#drawingwithoutanet — Public Fediverse posts

So the last day of MerMay it seemed like everyone at Swancon 50 wanted to talk, for me to get them things, and to bump the table. But me and the Kakimori and the bottle of Rainbow Scarab got through it all.

It's been a great MerMay, and thank you for traveling along with me.

#MerMay #DrawingWithoutANet #MerMay2026 #NoAI #Swancon50 #Swancon #PerthWesternAustralia #ScienceFictionConvention #FountainPenInk #DipPen

Super poor light I'm afraid, but we're here in a hotel with dim light and a storm lowering outside, and a hurried drawing in the heritage ballroom.
Off to a Panel soon and then The Masquerade!
I think it's mainly Azure Kingfisher.

#Swancon50 #PerthWesternAustralia #MerMay #Mermay2026 #DrawingWithoutANet #FountainPen #FountainPenInk

MerMay 29th of 2026.

I am booked in to the hotel of Swancon50 which opens officially tomorrow, so it's going to be very busy for me for the rest of MerMay, but I will get some sort of drawing in for the remaining days hopefully. This is the last one that is going to be of any quality I think, but who knows?

This dolphin like mer guy is on his way somewhere fast!

Drawn with the Kakimori and Rainbow Scarab Ink.

#MerMay #MerMay2026 #DrawingWithoutANet #Merfolk #FantasyArt #DipPen #FountainPenInk #NoAI

MerMay 28th of 2026.

This mischievous merperson is about to splash someone out of view.

Drawn with the Kakimori nib and who doesn't love Rainbow Scarab from Van Diemen's Ink?

#MerMay #MerMay2026 #MerMan #Merfolk #DrawingWithoutANet #NoAI #DipPen #FountainPenInk #FantasyArt

So something a little different for you this 27th of MerMay 2026 - I drew this today in a spirit of sharing and invite you, if you've a mind to, to print it out and colour it in. Use any colours you like!

If you do, I'd love to see it in a reply here!

May be reproduced for private, non-profit use. Copyright information must remain legible please.

It was drawn as B6 see how you go, dunno how well it'll scale.

It's drawn with my favourite Rotring Art Pen.

#MerMay2026 #MerMay #DrawingwithoutANet #FreeColouringPage #FantasyArt #NoAI #TraditionalArt #FountainPen #FountainPenInk #PenAndInk #Merperson #Merman #MerFolk

MerMay 26th 2026

The merfolk here are bolder than those at home. But their colouration is decidedly more cryptic than I am used to, so they can be closer than one might think. I've quite often been observing groups at a distance only to become aware of individuals only metres away, observing me in turn. In this strange country, it is not lawful to harm or trap merfolk, or indeed any creature of language, so it is refreshing to see the merpeople sporting about the vessel I have chartered. No one I have spoken to yet speaks the language of the local mer, but a couple of villages west of here apparently do - and it is to these we will set sail tomorrow. Dated this 26th Day of MerMay in Good Tidings ink.

#MerMay #MerMay2026 #Tootfic #Flashfic #DipPen #FountainPenInk #DrawingWithoutANet #NoAI

I hope everyone is having a lovely and Geekly Proud Glorious 25th of May and knows where their towel is. This mermaid does!

This is really a case of fandoms colliding, what with #MerMay and #TowelDay and #GeekPride and the #glorious25th

With love to #DouglasAdams and #TerryPratchett both sadly missed.

I never met Douglas but I did meet Sir Terry a few times, and he was a lovely, lovely fellow.

Anyway, appropriatedly enough, this beautiful ink from Diamine and it's called Icy Lavender, and is strong in its chameleon shimmer.

I used the Kakimori nib. I am so tired.

#MerMay #MerMay2026 #DrawingWithoutANet #FantasyArt #FountainPenInk #DipPen #NoAI #Mermaid #TraditionArt

Acrobatic Mer for the 24th of MerMay, posting late but never mind.

I was flat out yesterday but I did this energetic fellow yesterday before sleeping, with the other Platinum Plaisir Aura Fountain Pen I got as a cheapy. The ink is some random cartridge.

For today, the glorious 25th, I'll have to think of something...

