Artist Julia van der Wyk teaches inkwash painting

Gouche and watercolor painting of tangerine tree next to a chicken coop, under redwood trees. Loose brushwork style and high contrast of leaves with background.

Ink wash painting of cypress tree in lighthouse field on cold press watercolor paper by artist Julia van der Wyk

tinted sumi ink painting of trees and shrubs on a low ridge.

chalk drawing on tan toned paper by artist Julia van der Wyk. Pencil sharpener is atop fence post with leaves in the background and appears to be smiling. Loosely drawn.

line drawing of bewick's wren in fountain pen and green ink

Do you love art, stationery and fountain pens too?

I’m Julia van der Wyk, and I absolutely love art and making. Here on this blog I explore projects, process and beloved supplies. If you enjoy the content, do sign up for the Joy in Making newsletter and get updates on my adventures and access to new content.

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Artist Julia van der Wyk smiles directly into the camera with an image of a long round tip brush and triangular pencil overlaid on the right hand side

Artist Julia van der Wyk, with two of her favorite art supplies: paintbrush and pencil

Experimenting with Neocolor II pastels and Charcoal Watercolor

We all have favorite media, but I’ve been wanting to use all the great supplies I have at my disposal.

Pelikan 4001 Brilliant Green and me

My bottle of Pelikan 4001 Brilliant Green has been in my art toolkit for a long time. It has finally

The Rose: Painting with 3 liquid inks

Painting with 3 liquid inks, an adventure in an afternoon. This past December, I received as a gift three fountain

About Me

I attached to pen and ink media early on in life, becoming enamored of Pelikan drawing inks in grade school (the Pelican logo! the umlauts!) and the world of dip calligraphy nibs and the Speedball lettering handbook.

My university degree is from UCSC in Fine Art Printmaking and Painting. During that time I took a class in chinese calligraphy from calligraphy master Wang Dongling which brought back my original love of brush and ink, and has influenced my approach to art and making since.

In 2011 I started to participate in the fountain pen community, largely online. In 2015 I attended my first pen show, where I was able to meet Internet friends, proprietors and makers in person. I am very pleased to offer a class in ink wash painting to my beloved fountain pen community. My hope is that this content will enhance and complement the show experience, and bring the joy of brush and ink to all who attend. More information about the show can be found at https://www.sfpenshow.com/ . I look forward to seeing you there!