TWCL

[Varethane]

I reaaally like that pen; as far as brushes go it is fairly soft (though for a brush PEN it's not bad), but as you mentioned it holds a really nice point. XD So long as I keep a light touch (and I've got a fair amount of practice in with it so far), I find it nice to work with. I wouldn't switch to a dip pen or a real brush because I do so much of my work on trains or buses or in classrooms, the portability is a big concern of mine.

As for the markers... alcohol-based markers dry much faster than water-based media, but can still mimic certain effects provided you've got the right kind of paper (things like going over a darker colour with a lighter colour to push around the ink, and so on). I've used pretty much every brand of alcohol-based markers on the market and I find the Promarkers to be a good blend of quality ink and low cost (compared to Copics, which are high quality but cost a small fortune, or things like Design Touch or those crazy xylon Chartpak things that are cheap as hell but stink like crazy and bleed everywhere).

Unfortunately the Promarker line doesn't have the same colour range as the Pantone Trias made by the same brand (which were discontinue awhile back), even though they have the exact same barrel type... I don't find it to be that big a problem though, since they've still got enough range in the light colours to make almost any colour possible through blending.

Incidentally, I quite like that PH. Martin's bleedproof white ink! I've used it on previous comic projects (and still occasionally use it to add highlights to things).

SPEAKING OF WHITE. I also occasionally use a white [url=http://www.craftsudo.co.uk/acatalog/sakura_gelly_white.jpg=Sakura Gelly Roll[/url] to add fine white highlights on pages like this one (where there are little lightning-bolty-looking things shooting out of the middle part of the design). It's more opaque than most gel pens, though I have found it does yellow a little bit with age so I'm not sure I'd recommend it if archival quality is a huge concern.*

*(it's something I should be concerned with but I kind of missed that boat a couple of years ago when I spent three chapters thinking that black sharpie markers were TOTALLY FINE for spot blacks. For the record: they are not, and you will never get the stains out of your paper. :C )
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[NobbyNobody]

Tesco 6H pencil ->Bic Cristal ballpoint pen -> Epson scanner.
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[smbhax.com]

NobbyNobody wrote:

Tesco 6H pencil ->Bic Cristal ballpoint pen -> Epson scanner.

:o

I am impressed. :)
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[smbhax.com]

Varethane wrote:

As for the markers... alcohol-based markers dry much faster than water-based media

Ah, I didn't know that. The water-based PITT markers I use generally don't feel wet, but I guess if I've like really gone over an area with one of the big ones a few times it is possible to get it on my hand for a minute or two. But they feel pretty fast compared to the ink I use. :)

I *want* to like brush pens. If only there was one with a real, European-style sable brush. There's the Kuretake No. 50 (and a few variants they make) which does have sable bristles, but from reading a few blog reviews it sounds like it's still got pretty soft bristles--maybe that's just the Japanese style or something?

I've been having a lot of fun smearing the Bleed Proof White around with my fingers lately--it's so thick it's kinda hard to work with a brush, but can give some dandy almost dry-brushy effects when moved with a finger. Like I was in a rush to do a page after spending all day on one that was just awful, so I gave it another try with a mushy old marker and a lot of white ink fingerpainting, and this nutty old thing came out:



A bit hazy, but it was fun to do. :)

Haven't tried a white Gelly Roll! On a whim at an art supply store I picked up a white Pentel Sunburst, which seemed *okay*...but then after reading some reviews online, found that Uni-ball's white Signo seems to be the preferred option--and it's waterproof white pigment ink to boot, neat. And it does seem pretty nifty, but I guess I'm not using these pens because a) they take longer to dry than the BPW, b) they tend to look like pen lines, complete with little valleys where the ball dragged through, and c) I work kind of big and they write tiny, so I wouldn't have all that much use for them, I don't think. But for fine white lines they would probably be a good option, yah.

I even went so far as to try some white (and black) "poster" paint markers:



Didn't like 'em much. :P They can put out a lot of pretty thick-ish paint, true, and they're water-based and water proof and stuff, but they do have a whiff of some chemically scent (the Sharpies hardly at all, but that Elmers one smelled awful) and I just can't help suspecting they're more toxic than I want. Besides which, the tips are awful: hard, spiky fiber-ish stuff of some kind that you have to push back into the pen for the "paint" to glop out around the sides of them. And they can come out and dry rather unevenly. Pretty yuck. There are oil-based ones that are supposed to be smoother and more opaque, but I still don't think I'd want to put that on a page for a comic.
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[Speezi316]

smbhax.com wrote:

Speezi316 wrote: I also use Hb to 2b pencils, bristol board, and go to completion in watercolor, India ink, colored pencils, gouache, and whatever else could help me finish it. Then I scan it and prep it for online . May not be pretty, but I get me there . If you like to see my comic it's www.tanukiblade.com You have some nice art, but your site layout is scaling it down, which makes it appear slightly blurry. For instance, of the latest page, Firefox says "700px × 1,065px (scaled to 612px × 931px)." If you upload your artwork at the actual resolution at which it will display in the web page, it will look better and you won't be making your readers download unnecessarily large images.

I honestly did not realize this problem I have to resolve, I have been reading and trying to understand website building as I go along, and used my servers default web site builder package. Perhaps not the best idea, but I am trying to understand this guidebook called the idiots guide to dreamweaver I recently got. I will do my best to fix this in time, I appreciate your input thank you.

[Metruis]

smbhax.com wrote:

Metruis wrote: I don't like the feel of the new Intuos tablets (too rough with this 'stimulating paper' feeling) I thought that was going to bug me when I went from the 3 to 4, but in the end I guess I got used to it almost immediately--I think it probably did make it a little easier to control.

