[Harry Potter]

I have several question

1. What type of Paper would you advice for Drawing ? I use all purpose white 8.5*11 paper for everything...sketchind, tracing. However, usually it is too small, and I need more space.

2. I never used Technical Pens, are they any good for sketching ? Do tips break fast ?

[goldenavatar0]

1. As far as paper goes, just about any unlined paper should do if you're just practicing or learning. Typewriter and/or computer printer paper is cheap in bulk if you're not too picky. Art instructors do tend to prefer that you use newsprint, so I'll have to say if you're looking to do charcoals, conte crayon and so forth, that's the best buy. If you're looking to do watercolor paintings, ink, pastels, crayons, as well as pencil drawings then you'll want some heavyweight paper for that, but I encourage you to go into an art supply store and ask around. Sometimes the art store people know jack, so be ready to experiment as you learn. I'd specify what types of paper I use, but I'm lazy. I tend to go for sketchbooks and the like.

2. I use the Sanford ClearPoint, the Bic Pencil, and a Papermate Titanium mechanical pencil for random pencil doodles and drafting. I used to use Pentel mechanical pencils, but the metal tips at the end tat held the leads were too fragile and only frustrated me when they broke in my bookbag during high school. I use HB leads at either 0.5 or 0.7 mm and I keep a click eraser stick on hand from habit whenever I might have to erase when cleaning up.

The tips don't break break for me at all unless I drop the pencils, but then again I don't have too much of the tip exposed at any given time when using them. As far as sketching goes, it's all a matter of preference. I know people who love the feel and the consistency in the line size, and some people I know hate them to no end. That's something you'll have to find out for yourself.

I hope that I was somehow helpful, though I suspect many of the other artists here would be able to give you better information then I could.
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[Harry Potter]

1.Thanks,I will do so.
2. I was asking about Pens. I have all kinds of Mechanical Pencils (05,07,09) + LeadHolders ( I use 2b and 4b leads)

[goldenavatar0]

Pens? well, back in high school I did some tests to find out which I liked the most. I've yet to stop using either Bic, round stic Grip pens, Sanford Sharpies, some Hybrid Gels, or last, my faves a set of refilable Alvin reform Repgraph pens. The Alvins I own being probably the last ones made before Germany reunified, odd as how alot of my art tools from germany are older than the presently reunified German state.
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[Jin]

Hi,

I worked for 28 years as a tech illustrator, the first 18 of which drawing and inking "on the board".

Don't!!! use Rapidograph or other expensive pens on "toothy" paper, only on very smooth paper or vellum. Otherwise, you'll find your pen clogged and usless in no time. The tips (the wire inside the tip) can be easily bent, so be careful how you handle it.

Even working on smooth vellum it was necessary to constantly wipe the vellum with Bestine (solvent) to remove oil from fingers that would resist the ink and lint that would clog the pen. All of the inkers used the tip of their tongue to get the pen going when it began to dry, shook the pen to get the ink down, and wiped the pen tip on the back of their fingers to remove tiny bits of dust or lint, probably hundreds of times a day. By the end of the day, fingers on our left hand were pretty black.

All of the above applies to even the larger pen tips but especially to anything below #1. A #000 or #0000 is so fine it's extremely easy to get it messed up and also easy to bend the wire.

If you're going to do inking with a Rapidograph (or equivalent) see if you can find a little ultrasonic cleaner. Sometimes the only way to make the pen work if it's either clogged with lint, begins to bubble due to temperature changes in the room, or has been allowed to dry out, is to disassemble it and let it sit in the ultrasonic cleaner for a few minutes.

Don't leave your pens in extreme temperatures. Find some place to work and store your pens where the temperature remains fairly even.

Don't leave your pens uncapped.

Don't use old ink that has sludge settled at the bottom of the bottle. It'll get into your pen.


Other than that, Rapidographs are great pens. You just have to baby them a bit.


Happy Inking!

[Harry Potter]

Thank you for very detailed answer. I personally thought that Technical Pens would be a very good tool for sketching and inking........but it turdned out I was wrong.

I usually use Markers and pencils for all my works, but I run out of Markes very quick. Do you know any markers that can be refilled with ink ?

[goldenavatar0]

*Whew!* I'm glad Jin caught my flub when he did. I've never used my technical pens for sketching, the first pens I remarked about are just the regular kinds of pens you can get for $2 dollars a pack in any office supply store. THOSE are what I use to sketch with, simply because they're numerous, cheap, and I go through them in about a month and a half's time. The Hybrid Gels get a little bit gloppy from time to time, but if you wipe the tips on some paper, it fixes that problem. But if you tend to use the side of the palm of your hand to leverage yourself when working on paper, you'll just smudge things, as the ink takes a bit to dry.

I personally don't know about refillable markers. I've never used them myself, but from what friends have told me about Copics I've been tempted to give them a try from time to time, but the price oh dear mother of GOD the price! Obviously I prefer to go for the tools that let me build up my technical knowledge while minimizing the bite out of my wallet.

Again, Jin, thanks for the save, I dunno why I brought up the rapidographs.
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[B0b]

i got a few Rotring pens still kicking about somewhere, don't bother with them anymore tho' just use disposable Uni Pin Fineliners now..

[eyewoo]

A good forum for chatting about traditionsl art mediums, etc is http://studioproducts.com/cgi-bin/forum/ikonboard.cgi --- The Cennini Forum run by Roberts Howard, a successful painter, illustrator, portraitist and author of books about artists materials.
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[Harry Potter]

Thanks everyone