Mikkel Sommer is an illustrator and comic book artist living in Berlin, Germany.
What are some of your favorite drawing tools (pens, pencils, markers, drawing tablet, all of the above)?
Tools that I can draw fast and dynamically with, and that doesn't require much pressure, since my wrist is on the weak side at times. So pencils, H2 or Prismacolor Col-Erase for sketching, and B2 or B4 for clean up, usually with a mechanical pencil, cos it gives you more accuracy. I also really like those cheap bic pen, those you have to click, they got a nice soft feel to them, but they run out of ink pretty fast. I might also uses brushes sometimes, right now it's a synthetic DaVinci, and thick ink. Microns really cripple my lines, so those don't work for me at all, but I've always liked the look of nib pens, but it's something I really need patience for, since you can't draw with them as freely and as wildly as pencils and brushes. And towards the end I pretty much use a Wacom tablet and Photoshop.
If you have a wide collection, how do you decide on which to use on a particular drawing, project, or day?
It's always hard to decide these things for me. I know that some tools are faster for me, but that some other tools might need less after-work and digital fiddling about, so I guess it's up to the work I have to do.
How do you like your color? Watercolor? Acrylics? Oil? Colored pencils? Markers?
I would love to do more analog work, especially paint, watercolors and pastels. I don't really have the patience yet, for mixing the colors and all that, but I do hope to start experimenting more with those soon. Right now, doing comics, it's all about efficiency, producing pages fast that I'm still for the most part satisfied with.
Is there any particular type of notebook or drawing pad you prefer? Or does any scrap of decent-sized paper work in a pinch?
I always get nervous in front of a piece of good quality paper, I don't what it is, some pressure I put on myself. I've never used a sketchbook either, I never know how to start them, and I'm such a perfectionist that I wanna rip out pages that doesn't work with the rest, which is a silly thing to do with a book that's supposed to be for experimentation and trial and error. I sketch on paper that I've used before, on the back, and I draw on cheap recycled 80g photocopy paper.
Do you ever do any kind of post-processing (like adding color in Photoshop or similar tool) to your drawings?
That's what I do, yeah. I do my lines on paper, and my colors in Photoshop, it's quick and it's what I'm used to.
If you work both digitally and non-digitally, which do you find yourself doing more? Is there a reason you would prefer one of the other? Is it because of the tools available in either space?
I'm always trying to avoid the overly digital look when I work in Photoshop, with customized brushes and textures. Also, doing most of your values and textures in the drawing process, gives you less to do in Photoshop. I'm trying to avoid fiddling about too much, it's difficult, you can keep on going, pulling things around and making new layers. For me the key is restraint, and I still feel like I have a long way to go.
I asked about post-processing on a computer, but do you think the computer is a helpful tool for making art? Whether it’s looking for inspiration online, or using it to build a weblog to promote yourself and your art, do you think a computer is necessary, helpful, or a distraction (or all of the above)?
I think it's crucial! All the illustration, animation and comic book gigs I've gotten since I started freelancing, are all thanks to my blog and my email. I wouldn't have gotten anyway without those, at least not the places I am now and the people I'm working with. I'm not saying it's impossible to make it in comics and illustration nowadays without a computer, but it's very very difficult. I think clients like to write you, and expect a quick reply. And yes, then there's all the distractions. That's the curse of the internet, and something most of us fight with I guess, boredom, procrastination and escapism.
Thanks Mikkel!
You can find Mikkel online at his weblog, Satan Said Draw.
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Tommy Kane is a squirrel who lives in Brooklyn. When not on the streets of the world drawing he is a Creative Director for an advertising agency.
What are some of your favorite drawing tools (pens, pencils, markers, drawing tablet, all of the above)?
I always use one pen. The Uni-Ball Vision fine pen. Then I have a Winsor & Newton watercolor set and Prismacolor pencils. I keep my tools very basic.
If you have a wide collection, how do you decide on which to use on a particular drawing, project, or day?
I don't have a wide collection on purpose. This way I have no decisions to make. I just start drawing. My only decision is what am I going to draw.
If you prefer pens, is there any particular brand, color, or type of ink you like best?
Uni-Ball pens are my friends. I like the point size of the pen and I like how smoothly it flows. They are waterproof and can take a beating.
How do you like your color? Watercolor? Acrylics? Oil? Colored pencils? Markers?
I'm a watercolor and colored pencil kind of guy. Because I draw on the street I keep my materials very small. I have a tiny watercolor set with few choices of color. I have to mix like crazy to get other shades. I would love to have more choices but I just can only lug so much around with me.
If you do use paints, inks, pencils, or markers for coloring, are there any in particular that are your favorites? Do you prefer travel sets of paints to a full set?
Like I said I am a travel set kind of guy. I don't do my drawings at home. I could take photos and try to do it all in a nice little studio with lots of choices of materials. I draw everything on the street so I keep it small. Winsor & Newton or Schmincke watercolor sets.
Is there any particular type of notebook or drawing pad you prefer? Or does any scrap of decent-sized paper work in a pinch?
