Art Materials
For other questions/information, please see my About page.
What tools/materials do you use for your artwork?
I work primarily with real media, but also do digital work on occasion.
I use mechanical pencils to sketch so I always have a fine point. My favorite all-purpose pencil right now is a Pilot Réxgrip, mainly because of its color (there are a variety) and comfort. It uses 0.5 HB graphite.
Pilot Réxgrip at Amazon
I also have a small collection of Alvin Draf/Tec-Retrac pencils in sizes 03, 05, and 07. The 03 in particular is great for sketching small details cleanly. I love how the tips retract and stay protected when not in use.
Alvin Draf/Tec-Retrac Pencils on Amazon
Alvin Draf/Tec-Retrac Pencils at DickBlick.com
When doing convention-style sketches, using colored graphite to do an undersketch has been such a time-saver– I used to use Colerase pencils, but having to sharpen them is an inconvenience, so finding out that Pilot has an array of colors in mechanical form is awesome! I mainly use the soft blue and violet. They erase well, too.
Pilot Color Eno Mechanical Pencils at Amazon.com
Pilot Color Eno Mechanical Pencils at JetPens
Most of my inking (in black) is done with a .2 or .1 Copic Multiliner SP pen, which is refillable (with cartridges) and the nibs are replaceable as they wear out. I have the pens in various sizes, which are useful for different degrees of detail, or implying distance. These pens are smooth and work very well if you intend to color over them with Copic marker.
Copic Multiliner SP on Amazon
Copic Multiliner SP on DickBlick.com
I will also ink with colored lines, which can help make images look more natural, and allow darker linework to stand out. Some colors I have in the SP refillable pens, but the regular Multiliners are just as good, and currently, each type has a different selection of available colors. Brush-tip style pens are also available. Sepia, brown, warm gray, and cool gray are my favorites, and I tend to use 0.1 and 0.3 (I wish they came in 0.2!).
Copic Multiliner on DickBlick.com
Copic Multiliner SP Colors on DickBlick.com
While I still use my discontinued Pantone Tria markers (until they run out), the markers you will generally see me using nowadays are Copic Sketch Markers. They have a chisel tip on one end, and a flexible brush tip on the other, which is wonderful for gradients and blending colors. These markers are also refillable, with Copic’s Various Ink, which makes the initial cost VERY worth it over time, since one bottle of ink costs slightly more than a marker, but contains at least 8 refills. The tips are also replaceable if they get worn or damaged.
Copic Sketch Markers on Amazon
Copic Sketch Markers on DickBlick.com
Copic Various Ink Refills on DickBlick.com
Right now, my favorite paper to pencil, ink, and color on is Borden & Riley’s Paris Bleedproof Paper for Pens. It is super smooth, holds up well to erasing, ink/marker stays put much better than on Bristol, and it still works well for blending colors.
B&R Paris Bleedproof Paper on Amazon
B&R Paris Bleedproof Paper on DickBlick.com
I also use smooth Strathmore Bristol
My main printer/scanner is currently an Epson Expression Premium XP-7100. The scanning optics are worth the purchase alone, but it also makes gorgeous prints, whether the source file is scanned from real media, or purely digital artwork.
Epson Expression Premium XP-7100 at Amazon
I also have an Epson WorkForce 7510, which I use mainly for its larger scanning bed, which is slightly larger than 11×17″. Again, the scanning optics are amazing for the price. I used to own a Mustek A3 1200, and it was fine for black and white images, but it was not very good at capturing color, so this Epson is a life-saver. It gets the colors right with the least amount of fiddling in Photoshop!
Epson Workforce 7510 at Amazon
