artsperiencelife

About Guan Dao Pen

Sometime in 2013, Ignatius was introduced to a dip pen called folded pen. As the name suggests, it is literally a pen made by folding a thin metal sheet like from a cola or soft drink can and taped it to a tongue depressor or ice cream stick. There you have it a folded pen which is affectionately also known as cola pen. It is used by artists in Europe and Middle East for modern creative calligraphy. For the curious, explorative,bexperimentative Ignatius, “If it can be used for mark making in calligraphy, what’s stopping it for mark making for drawing and painting.

Surely, I can put it to better use.

He would went on to re-define and refine this pen to push its limit beyond just a calligraphy pen after about 2 years of courtship. In 2015 Ignatius began to conduct workshops to share with participants on his folded pen experience and how to make their own folded pen to create their own paintings. Due to its resemble to the green dragon crescent jade blade (青龍偃月刀) weapon of the legendary Guan Yu (關羽), he would went on to name it Guan Dao Pen to differentiate it between a folded pen which is used largely only for creative calligraphy. Though Guan Dao Pen’s look bears all similarity in appearance as crude as the folded pen but it is far more versatile than the folded pen.

Guan Dao Pen which is a re-engineered vision of the folded pen enables the person wielding the pen to draw and paint with it. Hence Guan Dao Pen 關刀笔 was born.

Ignatius would carry his Guan Dao Pen whenever he goes. It is his pen and a brush on the fly. Wherever there is some coloured liquid be it kopi-O, black soya sauce or some staining fruit juices, it becomes his medium. Dip Guan Dao Pen into it and Ignatius is off to create another artwork.

Join him in this very unique experience with such unconventional implement for painting.