Me & My Ballpoint Pen
An approachable guide to ballpoint pen art
Launching August 26, 2025!
No Drawing Skills Necessary
Seriously, if you can hold a pen, and you're willing to practice, you can learn Jen’s abstract ballpoint techniques. All you need is a ballpoint pen, smooth paper, your favorite snack, and a comfy place to sit.
No studio space required…In fact Jen’s favorite place to draw is on the couch!
Me & My Ballpoint Pen is filled with lessons and step-by-step projects designed to teach and inspire you to create with a ballpoint pen.
Relax, unwind, and make something beautiful in the process.
Packed with drills, prompts, galleries, and techniques, Me and My Ballpoint Pen offers inspiring advice on how to start, improve or master the art of ballpoint pen sketching.
With clear step-by-step photography, Jennifer Mullin demonstrates all the techniques you need for creating brilliant, original artwork.
About the Author
Jennifer Mullin is a mixed media artist, author, and art instructor who got serious about art in 2006, when the art she was making started cluttering her house.
In 2016, Jen’s sketchbook drawings went viral on Pinterest. She was inundated with requests to learn her ballpoint techniques so she created the popular Jen + Ink online courses, enjoyed by students worldwide.
Besides being an artist, Jennifer is a project manager, daily walker, gardener, reader, cook, traveler, life-long Cubs fan, and lifter of heavy weights.
She lives in Madison, Wisconsin with her husband Chris and their two cats, Cleo and Richard.
Book Topics
A Short History of the Ballpoint
Tools and Materials
Value & Contrast
Shading Techniques
Transitions
Composition
Color Theory
Blending Color
Dealing with Mistakes
Drawing Abstractly
Mixed Media Ballpoint Applications
Texture, Pattern & Mark-Making
Drawing Realistically
Animals
Floral
Landscape
Portrait
Chair
Take a video tour of the book!
A quick flip through of my new book, “Me & My Ballpoint Pen”
Want to Try Before you Buy?
It’s a fancy way of saying drawing without looking at your paper. Blind contour drawing is a simple technique taught to art students that forces you to look closely at what you’re drawing, noticing all the details. It’s way more fun than it sounds! The key to drawing without looking is to enjoy the process and embrace all the irregularities. You catch and include all those tiny details in your drawings. Your eyes don't miss a thing!
Not only I blind contour fun and relaxing, it’s an effect way to improve your drawing and observational skills.
What is Blind Contour?
If you like this project, you’ll love this book!
Pre-Order Now!
Outside of the US?
Please pre-order from your favorite local bookseller or use one of the links below.
Pre-Order ends Thursday, July 31st
Don’t miss out on a signed copy!