I use quite a few. Sometimes I like to work large and sometimes in notebooks. I'm a fan of Stillman & Birn drawing books. Of course, Moleskine. I also love Canson cold press watercolor blocks, 11 X 14 inches.
If you paint, is there any particular type of canvas you prefer? Do you like to paint on wood or any other materials?
In the past I have done a bunch of paintings. I do them with acrylic paint on cardboard. I gesso it a bit first and then paint right onto the cardboard. They came out great.
Do you ever do any kind of post-processing (like adding color in Photoshop or similar tool) to your drawings?
I always adjust the color in Photoshop. I make my drawings look richer. But I don't do any real part of the artwork with Photoshop. I do all the coloring and drawing by hand.
Have you ever tried a new pen (or paper, etc) from reading about it, or seeing the results in another artist's work?
Not really.
I asked about post-processing on a computer, but do you think the computer is a helpful tool for making art? Whether it's looking for inspiration online, or using it to build a weblog to promote yourself and your art, do you think a computer is necessary, helpful, or a distraction (or all of the above)?
I have found the computer to be a great tool for artists. I find tons of inspiration and I have made connections with some of the best artists in the world. I have been able to successfully promote my work to people all over the world. It's like I can publish my own Tommy Kane magazine each week for all to see. I love it and will continue to use till the day I die.
Thanks Tommy!
Tommy Kane can be found online at his weblog, his illustration website, on his advertising portfolio, and on Twitter (@tommmykane). Some prints of Tommy's work can be found for sale on his Etsy store. And you can watch a wonderful video of Tommy Kane at work.
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Hi there. It's been a while!
I certainly do find it quite ironic that one of the reasons I started this site—that the wonderful Comic Tools had stopped posting these kinds of interviews—actually happened here. But, I want to right that wrong, so I'm bringing the site back to life!
I'm starting to send out interview request emails again, and I hope to have an new interview to post in the next couple of weeks. In the meantime, I may be fooling around with the site's design a little bit (more than I already have). If you want to make sure you're alerted when I start posting new interviews, subscribe to the site's RSS feed or follow the Twitter account @ToolsArtistsUse for updates.
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Britt Wilson is an artist and illustrator living in Toronto, Ontario.
What are some of your favorite drawing tools (pens, pencils, markers, drawing tablet, all of the above)?
I think it all really depends on what I'm doing. I'm in love with my brushpen, but it's totally balls for penciling roughs. Balls. But really, I'd have to say my red Col-Erase pencils, my Pentel Brush pen, and my Pentel RSVP ballpoint are my daily heroes.
If you have a wide collection, how do you decide on which to use on a particular drawing, project, or day?
I sit at my desk and ask myself this question while staring at the array of pens and pencils and brushes and god knows what else. I painted with a feather once. Not like the end they make quills from, but the fluffy part. I guess what I end up doing is really thinking about what kind of line I want to achieve, and which one of these damn things is going to give me that. Sometimes I trace over drawings a few times with different pens to see what I like best for that particular project. Mostly I get really frustrated and just use a ballpoint.
How do you like your color? Watercolor? Acrylics? Oil? Colored pencils? Markers?
I use acrylics pretty much exclusively right now. Although I'm considering getting back on the gouache horse that I fell off after art school. Such bright, creamy, vibrant colours. I'm also feeling a lot of nostalgia for crayons and pencil crayons. I feel a hefty need to play with them again.
If you do use paints, inks, pencils, or markers for coloring, are there any in particular that are your favorites? Do you prefer travel sets of paints to a full set?
Anything cheap. I buy SO many paints in crazy different colours that if they weren't cheap, I'd be bankrupt. Or ten grand in debt to a loan shark in order to feed my colour addiction. For acrylic I usually end up buying the Liquitex Basics, and I use Golden mediums with them.
Is there any particular type of notebook or drawing pad you prefer? Or does any scrap of decent-sized paper work in a pinch?
As long as the paper is smooth as butter and completely toothless. I hate HATE textured paper. With a fiery passion. yuck. I also prefer that sketchbooks be hardbound, I don't like spiral ones because the pages slip around and rub against each other and everything ends up all smudged.
If you paint, is there any particular type of canvas you prefer? Do you like to paint on wood or any other materials?
Canvas is balls. I hate the regular texture to it. I prefer to work on paper for my illustration work, and wood or masonite boards for fine art. Or as I just did the other day, I spread light acrylic modeling paste all over the canvas, like icing a cake, and when it dries it has this look of old plaster. A great texture to work on.
Do you ever do any kind of post-processing (like adding color in Photoshop or similar tool) to your drawings?
I do go the digital route sometimes. Usually when I'm in a hurry, or I want something really smooth and uniform. In which case I usually colour my linework in Photoshop, and then drop in flat colours. I'm no good at digital painting though.
Have you ever tried a new pen (or paper, etc) from reading about it, or seeing the results in another artist's work?
