Traditional Art Materials
polycounter lvl 14
Greetings Polycounters;
Now that I believe that I have a firm grasp on the traditional arts and how to make stuff on the paper. Its time for me to organize the set of tools that I should keep for good practice, and choose the right paper.
Right now I am just using medium tooth. Its great but when I am starting to detail my sketch, the paper starts bending.
The set that I have right now is:
Pencils: 4H and 2H leads with standard lead holders.
Erasers: Regular, Kneaded, Pencil and Tuff Stuff
Paper: Medium Tooth.
I want to know what do you guys use for your concept sketches and ensure that the paper doesnt bend while you are working on it.
Thanks.
Now that I believe that I have a firm grasp on the traditional arts and how to make stuff on the paper. Its time for me to organize the set of tools that I should keep for good practice, and choose the right paper.
Right now I am just using medium tooth. Its great but when I am starting to detail my sketch, the paper starts bending.
The set that I have right now is:
Pencils: 4H and 2H leads with standard lead holders.
Erasers: Regular, Kneaded, Pencil and Tuff Stuff
Paper: Medium Tooth.
I want to know what do you guys use for your concept sketches and ensure that the paper doesnt bend while you are working on it.
Thanks.
Replies
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As for paper I just use normal sketch paper, but in college what we would do at times is use masking tape to tape the sides of the paper to a sturdy board, it helps with some of the bending. (EmAr got to that idea first, but yeah try that idea out.)
Otherwise just not pressing too hard at the beginning of the drawing can go a pretty long way.
You can use what comic book artists use: bristol boards. Check your local or fav online art store. They come in pads.
Grab cheapest sketchbook with highest page:cost ratio/pull copy paper from printer > grab nearest pencil/biro > draw.
I dont think you're at a level where it really matters, just use a lot of standard printing paper and you'll do just fine.
Infact i'd have thought that unless youre using ink/thick markers that you'd want to take the sketch digitally, so again it still doesn't really matter.
Works for http://algenpfleger.deviantart.com/gallery/27635231
I have Bristol sketchpad; The reason I did not state that is because when you are using 2H-4H on it, you actually carve on it, there fore it is near impossible to erase. I am saving those pads when I am extremely good in drawing. Thanks tho.
I was also counting on someone stating "You should start using bristol boards." xD
It doesnt matter when you are learning stuff. Like many artists say, if you want to draw, you can just go home and start drawing.
I used to use printer papers and a regular HB mechanical pencil. I started buying art tools and equipment when it came to a point that I actually felt that I am ready and need to to start practice sketching with the certain set of tools and keep practicing traditional arts with them. Right now the art that I make, I save it in the portfolio books (also found at the art store,) but even that process may change and I may endup buying the artist's desk or something.
I used to spend hours and hours (and $$$) getting tools, tutorials, 'inspiration' to the point it was ridiculous, when really all that was doing was delaying the inevitable fact of sitting down an actually making the art. Art is such a natural thing and you really don't need anything other than a pen and paper and your mind to make great things happen. Don't rely on shiny new tools or tutorials to hold your hand, because one day they won't be there, and the sooner you learn to just let it flow with the simplest of environments and only your artistic mind to guide you, the sooner you'll find your skills developing.
Like the desk, what the hell is an 'artists desk', as far as I'm concerned, a real 'artists desk' is a flat surface with some paper and pencils on. You don't need that shit to do art. Unless of course you specifically want to do oils or watercolours or something, in which case ignore everything I've said.
I notice you have often mentioned that you study a lot of tutorials and you seek to get a good knowledge before you dive in, but take it from someone who used to watch a lot of tutorials, I learned more in the months I made art by myself than the years I spent watching someone else.
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Real Artist's desk.
Yes I agree with you. The only things I've learned through out the tutorials are the core basics of the tools such as, photoshop, Zbrush, XSI, etc. Whatever you do after that is completely depended on you and things that you will use will be the references and reviews. I dont watch tutorials anymore and ended my subscription of Digital Tutors about a year ago. I have been practicing stuff ever since and finally started my 3d art project(s). The least I do for tutorials is to review and I havent done that in a while.
That "real artists desk" is going to be a wobbly piece of shit.
You could build the a much more solid desk for about $20 with some unistrut, angles, and 1/4 inch bolts. Add another $10 for a sheet of glass or lucite. You could also mount a 2' flourescent lamp underneath.
I use store bought 9X5(ish). Coil bound sketch books. Avoid rough paper or too thin and use..
Whatever drawing instrument I have close to me. Which 90% of the time is a pen. I love ball point pens. Some of the cheap clicky blicks make some of the best work because you can adjust the ink line and transparency simply be angle and pressure. Not good for really fine detail though, so I also get super fine .3 pens once in awhile.
If you want to sketch constantly and not be tied down to a table. Worry less about the materials you use and more that you have something to sketch on and in.
Myself on the other hand, I'm more than happy using a cheap cartilage paper sketchbook, H-9B 12 set of Derwent pencils, and whatever desk or environment I want to draw in/on. I guess my point is that buy what you want to make your drawing experience more enjoyable, because that’s the most important thing. If you want to be a serious traditional artist then go all out, if not just set yourself up to have fun.
