Drawing Materials

[Deathscythealpha]

Well, im finding that im starting to draw more now with my University course, and i started to wonder what materials some of the Fan Artists here use. Im mostly concerned with what sort of pencils you lot use, cause i find the pencils i use are way to heavy to draw stuff well. I always end up with thick lines that dont rub out well.

Also, what sort of pens you use for inking images/outlining them in black.

[Robert_Wolf]

Magic markers and sharpies, dude.

*eyes dance from side to side*

Ok, so maybe I'm not an artist!



<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Robert_Wolf on 2004-01-08 13:40 ]</font>

[Sord]

the sticky tack eraser stuff (leaded eraser i think), it works well for picking up hard pencil marks, got that tip from ladyjaderiver.

[Outrider]

I'm a miserable excuse for an artist. I refuse to use drawing pencils and will only use mechanical. I also often just use printer paper.

Yeah, I'm terrible.

[Nai_Calus]

Standard-issue #2 pencil. I use one of the white plastic erasers, mars I think.

My trick for nice, clean linework is to draw your image on one sheet of paper. Get it as messy as you like, it doesn't matter. Spill soda on it for all I care. When it's finalized, trace it to another sheet of paper(Open any program in which you can get a white/mostly white full screen, tape the sheets together, and use your monitor as a makeshift light table. Don't laugh, it works, unless it's a laptop or something). Use light pencil lines, not much pressure. Then seperate the sheets and ink the copy, which will be preternaturally clean. Even better, if your pen messes up while inking and ruins it, you can just trace another inking copy. After the ink dries, lightly erase over the image to get rid of any showing pencil lines, and voila. Super-clean linework. Or it would be, if I wasn't a lousy inker, lol.

For inking, I use whatever waterproof black ink I have handy, and a C-6 pen nib. I forget the make/model of my holder, but it's a nice one, painted wood and rather large, which is great for me since I have large hands, and can thus hold it easier and more comfortably(Anything ergonomic doesn't work for me, the curves and the like are small and annoying. Mine doesn't do any of that. I love it.)

And that's what I use to actually -draw-. I'll spare you a discussion of my tools and method for CGing, lol.

[Outrider]

Ah, inking.

Have I mentioned inking scares me to death? Too afraid that I might mess something up.

I also find that I usually draw too small to make the image look suitable in an inked form.

[Deathscythealpha]

On 2004-01-08 14:54, Ian-KunX wrote:
Standard-issue #2 pencil. I use one of the white plastic erasers, mars I think.

My trick for nice, clean linework is to draw your image on one sheet of paper. Get it as messy as you like, it doesn't matter. Spill soda on it for all I care. When it's finalized, trace it to another sheet of paper(Open any program in which you can get a white/mostly white full screen, tape the sheets together, and use your monitor as a makeshift light table. Don't laugh, it works, unless it's a laptop or something). Use light pencil lines, not much pressure. Then seperate the sheets and ink the copy, which will be preternaturally clean. Even better, if your pen messes up while inking and ruins it, you can just trace another inking copy. After the ink dries, lightly erase over the image to get rid of any showing pencil lines, and voila. Super-clean linework. Or it would be, if I wasn't a lousy inker, lol.

And that's what I use to actually -draw-. I'll spare you a discussion of my tools and method for CGing, lol.



Cor, moving my monitor to use it as a light box is a mission by itself, but i can see how it would work.

And im ok with the CGing, its just the drawing that i have problems with at the mo. I would post a link to my CGed art page, but im embaressed by my University work.

*makes note to buy #2 pencil*

[navci]

Mechanial pencil.
Normal cheap erasers. Paper I grab from my printer.

... Well unless I know I am going to be colouring something. Then I have this pile of cheap light watercolour paper, they are good for colour pencils to show texture. As for inking. Hm. I like using brown ink, rather than black, personally. I got no ink right now so I use random black gelpen.

... Not very exciting. http://www.pso-world.com/psoworld/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_smile.gif

[Outrider]

On 2004-01-08 16:28, navi wrote:
Mechanial pencil.
Normal cheap erasers. Paper I grab from my printer.

... Well unless I know I am going to be colouring something. Then I have this pile of cheap light watercolour paper, they are good for colour pencils to show texture. As for inking. Hm. I like using brown ink, rather than black, personally. I got no ink right now so I use random black gelpen.

... Not very exciting. http://www.pso-world.com/psoworld/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_smile.gif



And yet you rock all of us. Go figure, eh?

[LadyRedComet]

On 2004-01-08 13:42, Sord wrote:
the sticky tack eraser stuff (leaded eraser i think), it works well for picking up hard pencil marks, got that tip from ladyjaderiver.



