On Monday evening (June 29) at 7pm, I had an appearance at the Springfield Library (which is in my area) and I spoke at one of the summer programs for kids. It ran for an hour and a half and all the kids were thrilled to have me there drawing in front of them from the feedback I got at the end. I wound up staying after to do free drawings up till the library closed for the evening. Here are some pics from the evening that a librarian took for me...In addition, I also donated over 10 short boxes of comic book graphic novels and hardcovers to the young adult section of the library! I had to start cleaning out my storage unit, and since the state cut the library's budget, I figured I would help them out my donating a bunch of books that will hopefully get the local kids all reading comics of some kind...
I'd love to get my lines that smooth. It's amazing looking. What kind of pencil/marker do you use?
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments! I love questions! I use a 30% or a 40% warm gray Prismacolor Premiere magic marker to simulate a pencil sketch line. Then I use a normal black Prismacolor Premiere magic marker (PR-98), which I use the broad end of for sketch and inking at my demos. They cost around $2.39 each but can be found for cheaper if you order in quantity. If you hold it right you can get a sweeping stroke with the line that can create a thick/thin line that has some depth to it and the drawings pop a little more. These are done pretty quickly so I try to keep some kind of quality to them.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tips!
ReplyDeleteI have been meaning to pick some of those up for a while but now I'll really know what to get.
I used a Markette for such things usually when it comes to blacks with interesting and thick black lines.
I'm going to have to try this technique on a couple of more cartoony styles I've been interested in.
Well, keep in mind that I do these real big for show so people can see them from a distance and these markers I do believe may break down over time so they aren't archival. But they are good for fast work for a crowd. I used to use the 'Bullet Point' Magic Markers (which you could buy at Staples but they no longer sell them and only have the chisel tip ones) and I used them all the time for doing caricatures at the mall when I did them... so I switched to the Prismacolor marker. For my normal pro work I mostly use the Faber Castell PITT Brush Marker for inking some stuff, and I use the Micron Pigma pens (.005, .01, .02, .03., .05 and .08)
ReplyDeleteWell you've been very informative and just all kinds of help. I still do caricatures but I stick with my Markette, maybe you've suggested a suitable replacement.
ReplyDeleteI have yet to use a brush marker but it looks like great fun.
Do you have to refill the ink on those? And if so what kind do you use?
I haven't gotten really into using like a brush and ink for inking but when I do I'd like to have some idea of what tools to use.
Some artists I know do refill the markers, but I don't. I usually buy a box or three from Dick Blick art supplies and then use them while the points are good and then when they start to go, I use them just to fill up solid black areas and then when they lose their sharpness, I throw them into a box and then use them for event work like appearances on Free Comic Book Day to finish them off. I can get like 3 to 5 really good drawing out of one and then they go. It's expensive but the points don't last as long as say a real sable brush which you keep dipping in an ink well. But I don't use sable brushes anymore and I just use the brush markers since they are faster. I do use a sable brush for applying Pro White on a drawing to fix a mistake. Mostly though a lot of work has to be inked digitally and in that case I do the work in Adobe Illustrator since most places want the art to be vector. I have a new microphone I bought. I'll be doing a podcast for this kind of info soon!
ReplyDeleteWell be sure to let me know about it. I have a blog too and follow yours. Thanks for all the great advice. Do you go to the Fan Expo in Toronto?
ReplyDeleteNope. I really don't do the show circuit. I don't do the San Diego Show anymore either since that's a bad show. I will be at the Baltimore Con on that Saturday in October.
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