Art Materials Part 1

When I first started drawing cartoons, I was doing a very sloppy job. 

I would draw them with a smudgy pencil or blotchy gel pens. A lot of my first doodles were VERY smeared by the end of the drawing!!  But as I kept at it and got better, I wanted to move on to some better quality materials and supplies. 

In this session, we'll talk about pens and pencils. 


-PENCILS- 

Really, when it comes to your art supplies, the pencil is your most important, most portable tool. From concept sketches, rough drafts, to that finished sketch, your pencil is the tool allowing you to bring that creativity to life. So sharpen. Erase. Repeat. 

-Good Old Number 2's  

Your best friend in school. Your best friend in art. Oh, the irony!!

Yep.. the good ol', regular #2 pencil. It's also the tool that most future artists start doodling with on their homework, much to the dismay of their teachers. It's how I started.. drawing little cartoon bugs on my school work. And it's the pencil that I still use the most for sketching today. They're cheap, they're comfortable to use, and, if you're a nerd like me, you can get them in cool designs. I personally have a stash of Avengers #2 pencils stored away, like nuts for the winter...

- Sketching Pencils-

When I first seriously started drawing, my parents bought me a set of General's Sketching and Charcoal pencils for Christmas one year. At the time, I didn't really appreciate them like I could have.. I did attempt some drawings with the charcoal pencils, but was dismayed by how smudgy they made everything I drew look. Kudos to artists that can do AMAZING works with charcoal!!

Now that I've been drawing a long time, I can appreciate more what a pencil does for me, and I appreciate sketch pencils more. You can pick up a set of sketching pencils at any arts and crafts store, or Walmart, and online. I've personally used the "General's" brand, and a friend bought me a set of "Dahler-Romney" sketch pencils from Walmart. Sketch pencil sets come with different sized pencils that give you lines of various width and shade. Some sketch pencil sets have pencils made with lighter and heavier lead, so you can change up the tone if you're working heavily in pencil when it comes to shading/lighting.  The set that I have from Walmart (Dahler-Romney) are more triangular in shape, rather than being completely round like school pencils.

If you're sketching a lot with pencil already, sketch pencils are worth a try, and pretty inexpensive to purchase a basic set. You might find yourself liking a certain pencil more after you've tried it!

*NOTE* As I said, some sketch sets include charcoal pencils. After my first attempt, I decided they just weren't a medium I was interested in using. But that doesn't mean you won't like them, so if you buy a set that has them, try them out!!



-Mechanical Pencils-

These seem to be the type of pencil that most manga artists prefer. Most mechanical pencils clip right to your sketchbook, so they're very easy to take with you, and being able to refill the lead on a pencil you're comfortable with is a definite plus!!

I've had cheap mechanical pencils that were OK, as long as you weren't pressing too hard (because the lead would snap), but mt favorite is the Sakura 0.7 mechanical pencil. It's great for sketching details because it has such a fine point! The only reason I don't use this pencil all the time, really, is the lack of an eraser. I just like having my eraser right there at all times, which is personal preference. With this exception though, most mechanical pencils do have a small eraser on them.


-PENS-

A lot of my early art never got to see the light of day. Why? Because I absolutely ruined them when it came to the inking!  

Inking is an important thing to know in cartoon/manga art. My pens are my favorite tool. While the pencil brings your vision to life, your pen brings out all the details, making it bold and eye catching. I LOVE having the chance to just use pen only on projects!!

So here comes my advice on pens: Take your time learning to ink!!!  If you're rushing, or not really paying attention to your original pencil lines (this happened a lot when I first started), you can smudge the ink, or make a mistake that can be obvious and pretty hard to fix. Play around with new pens first, testing the flow and tip. Some pens tend to dry out fast, or need more pressure to release ink, which can make your work look like connect the dots; thin lines in some places, blobs of ink on others. Always test your pens before you start inking a major project!!!

-Ballpoint Pens-

This is what I used when I first started doodling seriously. And, why not? Ballpoint pens are easily accessible. Most houses have a drawer with misc. ballpoint pens tossed in. I started noticing, though, how easily my drawings became blotched and smudged, because the ink would just blob out in places. Some artists can seriously doodle or draw awesome pictures just using ballpoints. Sadly, I am not one of them!! Occasionally when I use them, I prefer Pentel or Zebra brand. The nicer Zebra pens have a fine point and the ink flows out thinner. You could do an entire sketch with just a black ballpoint pen, or play around with some colored ballpoints, and find what works for you!