That's a kneaded eraser, but otherwise you're right. Plus they're fun to have around because they're like putty and you can mold them into shapes (Lady Jade made hers into a Marica for me once!).

[AzureBlaze]

I use the regular number 2 pencil as well, if I'm doing things like comics, or stuff to be inked and CG'd.

However, if you are penciling to create a finished work in pencils (some scanners deal better with pencils then others, be sure to find out if yours is one before you create some masterpiece) I would suggest several weights of pencil.

If I'm pencilling for a finish, I'll do the whole thing except the lightest parts with the #2, then finish out the darkest bits with a 6. You can lay in the lighter spots with a very hard lead of your choice. You might want to go over the 6 areas with the 2 again, to sort of rub them correctly. Make sure to keep each pencil totally sharp at all times with a handheld sharpener. I do not use one particular brand, but I hear Derwent are good.

If I am inking, I prefer ZIG millenium pens, nothing above an .02 (they are silver outside, black ink inside, and difficult to find) The ink is smooth, and doesn't vary, even if you draw a line quickly. Most likely, you'll run into a "Pigma MICRON" pen first, and these will do...but they can give jagged/rough lines due to varying hand-speed while inking.

I do not like textured paper, so I tend to also pull from the printer. That is hot-press style, because it is smooth, unlike the more textured cold-press you might find on some sketchpads.
The best things to remember are:
Keep all lines as LIGHT as possible, so you can erase well. And the rest of the stuff they said up there, good luck.

[Sord]

short term memory on remembering exactly what written

long term memory on just about everything else

[Doomed2k]

I use regurler #2 pencils, not mechinal, for inking, I use office ball point pens, for paper, I use notebook white lined paper and sometimes stuff from random drawing pads. Im probly the furthest thing to professional on psow.

[ladyjaderiver]

Well, my standards for art are my green mechanical .7mm lead pencil (it counts as no. 2), and a kneaded eraser. Sometimes I use .5 lead, but .7 is my favourite. (*spaz* I can't find my kneaded eraser!! *cries*) Mechanical pencils are nicest because you never have to sharpen them and you can get a much larger range of shading than with normal pencils, or even drawing pencils.

For coloured pencils, Prisma Colors are nice, but Crayolas work just as well. I have three sets of Prismas now... *G* Gotta love Christmas.

Good inking pens are rather hard to come by. I searched all over the town I live in for pens called "Pigma Microns", and never found them (my aunt's quilt store stocks them, so I did eventually get a full set). They come in six colours, and three sizes (the colours being red, blue, green, purple, brown and black, and the sizes being .01, .03, and .05). They are awesome. I was in awe when I first started using them (the first time I used them was on my drawing of Hikara). They can be rather expensive (2.75 a piece where I bought them, though I got most of them for free), but they are worth it and last quite a while.

If you want clean work, use a smoother paper (ie 50 or 60 lb, which is similar to computer paper), which will erase easier than a heavier weight like 117 lb. Don't try to erase on black drawing paper - it strips the tone of the paper and grays it. Sketchbooks come in all weights, so just experiment and you'll find one that's good for you (my preference is 60, 70 or 80 lb, because I like a slightly textured paper). 117... Well, that's good for pastels and such, but I think it's got too much grain. If you draw something and don't like how messy it is, using a window for a light box to transfer it works, or you could also use tracing paper (this is how I transfer stuff... No way I could use a light box to put a drawing on black paper).

Wow, I actually did learn stuff in AP Drawing!

[Sharkyland]

Pencils: Mechanical Pencils (.3, .4, .5, .7, .9, and 1.2(?)) and sometimes regular pencils (which are mostly used for shading

Pens: Sakura Micron Pens (.005, .01, .02, .03, .05, and .08)

Markers: Alvin Penstix (.5mm) and Sharpie (ultra fine point and regular)

Erasers: Stanford Tuff Stuff Eraser Stick (thin), Click Eraser (Thick), that german company white block eraser, X-acto Knife, and that funky clay eraser as well as the eraser disguised as a white charcoal pencil

Other Materials: T-ruler, standard plaster ruler, bendable curve ruler, ellispe tool, circle tool, architecture tool, protractor, compass, and (something I'm forgeting)

Coloring Materials: (Don't know how to color yet, but tons and tons of crayons and colored pencils)

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Sharkyland on 2004-01-09 09:00 ]</font>

[navci]

Just a quick note on inking. Hm. Actually when I do ink I use pens that you have to dip in ink to use them. I know, they are tricky to use and they can leave nice big ink blob on your paper if you're not careful. But then, if used correctly their range of lines that can be drawn are really wide and hence, well.. very useful.