#FountainPen #FountainPens #NoAI #ink #MerMay #MerMay2026 #DrawingWithoutANet #TraditionalArt #FantasyArt

The Shell Game. MerMay the 23rd of 2026. Nothing like so ambitious as the last one, a simple sketch with the Platinum Plaisir Aura Fountain Pen which I got as a cheapy. It's nice and and light! I hadn't used it for months but it drew first time.

#MerMay #MerMay2026 #DrawingWithoutANet #FountainPen #FountainPens #FountainPenInk #NoAI #TraditionalArt #FantasyArt

So yesterday was pretty busy for me, from digging in some tubestock on the verge, taking some chairs to the skip for mum, having my sister-in-law visit. Then in the evening setting up a schedule for my smart telescope and putting it on the roof, also GMing my, coincidentally, GURPS merfolk player characters through the adventure with the giant shark, the sunken ship, and the mysterious deaths. (But not at Styles)

Before all of this I espied a nice photo of a poet acquaintance on Dreamwidth looking particularly like a sprite of the sea, so I asked her if it was okay to MerMay her. She agreed, I found out what colours she likes, and before my GURPS game started got her fin sorted.

GMing duties over for the evening, I returned to finish the drawing. It was finished before midnight, so I sent the model a preview, and went to bed before I got a reply. Which is why you will hopefully get two drawings today, as this is a catch up post. It was drawn on the 22nd though.

I used the Kakimori nib again, as I used multiple inks in keeping with the lovely poet's likes. She's said she likes the colours, so score there!

You can check out her website if you like, appropriately, her poems are immersive and will wrap around you like the songs of beautiful prescient birds from forests of spirit memories.

https://sonyataaffe.com

#MerMay #DipPen #FountainPenInk #NoAI #DrawingWithoutANet #TraditionalArt #GURPS #Poetry #FantasyArt

Thank you to her and photographer Rob for letting me play!

Back to some colour for MerMay the 21st of 2026 with The Mermaid and The Lighthouse.

I took up the Kakimori steel nib in the pretty seaglass reminiscent holder @rdm printed for me, and had a go with the Diamine in Skulls & Roses. It has a lovely sheen doesn't it?

I did a bit of a wash with a waterbrush for the seascape, and then finished off with some of the Pelikan Gold Lapis.

This mermaid is working up the courage to visit the lighthouse keeper and thank him for his work. She is very glad that bits of ship and drowning sailors aren't messing up Stormstruck Bay so much any more!

#MerMay #MerMay2026 #DrawingWithoutANet #FountainPen #DipPen #FountainPenInk #NoAI #Mermaid #Seascape #FantasyArt #Illustration #TraditionalArt

MerMay The Twentieth

Title: Melusine's bubblebath

Portrayed in the happy days before her husband broke his promise, Melusine enjoys her 'me' time.
Melusine is an elusive creature, being variously described as one of the Fay, or a devil, or a serpent or dragon, or water spirit. She's occasionally been described as having two tails, which sounded interesting, so I went with that.

She has some association with water Fay so she certainly has a place in MerMay, so here she is.
Drawn with a Rotring Art Pen, and, as usual, freehand, no pencil, drawing without a net as I call it.

#MerMay #MerMay2026 #FantasyArt #FountainPen #FountainPens #PenAndInk #NoAI #TraditionalArt #Ink #Mermaid #Mythology #DrawingWithoutANet

It's the 19th day of Mermay 2026 and I've used my favourite fountain pen of all time, the Rotring Art Pen, sadly no longer being made.

This was a quick one as I've been out most of the day, and not in a situation where I could draw. Well I could have, but then I wouldn't have gotten in any excercise.

This guy is an ichthyocentaur - but apparently that's a fairly recent term. According to Wikipedia. The ancient greeks just called them sea centaurs, however that translated into Greek.

#MerMay #MerMay2026 #DrawingWithoutANet #NoAI #TraditionalArt #FountainPen #FountainPens #ink #FountainPenInk #MerFolk #FantasyArt

Every full moon, when the tide is right, all the Sandsea Sealings of a certain demeanor go to the display sands and wave their beautiful tails enticingly in the current, while trying to blow bubbles at precise intervals.

Sandsea Sealings are quite difficult to communicate with if you have not been properly introduced to the pod elders so while it's unclear to the layman as to why this group does this activity, those in the know just smile and encourage those who don't just to enjoy it. Several of the non-displaying Sealings certainly form an apparently engrossed audience.

