Drawing Table Tuesday
Last week I had all of my wisdom teeth removed; I was bleeding and sleeping for about 3 days, then just hurting a lot for the rest of the week. (Also the reason there's no post last week; I was sleeping and bleeding all day) Yesterday was the first day I didn't hurt too badly, so I got a lot of work done and finished the page I was working on. I.e., there's nothing on the table but a virtually blank page. So, here's the junk that I use to draw instead- as it was when I finished the page, got up, and left.
It's interesting, to me, what different people use for this stuff. Everyone uses so many different things to accomplish basically the same thing in the end. In the spirit of that, here's what I've evolved into using. Almost absolutely nothing else. I've tried tons, and tons of different things over the last few years. Especially pens and pencils.
You only really need some sort of mark making and paper. But it's nice to choose what fits you. Those things are exactly what I like, as I'd just finished using them. Kneaded eraser, click eraser, eraser guard (worth it's weight in gold, to me), drawing board clips, plastic eraser (the main eraser of choice), Crayola erasable colored pencils (the most superior erasable colored pencil, IMHO) Blue and Red, and an HB pencil (sometimes expensive drawing brand, sometimes cheap #2). Also, my favorite sketchbooks (pictured) Canson sketchbooks 9"x12" and 5.5"x8.5". They have a nice tooth and are wire bound so they lay flat. I love them and I have a big stack of spares in the closet.
My drawing board gets honorable mention. I love it and it makes the top half of the page easier to draw.
Also worth mentioning, are my pens. I've used just about any pen you can buy, especially foreign pens. I actually started with Straedtler pigment liners (Waaay back). I gave those up and tried different brand pigment liners (Sakura Pigma Microns are second favorite, but they dry up too fast and the nibs break very easily. Faber-Castell PITT pens are kinda tied for second, but I get a lot of unintentional line variation), expensive Rapidographs and maybe half a dozen expensive random Japanese pens and liners. Eventually making my way back to Straedtler pigment liners. I use Straedtler Pigment Liner 0.3's. I have enough to last me the foreseeable future, almost 3 dozen in hold.
I have kind of a peeve about "art supplies" and the companies that make them. I'm sure there's more than one rant on here (this blog) to that effect. I've noticed that official "art supplies" from real "art" companies suck. Like, really suck. I don't use expensive "art" erasable colored pencils because they're horrible. Really horrible. I've found that's pretty true for all "art" supplies, like pens. I try to use/buy Staedtler (or other comparable drafting supplies) when I can because they're not really "art" supplies, they're actually professional drafting supplies. Most "art" companies make cheaper, sub-par products because us "stupid artists" won't know or notice the difference. I try to use drafting supplies because the companies that make them hold themselves to a certain professional standard. I don't think it hasn't been since about the 60's or 70's that artists were seen as professionals in the sense, and it's because of that, I think.
The 50's (surely because of the ad boom) seemed to have been the best time to be a professional illustrator or production artist buying supplies. Aside from using chemicals that probably give you cancer, anyway. I remember reading an article or two about all the different paper companies fighting to have the best illustration board in the 50's and 60's. I also remember seeing all the full page ads that went with that.
It's a shame no one seems to care about real quality, just making it cheaper and charging the same, if not more. Which, I guess, is my point about "art supplies" and "art supply" companies.
Anyway, that's what I use, after a few years of trial and error mixed with some deliberate thought.
Also, sidenote- I need to update the real, bona fide, official VHS page. Not that anyone's watching. The release date needs to be set back (waay back). Related, I'd rather it take longer and look good, than look crappy and be over with faster. More on that (sooner or later).
About Drawing Table Tuesday.