-Gel Pens-

I only have one Gel Pen that I use for line work, and it's a Rollerball brand. It gives awesome, bold, thick lines. However: I found out that hard way that the ink doesn't hold up with my Copic/Prismacolor markers, or with watercolors. The ink bled, because it wasn't water soluble. I only use this pen for line work if I know I will be finishing the project with colored pencils.

I also have a few Sakura Jelly Roll pens, and I have never been more impressed with a gel pen! They make an awesome white gel pen that manga artists love for highlights on hair, and doodling on colored paper. I also have a glittery blue one that's great for adding sparkle details. The Jelly Roll pens come in all different colors... pastels, brights, neons, and metallics, to name a few.. and can be purchased at most arts and crafts stores and online!

-Sharpie Pen-

This is the first "felt tip" pen I worked with, and I really got a feel for nice inking once I started using this pen!

These pens are available in different sizes, and they make colored ones now as well. I definitely recommend this as a beginners pen, if you're wanting to improve your inking skills, this is the pen for you. They have a really nice, even flow, and don't dry out fast. These pens can easily be purchased at Walmart, stores like Staples or Office Max, and are pretty inexpensive for a set of two pens.

-Loew-Cornell-

This is a brand I discovered carried by Jo-Ann Fabrics. I buy this set of four pens for $5. I have had about three or four sets of them now. Now, they sound cheap, but they are actually really great inking pens! They come in four different nib sizes.. 01, 03, 05, and 08. I like having the variety of different widths to work with.

My only beef with these pens, is that I can't use them with watercolors. They will bleed. They hold up very nicely with my marker media and colored pencils though, so it hasn't been a major issue for me.


-Sakura Manga Pens-

I'm torn on these ones...

For one thing, they are pretty pricey. $20 for four pens and a mechanical pencil (which I mentioned earlier), so it's not something I would run out to buy every few weeks. The first set I had was great. The pen sizes are .01, .03, .06, and 10. The .06 and 10 sizes are more like a marker, really thick brush tips.  This was my first time playing with different nib sizes. It took me awhile before they were drying out, but when I purchased my second set, I was severely disappointed. They were already pretty much dried out after two or three drawings with them. I didn't get as many things inked with that set, which was frustrating, because they are expensive. Maybe I just got a bad set, but I haven't bought anymore since. I switched to the Loew-Cornell set, since it was less expensive and honestly, nicer quality. However, if every set of the Sakura Manga Pens worked as great as that first set I purchased, they'd be awesome pens. I was just skeptical when it came to spending the money on what could be another, potentially, bad set.

-Sakura Micron-

I love this pen. By far, this is my favorite pen ever, and I couldn't possibly recommend it enough. The great thing about these pens is that they hold up with every media you throw at it, from colored pencils, to markers, to watercolors. You can get them in various nib sizes and colors too! In our small town, our local Gospel Bookstore carries them individually because they hold up well in Bibles. But Joann Fabrics also has sets of 3, 5, and 10 pens. The sets  are definitely pricey, but these pens are worth splurging on. I like mine so much, that I burn through them pretty quickly!!  This pen would be a great step up from the Sharpie pen... it's similar, but nicer quality.

-Faber Castell-

I recently purchased one of these drawing pens after seeing several artists I follow on instagram using them. I. Am. In. LOVE. My second favorite pen at the moment, I have been using it to ink everything!! I bought one for $5 at Joann Fabrics, but they are available at other arts and crafts stores, and online. Again, these come in various nib sizes and sets. What I enjoy about this pen is the ink flow. It's just a comfortable, great quality pen to use!!


This covers my thoughts on pencils and pens for the moment, just because these are the items I have personally used, or am still using. There are plenty of others out there that I haven't used, but would like to. The Copic Multiliner comes to mind, because I enjoy their marker quality and from asking other artists, it seems like the multiliners are just as good quality wise. But, I would want to try them myself before forming an opinion. As I've said before, you've just got to try new materials to best decide what is going to work for you. But I hope that I've given you some ideas on new things to look into and experiment with. I'm sure you'll create some amazing thigns!!  


-Stasia-Chan