Stippling, pointillism, dot work… or whatever else you might call it…is a drawing technique whereby an artist uses dots to create areas of light and shade. It’s time consuming. It requires a lot of precision. And holding a pen for over five hours makes your fingers go flat. But it’s also relaxing, incredibly mesmerising to watch on a time lapse and so satisfying to see a perfect tonal blend from dark to light.

It works well for pretty much any subject, and since I started drawing in this way I’ve yet to settle on a favourite. I do, however, have a favourite pen. My trusty 003 (0.15mm) Micron Super Fineliner. Well, it’s my favourite brand of pen – last year I made my way through 42 of them.

I started stippling completely by accident. But once I’d started, I never stopped.

It’s a relaxing hobby and I love dotting away for an hour before bed. Given how time consuming it is, a drawing can take anything from a week to several months. Case in point…the mountaineering drawing (fun fact – it’s my boyfriend!) took 9 months. All thanks to the level of detail in the reference photo. As well as my 3,000 other hobbies and a full time job.

I’ve always had so many drawings lying around, small and big, and it felt a shame to do nothing with them. So last year I decided to open a little Etsy shop where they could be purchased as prints and cards. It’s not my calling in life, but every time the little kerching notification pops up it somehow makes the impending arthritis and numb fingertips worth it!

https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/EliseBrownPrints