Colour pencils..... if you are in for spending a little , Derwent are really great. They have a variety of different styles, like. Pencil crayons, Pastal in pencil forms. Watercolour pencils (which has a different yet fun texture than the waxy tipped pencil crayons, and my favourite is a set of sepia tone softa drawing pencils. They are excellent.

... Yes. I am very sleepy. http://www.pso-world.com/psoworld/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif

[Sagasu]

As far as pencils go, I use mechanical because you dont have to sharpen then and they always have a point, im lazy like that http://www.pso-world.com/psoworld/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_lol.gif

For inking, thats something I have a little bit more knowledge of. Gel pens are very nice, smooth lines, can be used in various ways, but they have a large down fall. Most of the liquid ink pens have darker lines and such, but if you are more or less new to inking in a picture in high hopes of not screwing up, they dont fit the bill quite right. The reason being is that you cant leave the pen tip in one area for any extened period of time; this results in a horrible spot of liquid gel (ink whatever) to form. Unless its a higher grade, and the ball is a decent size (.03 or .02 will do fine)then you are saved this expense. So I would use with caution.

Coloring; one thing I can say, dont touch crayola's products *shivers* Something that is more along a professional line of preducts, for an affordable price, would be the portfolio supplies. They provide good pencils {colored and non-colored} and a series of other utensils that can be used to obtain a fairly decent outcome. damn, I sound like a telle-marketer

Coloring with markers is a hazerdous job, I havent found a decent set that can give a half-way suitable result untill the price ranges cilmb sky high. First and foremost, mix-matching brands of markers seems to not work that well; this meaning, if you want to use markers with a wide enought array of coulors and shades that are semi-professional, your gonna need to buy them from the same manufactuer. I've had my eye on a set that would cost me well over $200, and im starting to wonder if I should take the risk.

Now for pastels, this is my favorite part http://www.pso-world.com/psoworld/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif

Your going to want a decent quality for these ( so dont skip out on prices, if were looking for results here then we'll need to sacrafice a little bit more then usual} Pastels offer a very nice rande of colors, and ways to use them, blending, applying different methods such as a damp swab or a dry one, whichever will acheive the desired effect.

Yesterday I spent a few hours (about 4 or 5) fooling around with some oil pastels. From this I achieved a big mess, and learned about all my knowledge of using pastels http://www.pso-world.com/psoworld/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_lol.gif

Finally, the paper. Not to dish out on printer paper, but I really dont like using it that much http://www.pso-world.com/psoworld/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_frown.gif
I would just use something more designed for the cause; and it doesn't have to be the more expensive stuff either. Just some simple Academy* brand stuff will do fine for most of your needs (or my own at least)


And so, I come to the extent of my knowledge on the matter; Whenever I can't use my more profficient supplies, I just free-lance with whatever I have.

I've said enough, hope this helped ^_^

[Outrider]

Yeah, I use mechanical pencils for the same reasons everyone else does. It always has a point. Back in elementary school when they gave us those standard No. 2 pencils, I used to keep using them even when they were a knub.

You have to understand... I'm very, very lazy.

That pic I did for LadyJadeRiver's contest was done using Crayola colored pencils, and I think it came out pretty well... but that's just my preference, I guess.

Sometimes my mom (One of those real artist people. Photo-realist. Some scary stuff http://www.pso-world.com/psoworld/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif ) will toss random art supplies at me that I'll give a try. She gave me a sketchbook, but the paper was a bit thicker than I usually like it. (And it was falling apart at the spine.) She also bought me some gel pens which I've used only a few times for inking. They're good, but as already stated, you gotta be careful.

Edit: Oh yeah! When it comes to printer paper, make sure it's not too thin. The Rico drawing I just did (which I'll post as soon as I can get a working scanner) was on what I would consider exceptionally thin paper. I could hear the paper partially tearing when I did hard lines. Eesh. Not good. On the other hand, the paper I have up at school is thicker, and while I think it makes printed documents seem too thick, it's really good for art purposes.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Outrider on 2004-01-09 14:37 ]</font>

[ladyjaderiver]

On 2004-01-09 12:23, navi wrote:
Just a quick note on inking. Hm. Actually when I do ink I use pens that you have to dip in ink to use them. I know, they are tricky to use and they can leave nice big ink blob on your paper if you're not careful. But then, if used correctly their range of lines that can be drawn are really wide and hence, well.. very useful.



Lol, those are a lot of fun, and are easier and nicer to use than other pens. Sadly, I broke the last one I used... (A crow quill with India Ink for AP Drawing...)