Hm. I was poking it in a store and really didn't like it but that's good to hear. Likely as not I'd get used to it, it's just the fact that four inches of both my keyboard and tablet are hanging off the side of my keyboard tray now to overcome.
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[smbhax.com]

Ohh yeah when I use a tablet I pretty much just shuck my massive keyboard to the side and use Windows' "On-Screen Keyboard" utility. I used to make a lot of posts here with it, actually! ... They were the shorter posts. :P
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[Varethane]

I've actually been saving up to get a Kuretake #40 (the price tag and the fact that they're only available online are the reasons why I don't have one already); a friend of mine has one and has been extolling its virtues to me for awhile now. I don't know how its bristles would compare to a real brush though, not having tried it out myself...

The drying-fast part is actually the biggest appeal for me, when it comes to buying markers. XD I can't use water-based ones because the few times I've tried, I end up chewing the hell out of my paper-- the way I use markers involves a lot of going over and over and over certain sections of the page to blend colours into each other (some people have told me the effect is reminescient of watercolours, like in pictures like this or this), and with alcohol markers they dry so quickly that I can use them on thin sketchbook or even cartridge paper without warping or tearing it. I like bringing them to conventions and the like to do commissions with too, because the lack of needing to wait between strokes means I can get pictures done quickly.

(I don't use cartridge paper for my comic or for any serious art, but anyway...)

......Also I've tried those poster paint markers you mentioned, and they are indeed pretty awful 8C The sort of thing I might buy if I wanted to write prices on a sign with a minimum of decoration, but not for anything more elaborate than that.

Will have to hunt down that Uniball Signo pen.... I have noticed on some occasions that the Gelly Roll wasn't quite as opaque as I wanted, and layering with gel pens is a bit of a pain. Cool to hear about all the other options out there!
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[vaslittlecrow]

Adesso Tablet
HP TouchSmart PC with dry paint brushes
Pentel Pocket Brush Pen
Paint Shop Pro
SAI
Manga Studio Debut
A cheap smartphone
Canon MP190 All-In-One
Wasau Vellum Bristol Cardstock with homemade blue ink templates
Pilot Color Eno in non-reproducible blue

[smbhax.com]

Varethane wrote:

I've actually been saving up to get a Kuretake #40 (the price tag and the fact that they're only available online are the reasons why I don't have one already); a friend of mine has one and has been extolling its virtues to me for awhile now. I don't know how its bristles would compare to a real brush though, not having tried it out myself... The drying-fast part is actually the biggest appeal for me, when it comes to buying markers. XD I can't use water-based ones because the few times I've tried, I end up chewing the hell out of my paper-- the way I use markers involves a lot of going over and over and over certain sections of the page to blend colours into each other (some people have told me the effect is reminescient of watercolours, like in pictures like this or this), and with alcohol markers they dry so quickly that I can use them on thin sketchbook or even cartridge paper without warping or tearing it. I like bringing them to conventions and the like to do commissions with too, because the lack of needing to wait between strokes means I can get pictures done quickly.

Goodness, that *is* fast-drying. I wouldn't have guessed those pieces you linked were done with marker, either. Neat!

vaslittlecrow wrote:

HP TouchSmart PC with dry paint brushes

Now that is interesting!
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[smbhax.com]

smbhax.com wrote:

NobbyNobody wrote: Tesco 6H pencil ->Bic Cristal ballpoint pen -> Epson scanner. :o I am impressed. :)

:ooo And apparently those pens can do some pretty impressive rendering!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ioQu4a_DZ0E
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[dpat57]

Mouse + keyboard + SketchUp + Paint.NET
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[smbhax.com]

Varethane wrote:

I've actually been saving up to get a Kuretake #40 (the price tag and the fact that they're only available online are the reasons why I don't have one already); a friend of mine has one and has been extolling its virtues to me for awhile now. I don't know how its bristles would compare to a real brush though, not having tried it out myself...

Oh yeah I forgot to say, let us know how it is when you get it! :D
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[lianne]

I've started getting my inking brushes from an online order place called Rosemary & Co. I've found the quality very good (though I'm hardly an expert), and even with shipping from the UK to Canada, the prices are better than I see in local art stores. You might have to play around a bit to find the right one for you.

Other than that, I use pretty cheap watercolour paper that I wouldn't particularly recommend, and Windsor & Newton watercolours & ink.

I've tried a few brushpens that I've heard good things about, but never liked any of them - and they're not waterproof, so no good for my comic. I do still dream of finding one I really like for sketching, though...
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[smbhax.com]

lianne wrote:

I've started getting my inking brushes from an online order place called Rosemary & Co. I've found the quality very good (though I'm hardly an expert), and even with shipping from the UK to Canada, the prices are better than I see in local art stores. You might have to play around a bit to find the right one for you.

Hm, Rosemary & Co certainly do have low prices on their sable brushes. This kinda old review says they're softer than other brands, which generally isn't what I'm after... Still, they're so affordable I might have to try one out some time.

lianne wrote:

I've tried a few brushpens that I've heard good things about, but never liked any of them - and they're not waterproof, so no good for my comic. I do still dream of finding one I really like for sketching, though...

The one Varethane posted a picture of, the Pentel Pocket Brush, is waterproof. And with others you could just fill an empty cartridge with an ink of your choice, although there could be a risk of clogging depending on what you'd use. I was mulling over trying Platinum Carbon Black in a Kuretake, which apparently people have done without trouble--although the Carbon Black seems a shade lighter than the Sumi ink I've been using.
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