Sandsea Sealings are not considered 'true' merfolk by the uneducated because of their lack of 'true hands' but scientists tell us that they are definitely in the merfolk family and they certainly interact freely and in a friendly way to any merfolk of other species crossing their paths.

Recorded this 18th Day of MerMay using a Pelikan Dragon fountain pe
#MerMay #MerMay2026 #DrawingWithoutANet #NoAI #TraditionalArt #FountainPen #FountainPens #ink #FountainPenInk #MerFolk #FantasyArt #microfiction #microfic #tootfic

So today's the 17th of MerMay and we have a merman today. He's drawn with one of @rdm 's 3d printed pens he designed, with the Schmidt nibs.

I used Diamine's Solar Storm ink which is a chameleon shimmer ink.

People think this guy looks like @rdm but it wasn't intentional. Guy with a beard. See what you think.

#MerMay #MerMay2026 #Drawingwithoutanet #NoAi #TraditionalArt #FountainPen #FountainPenInk #PenAndInk #Merman #MerFolk

The ink I used for today's Mermay, the 16th of 2026, is Diamine's Cosmic Sky, a sheen and shimmer.

I have a new lighting set up so I've got good sheen for you today, just as well, there's no sunshine to speak of this afternoon. Well, evening now.

All with the Kakimori again. Such a great nib!

#MerMay #MerMay2026 #DrawingWithOutANet #NoAI #FantasyArt #TraditionalArt #DipPen #Kakimori

Well, this is drawn with the Kakimori nib - as a lot of my new inks are, for convenience, because the fountain pens have all been filled up or will need cleaning before reloading. But we'll get there in the end I'm sure. This is the last of the inks from @rdm 's naughty and unsanctioned raiding of Van Diemen's Ink's moving sale.

It's Red Lightning and it brings a lot to the drawing, and presumably writing table, because you know, I understand that these inks can be written with too, who would've guessed?

Aaaany way, I sketched out the outline of this merperson, and then filled in the back with broad strokes. Sketched in lightly with the scales and hair, and then realized it looked better upside down. So there you go.

#MerMay #MerMay2026 #DrawingWithoutANet #NoAI #TraditionalArt #FountainPenInk #DipPen #FantasyArt #MerFolk #Mermaid

It's MerMay the 14th of 2026 and here we have a spirit of the maelstrom, drawing down ships to their doom. Or perhaps just to have tea and crumpets with the crew and then send them on their way, who am I to say what spirits of the maelstrom want to do?

I'm using the Van Diemen's Ink Azure Kingfisher Ink, a firmly fond favourite.

#MerMay #MerMay2026 #NoAI #TraditionalArt #DrawingWithoutANet #FountainPen #FountainPenInk #Mermaid #FantasyArt #PenAndInk

A pretty odd one for today's MerMay. I was thinking about molluscs and some of those odd nudibranch species - colourful sea slugs and the like, and this guy developed. Drawn with the Kakimori steel nib, and one of the Van Diemen's ink moving day specials, Persian Princess. It is very sparkly.

#MerMay #MerMay2026 #DrawingWithoutANet #DipPen #FountainPenInk #NoAI #FantasyArt #PenAndInk

This MerMay - number 12, was drawn in the cardiologist's waiting room while @rdm had his tests. It's drawn with the beautiful Azure Kingfisher ink I've used before this MerMay, it's in a Lamy Demonstrator.

#MerMay #MerMay2026 #DrawingWithoutANet #NoAI #TraditionalArt #FountainPen #FountainPenInk

I enjoyed getting the Akkerman bottle out again and using it with the Kakimori nib. Something has profoundly upset this mermaid. Poor thing. She was fun to draw though. She'll pull through, don't worry, the ocean is on her side.

#MerMay #MerMay2026 #DrawingWithoutANet #Mermaid #NoAI #PenandInk #DipPen #FountainPenInk #TraditionalArt

Mermay the Tenth - Yesterday in Australia it was Mother's Day, so I'm catching up after a lovely day out with my Mum.

So there'll be another drawing later today so I can catch up.

This mermum and merbaby were drawn with Van Diemen's Ink Rainbow Scarab. I am not sure if the shimmer has come up in these photos but the sheen certainly has!

