Wild Gears Techniques #1: Pen Angle

Previously I've posted pictures and videos to various parts of the internet highlighting interesting, pretty, and often complex designs that I've made with Wild Gears.
I'd like to make a slightly different space for posts and pictures that talk about different techniques of using Wild Gears.  This will start building a knowledge base for people to bring to their own creativity and exploration.

I'm going to start simple and short with a few pictures and hopefully not too many words.

Today's topic is pen angle.

When starting to use Wild Gears the aim is usually to make clear crisp lines and uniform designs.  This is best achieved by holding the pen vertically; rather than angled like is more common when writing.  Applying consistent pressure and speed is also good (some pens need that much more than others).  The first trick to get a better looking line is to go over the design two or three times.  This gets a solid ink line that looks bolder and crisper.  It also helps hide the point where the design started and stopped.

Now that you've got the hang of making solid consistent lines thought complex designs lets look at how to add subtle body and emphasis to the lines.  A lot can be done by tilting  the pen while going over the design an additional time.  The key is to be aware of how and when the pen is tilted.  For example tilting the pen consistently to the left will give a different line weight pattern than tilting the pen towards the center of the ring at all times. 

This picture shows a very simple design that has been  done three ways.

1. single pass, pen vertical
2. three passes with the pen vertical
3. three passes of the pen while vertical and then an additional pass with the pen tilted towards the center of the gear.
   

The 1x design looks similar to the 3x design but the 3x design is more bold and stands out better but both have uniform line thickness.  The top right design 'Tilted' shows off narrow lines near the center and thicker swooping lines near the edges.  The top right lobe is the best example.

Clearly, these photos also need better lighting to do them justice but for now it is good to be getting started.

If you have questions, comments, or want more details about pen angle, I'd love to hear from you.

Thank-you for reading,
~Aaron