This series focuses on Japanese men warriors.
Sugegasa
![Warm grey ink drawing of a man seen from the side. He wears a Sugegasa (conical straw hat) and holds a sword at his side with both hands.](https://blog.koalie.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/4FFDA0C5-E7C7-405C-8E27-F8F87E812AA0_1_105_c.jpeg)
Sugegasa (conical straw hat).
I used a few warm grey PITT artist brush pens from Faber-Castell, and my black ink Pentel Brushpen.
Zen
![Thick black strokes to draw a young man in cross-legged position, arms folded, head bent and his sword propped between his shoulder and arms. There is a large black rectangle as background.](https://blog.koalie.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/0F0630A1-3760-43D3-B323-1E6F1E7EC08A_1_105_c.jpeg)
Young man in cross-legged position, arms folded, head bent and his sword propped between his shoulder and arms.
I used a black ink Pentel Brushpen without drawing a sketch first.
Sword
![Thick broad black strokes create movement around a young man with long black hair wielding a sword.](https://blog.koalie.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/447D0EFD-7962-4758-96B9-0735D5AE3F69_1_105_c.jpeg)
I didn’t like how this one turned out 🙁
I painted directly black ink strokes with a coarse brush to create movement, and then added detail with a black ink Pentel Brushpen.
Duel
![Think black lines depicting two dueling samurais seen from above. One wears a Sugegasa (conical straw hat) and has his sword in front of him, while the other is about to unsheath his.](https://blog.koalie.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/807B7703-C6C3-40BE-BEE1-18372059570A_1_105_c.jpeg)
Dueling samurais seen from above.
I used a black ink 0.05 mm Graphik line maker from Derwent.
I’m not very good at hatching and cross-hatching, but if I ignore that aspect, I like how this one came out.
Musashi vs. Denshichirō at the Rengeōin
![Black and grey ink drawing of a two samurai fighting with swords on the railing of a wooden deck by a temple near vegetation. One just missed the other who jumped high above the railing and whose sword is ready to strike.](https://blog.koalie.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/D3287673-6349-4AEA-AE3A-2B72F3AC64D5_1_105_c.jpeg)
This is how I imagine the duel between Musashi and Denshichirō at the Rengeōin (from the Eiji Yoshikawa novels). I really enjoyed doing this piece and love love love how it turned out.
I used black ink 0.05 mm Graphik line maker from Derwent, a grey ink brush pen from Kuretake, and black ink Pentel Brushpen.