Gotta say this Life Noble Note book has really come to the sheen party.

#NoAI #MerMay #MerMay2026 #DrawingWithoutANet #FountainPen #FountainPenInk #Mermaid #MerFolk #FantasyArt #MothersDayAustralia

I dragged myself away from games at the club for a bit to draw this playful #mermaid. I used VanDiemen's ink Great Ice Lake, I think it is, which has a silver shimmer. The darker blue is Azure Kingfisher. And a little black for the fish. I used one of @rdm 's 3d printed pens with a Schmidt nib with the Lake, and then the Lamy Demo with the Azure Kingfisher, and the Rotring Art Pen with whatever black it was I put in it ages ago.

#MerMay2026 #MerMay #DrawingWithoutANet #NoAI #FountainPen #FountainPenInk

After a busy day, and incidentally GMing a game where the PC's are all merfolk except for one water elemental, I had a little time to bring out the Kakimori dip pen once more and do a quick brush like sketch of this mermaid touching the surface and causing ripples.

I don't know if it's the ink - Van Diemen's Ink 9 Lives, but it didn't seem to flow as smoothly as previous inks. Or maybe the Kakimori is needing a bit of a scrub.

Anyway, I think she looks elegant for just a sketch.

#MerMay #MerMay2026 #NoAI #DipPen #DrawingWithoutANet #Ink #Mermaid

MerMay the 7th.

I've had a day not conducive to drawing but fired this off this evening.
It's drawn with a Lamy Demonstrator gleefully full of Van Diemen's ink of Azure Kingfisher,
one of my favourite with its sparkle and sheen.

#MerMay #MerMay2026 #DrawingWithoutANet #FountainPen #FountainPenInk #NoAI

I had a good 3 hours to draw this one, so the more relaxed pace shows I think. Back to the Kakimori nib, because, guess what, @rdm bought some ink from Van Diemen's Ink moving sale, which I told him not to do, but he did anyway. Naughty fellow isn't he?

It arrived today and this was the one he wanted me to try out.

This is Anna's Hummingbird Ink.

#FountainPenInk #DipPen #DrawingWithoutANet #NoAI #MerMay #MerMay2026

#Ink #FountainPen #NoAI #DrawingWithoutANet #MerMay #MerMay2026

From the deep, deep sea she rises. Her distant brethren in the shallows may sport long hair, beauty and mirrors, but she knows they'd never survive alone in the depths. But they're always very polite to her when she visits. Maybe they're just that nice, or maybe they realise that the depths are the last sanctuary, and they may some day need a friend.

Drawn with a Diplomat Magnum filled with Diamine's Sleigh Ride.

Mermay the fourth for 2026.

This was drawn in various cafes and bars today, between bus trips. I had one pen with me, a Kaweco sport that I thought was loaded with some standard black ink. But it's very shiny and might have some chameleonic properties. So maybe it's one of the Diamines, and if I look at last year's mermay or artober I might be able to work out what it is.

The pen was a bit clogged and it's been poor light all the way, and I had the wrong glasses. But it turned out okay, I think.

Drawing without a net means I'm drawing without pencil, freehand straight ink to paper.

#MerMay #MerMay2026 #DrawingWithoutANet #FountainPen #FountainPenInk #NoAI #PenAndInk

#MerMay2026 #MerMay #Ink #FountainPenInk #NoAI #DrawingWithoutANet #DipPen

This #Merperson likes playing with bubbles! Just a quick drawing as I've had a busy day.
The ink is Parker's Quink. It's a decades old bottle, with just a black coloured label, but it's nice to use on occasion - with so many tempting other fancy inks around I don't often.

I'm still using the Kakimori steel nib dipper.

I asked one of the folks on the Aussie #FountainPen Discord which ink they'd like me to use today and they chose Diamine's Bittersweet.

Of course that got Bittersweet Symphony by the Verve stuck in my head, oh yes, there was no shifting it. Go and look at the clip on Youtube and see if I got the sense of it with this mer version of Richard Ashcroft rudely swimming through a bunch of sea creatures.

This is #MerMay No.2 for MerMay2026

#noai #FountainPenInk #DipPen #Kakimori #DrawingWithoutANet #TheVerve