It’s been a while since I indulged in some sketchbook whimsy. I have been concentrating so much on painting and finished illustrations, that I have had little time for anything else. But, I have made time for it, and have been working on some sketchbook doodles and ideas, here are a couple, both drawn out using Sakura Pigment Liners.
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What size pens do you use? I’m struggling to find a size that works for me. I like how you’ve got finer lines mixed with chunkier bits. I’m assuming you’ve either coloured areas in for that or used a variety of pens. I like ones with brush tips too but they’re impossible to find. Any recommendations? X
The two liners I have used here are 01 and 03. Though as you have quite rightly observed, I have thickened the lines using the 01 rather than a thicker liner in the first drawing, but in the bottom one, used thicker liners. The Sakura Pigment Liners do go finer than the 01, I have a 005. I only use them for sketchbook work. I also sometimes use Staedtler as well. For finished drawings, I use Rotring Isograph pens, as they are the only pens I know that will deliver a really sharp fine line and very dark. However, many people don’t get on with them. They are ‘sharp’ as in the ink is being pumped through a very thin hollow metal knib like a hyperdermic and people sometimes find them very scratchy. The Isograph pens are refillable, but you can buy Rapidograph Rotring pens that come with cartridges.
As for brush tips, I can most definitely (if you don’t have any) recommend Faber & Castell Pitt Artist Pen. They are lovely to work with, and also archival.
Hope this helps.
xx
Fun how we all use the same pens 😀
The Rotring pens to have a wonderful render. We used them a lot in architecture, and BF does some very beautiful drawings with it.
And the ink is to die for, it’s a brilliant true black.
You just need a paper that is very smooth, so the scratchy effect is reduced.
I still have a rather big collection of brush tips from Faber Castell, wonderful to work with! And
they’re are so many pretty colors *___*
And well I still have some sakura pigment liners too 😀
I think I need to draw again ^^ going to do that today 🙂
Lorrie < thanks for sharing your doodles, I like the black and white finish. Oh and btw, I finally moved and used your wonderful illustrations: http://www.flickr.com/photos/_sk/5923219857/in/photostream
Stéphanie
Hey there Stéphanie…
Yes, my love affair with Rotring is a long standing one, over 30 years in fact!! All that you say about them is very true. Also, unlike liners..you have to be careful about overworking the line, as the ink can actually make the paper ‘soggy’ as you know. It takes practice.
Also, you will be interested to know, there are similar Isograph/Rapidograph pens made by someone else. Valentina Ramos told me about them, as that is what she uses to create the fill design in her lovely illustrations. They are made by Koh I Noor, check them out http://www.dickblick.com/products/koh-i-noor-rapidograph-pens/ I am tempted to buy one and see how it compares.
Btw, I am blogging that piccy of my prints in your studio. 🙂
You know I love these black and white designs best of all, gorgeous!
Thank you Rachel…
I must admit, I do love working in plain black ink. Orla is always nagging me to colour these in bless her.
So beautiful! They look absolutely perfect! Do you sketch out in pencil before you line them in?
I also use the Micron set and for the non-pro they work very well!
Thanks for your continual inspiration!
Hi there…
Thank you so much, and no.. I don’t outline in my sketchbooks, it really is a ‘flow of conciousness’. Mine are starting to wear a bit, I will have to start looking into getting some more (Ebay here I come!).
Aww.. my first comment disappeared …
This looks so perfect! Do you sketch the outlines before inking them in?
Thanks for being a continual inspiration to me (and looks like many others)!
I forgot what else I said..oops >.<
No, didn’t dissapear. Your comments are going into spam is all, which I always check. This is only because of your email address. My security is set pretty tight, and I have a lot of blocked email addresses due to a recent glut of spam, so anyone using a gmail or yahoo address or similar ends up in there. But, as I said..I check it carefully.
Thanks for the lovely compliment btw, *head swell*.