So while I was at San Diego Comic con this year I had the opportunity to see a lot of brilliant artists at work and a lot of great tools and techniques they use to get their desired results. One of my favorite things about sci-fi, fantasy, and comic art is how varied and robust each artist’s skillset and experience is. There are many variations of mixed media along with traditional techniques that help them define their artistic style.
I will provide a list of some of the booths I visited and was particularly inspired by:
Plenty of artists were on hand drawing right there on the showroom floor and I noticed a lot of them (the comic book/Manga artists) drawing with blue pencils on a very specific size of paper which was then inked with a brush like marker. I probably stood there for 40 minutes watching a guy first sketch out some blocks and then ink in an Optimus Prime that looked terrific. He had only used a blue pencil and then a few of these brush markers. I had to learn more! Thankfully there were plenty of vendors and a lot of the artists were using variations of the same pencils and brush pens. I asked questions, took mental notes and did research of my own.
Official Paper
Comic artists generally use a Bristol board that is 11”x17”, the paper size officially known as: ledger, Tabloid or ANSI B. These pages can be Plate or Vellum (Smooth or textured) and usually run about $12 for 24 sheets. You can even find some now that are pre-ruled for comic books if that is what you are looking to do. It seems Strathmore is the leading brand of paper out there but there are plenty of others if you go looking. I found a sketchbook and paid way too much for it at the Con but I really wanted the paper so I will deal.
NON-PHOTO BLUE Pencils
For some reason it took me a bit longer to get the pencils. I have so many pencils of varying weights that I never use it is ridiculous. So I puttered around for a while with what I had until I seriously looked into getting some nifty blue pencils. I ended up going with the Prismacolor Turquoise (non photo blue) leads that you feed into a lead holder. You can also buy these in a standard pencil. I haven’t really looked outside of the Prismacolor name (I have used their pencils for years) but I am sure others make similar products. You can get a whole pack of 12 pencils for about $20.
I guess the biggest driving force behind buying and the reason I am now falling in love with this pencil is that I don’t have the mess to clean up from all my previous pencil work when I go to ink. I tend to be heavy handed when I draw/sketch and this becomes a problem later on when the darker, lead pencil smudges and I can never completely erase some of my lines. This issue is greatly reduced with the blue pencil and the benefits multiply when used in combination with a smooth Bristol board.
COPIC Sketch Markers
From what I saw at the Con and from what I can tell from my brief research on markers, COPIC Sketch markers are a big deal and there really isn’t another product like them out there. They have replaceable nibs, refillable ink and a huge assortment of colors but the best part is how these guys transfer ink to your paper. It’s like a brush but not. The tips are very flexible and provide much more control than a brush does. They blend well too. Some of the work I saw with just a few of these markers at the Con was incredible. Smooth transitions and shading, less notable stroke lines. As time goes on I will be able to talk them up more but for now I suggest you just look at some of the great artwork produced by these things.
So my goal is to increase my technical skill with these tools and hopefully have some decent art turned out by the time I go to my next SDCC where I will be looking for more ideas and tools to study as I mingle with the professionals.
Of course, as always, I am not opposed to something new and interesting now either…