Nice!! This message wins the entire thread.
To clarify something here, The reason I started drawing traditionally is because regardless of my art level i found that to be more efficient then Photoshop. Also I want to get the concept art part down and start making concept sketches for my projects through thumbnails and possible final sketches so that whenever someone asks me for them and I show it to them atleast they can understand where my art is coming from or what was I thinking when I made this 3d model. They are mainly for myself to hold something to go back to and see what I intended to do as well because while I am making a 3d model, I tend to be derailed from the main concept and make something completely different out. (happened to me 2ice before I decided to take sometime and practice sketching.)
What do people mean they say they have problems with the paper...bending? I mean...it's paper, not like...brick. Isn't it supposed to be bendy?
I don't think I've ever encountered this bending (and not for lack of working on a lot of paper, with a lot of different things that can make marks on paper). I'm imagining in my head a sort of wave that could get into the sheet when I was writing essays in high school and stuff in crappy pens that required a lot of force, but I can't say I remember that clearly or have encountered it since.
Can someone enlighten me?
Sweaty drawing palm can curl up or buckle your paper. Use another clean sheet as a "shield" or use card stock drawing surface.
You understood it correctly. For the sake of example; Take a medium tooth paper, roughly draw a sketch on it, than erase it, than draw it again, than erase it, than detail it out while erasing it. When you are done with your piece, lean back and see the sheet you are working on. The sheet will have that wavy curve to it, and / or the sides are curled up.
To avoid that I use paper clips and a board but that also isnt working for me.
Sir Magic sugar stated that I should start using Bristol paper, and he is right. The paper doesnt curve at all. But when I used to work on the Bristol papers, it almost felt like I am carving the strokes instead of making them so I assumed they were just for the inking purposes and switched to the medium tooth. Lets hope I get this process fixed soon. :poly122:
So I guess it makes sense that I've never really encountered that. That's an interesting hurdle I guess I've just sort of dodged.
How do you remove the eraser crumbs? Do you user your hand? If so you probably just need an eraser brush. Or a feather duster if you don't want to be artsy fancy.
Kneadable eraser and tuff stuff (as stated in the op) Less to no eraser crumbs.
edit : by tablet i mean tablet-pc, or smartphone, or something in hybrid, i'm sure you already had a pc and a pen tablet, but tablet-pc or smartphone would be the alternative if you like to sketch while mobile...
My prime choice of pencil is 2b, sort of a "multipurpose" pencil for all seasons, but one big thing: keep your pencil sharp, shave that little bastard when it gets dull. Dull pencils can be a landmine. Secondly, layers work to an extent, but charcoals work well for much richer and darker lines and strokes.
I use clamps to keep my drawings in place, or heavier paper like bristol which everyone has squawked about. Also, work in sessions and time them, my work is best when I warm-up with several gestures at timed intervals, so I reach the point where I can measure the amount of time to prevent the paper from curling from overwork and multiple erasures.
If you have time and sanity, then put some bank into inks and water color, not the cheap wal-mart crap. I use Daniel Smith brand water colors, cold press paper (start at 140 lbs), and a quick overlay of ink or pencil to give my work a nice glow.
I like gouache, acrylics, and Dr. Martin radiant watercolors on my sketchbooks. It warps the pages for sure and increases the volume of the sketchbook from the buckling. But I don't mind that all.
I've even used coffee and dark beer wash as experiment. It works, faint smell of beer though
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I have Pigma Micron set which I rarely use for thumbnails only, as well as .3 mm ball tipped pen. Right now, all I am using is 9x12 paper (medium tooth, and bristol (thanks to Sir. MagicSugar's post made me dig those sketchbooks.) I am not going towards inking and water colours just yet as I have yet to get the detail and shadow part down. I use a thick board with clippers as well for my drawings.
Now Watercolour or any sort of colour set can be used only when I am moving on to the papers that are bigger in scale. Mainly I want to keep everything gray scaled because I thought I'd do that ink and paint part in photoshop. I am still deciding tho.
Apologies as I have yet to review the code of conduct but I am not making a new thread regarding the stuff that was discussed here.
Pencils:
Dont 6B makes your paper muddy? I experienced this with 4B 2B HB and maybe 2H (not soo much muddy with 2H.) Like if it needs to be rendered traditionally thats fine, you can start with extremely light and finish with extremely dark volumes. Its something I've learned along the way as I've seen people using the paper to cover their palms if they start working with darker volumes or lift the palm from the paper as they draw.
Another thing was Tables:
So since you guys do not approve of the table that I've posted, please post the art tables you guys use for your daily traditional drawings.
Thanks.
REQUEST: Please do not suggest something like "oh u shod use PS and buy a reznomble tablet. :poly142:" As it says, traditional art materials on the title and not digital. I am well aware of the digital art tools and materials. (I own them ofcourse.) The reason for me to make this thread is to get a good idea of what other traditional artists (if any left on this wise planet,) use for their work flow(s).
I can get a good idea from websites like this as well:
http://www.thecomicarchive.com/
But I want to know from you guys.
Thanks.