Friday, August 27, 2010

Week 1 - Drawing Materials



Here are just a few examples of sketchbooks. I've found that the spiral bound ones usually workout the best (especially if you like to remove pages for scanning).






For your sketchbooks this week I wanted you to experiment with some of your new materials- pencils, pens, and prismacolors. Here's an example of what I mean: Below are five new pens I just received and wanted to test out (mine are in color but you should choose black for this class).


Notice the different types of tips available-(left to right) the first are gel pens size 0.7, next is a fine line marker size 0.5, the gold pen is a chisel tip, and the blue is a brush tip.







Try the thicknesses and use different pressures (but not too hard- you can ruin the tips).

Rotate the pens as you draw- try out thin marks and turn them to thick and back.






There are lots of brands and types of pens in all sizes and shapes of nibs. Try to get a variety to work with.




Lastly, your prismacolor pencils will probably be sharpened when you get them but don't forget, when the time comes, you will save a lot of material if you sharpen them by hand. These pencils are a great investment and you can make them last longer with a little extra care.