asemic qualities in the Mandelbrot set, but haven't explored it from an asemic persepective. Again, energy usage, I have the equipment (a PC with GPU) for the calculations, but time to navigate, time to calculate/render, it's very slow and energy demanding - the GPU gets to 80°C. Pen/Paper is much more immediate and direct.