Yes, actually. I was hearing all this buzz on the interwebs about the Pentel brush pen, and I was looking for a good brush pen anyways. I hate the felt tip kind, the tip gets all fuzzy and gross after 1 drawing, and there isn't as much control over the line weight. If you can't tell already, I'm really anal about my drawings, but I also like a little bit of messiness. Sadly I'm incapable of actually letting myself be messy. I found the Pentel pocket brush gives me the perfect amount of control vs. chaos. Plus it fits in my purse so I take it everywhere!
If you work both digitally and non-digitally, which do you find yourself doing more? Is there a reason you would prefer one of the other? Is it because of the tools available in either space?
Lately I've found myself slowly moving closer and closer to working digitally, which I have always steered clear from up until now. I LOVE the physical act of painting, of getting it all over my fingers and in my hair and on the sleeves of my favourite sweater that I forgot I was wearing again. But I'm also an illustrator, and there is often a big time issue, I can work faster digitally, mostly because when working digitally I simplify myself a lot. Even more so than that, I'm a starving artist with a terrible, old and shitty scanner and lately it's just not worth fighting with it, or paying someone to scan it for me.
I asked about post-processing on a computer, but do you think the computer is a helpful tool for making art? Whether it's looking for inspiration online, or using it to build a weblog to promote yourself and your art, do you think a computer is necessary, helpful, or a distraction (or all of the above)?
I have a huge internet presence, probably too much so. I have two blogs, a website, way too many email addresses, and I'm on Twitter 24-7. My entire fan base (tiny as it is) is online, so without the computer and internet, I'd be even poorer (hard to imagine). I also have a catalogue of work I find inspiring in a folder on my computer. Anytime someone on one of the many blogs I follow does something mind boggling, I drag it into the folder and look at it for hours.
Sadly it is also SUPER distracting, and I'm starting to learn that I have to shut everything off and buckle down, or I can waste entire days playing around on the internet making dick jokes on twitter and chatting, and trolling through other people's awesome work that they can do because they are not addicted to the internet.
Thanks Britt!
You can find Britt Wilson online on her portfolio website brittwilson.com, her weblog Britt, a Wilson, on Twitter (@Britterson), Flickr (batamarang), and on a weblog she shares with Vicki Nerino: Uterus Parade.
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Aurélie Neyret is an artist and illustrator living in Rhône, France.
What are some of your favorite drawing tools (pens, pencils, markers, drawing tablet, all of the above)?
I enjoy both traditional and digital processes and try to practice both. For my professional work though, I often go digitally. I'm more comfortable with, and it's faster for me. I can come back on any step of my process, and I love the technical possibilities that digital provides. I use a Wacom tablet and Photoshop CS4. I start from zero in Photoshop, so my digital work is 100% digital. But I also love drawing with good old pens and pencils. Recently my favorite pencil is a Conté Pierre Noire, I love it because it makes really deep blacks. My friend Victoria Maderna also gave me a wonderful little pencil: Schwarz Black soft, by Faber Castell. It's soft and oily, but not greasy. Sometimes I draw with pens as well. For the colors, I'm an addict of watercolors.
If you prefer pens, is there any particular brand, color, or type of ink you like best?
I do not prefer pen rather than other medium, but sometimes I feel like drawing with them. My favorites are Pilots, I have several of that brand. I try to use different sizes in the same drawing, but depends, sometimes I start doodling with a ball pen and I end up filling a full page. Another one that I find very useful, is this Japanese ink pen, with a brush: Pentel GFKP. The brush is really good, allowing to vary the line density, and easier to carry on than an ink bottle.
How do you like your color? Watercolor? Acrylics? Oil? Colored pencils? Markers?
As I said, my favorites are watercolors. These are awesome and also frustrating to use, but I love it. I have two boxes of Winsor & Newton watercolors, had them for ages, and they still feel kind of magic. Plus you can take them anywhere, they fit in any pocket! It happens that I use color pencils as well, or acrylics, but I'm not that good with paint. I never trieds oils, and I feel quite ashamed about that haha! In the near future I would like to practice more painting though.
Is there any particular type of notebook or drawing pad you prefer? Or does any scrap of decent-sized paper work in a pinch?
I'm quite difficult about paper. For exemple, I don't like Moleskine paper much, because it's yellow and you can't really add water on it. They are good for pens though. I often prefer watercolor paper, or Canson. About sketchbooks, a friend of mine who is an artist too, Jens Claessens, always buy these A4 and A5 books for me, in a little art store of his town. They don't have any particular brand I guess, they are only huge books with an hard cover, black or blue, with nothing on it, and the paper is perfect for me. That said, depending of the context, I draw on anything, like on a paper napkin, wood, stones, or the walls of my bedroom...
Have you ever tried a new pen (or paper, etc) from reading about it, or seeing the results in another artist's work?
I don't recall this happened, except maybe in school, trying out my schoolmates's tools. I like being inspired by others but I try not to “copy” other artists process too much. I would be afraid of losing my own personality by trying the tricks of other artists. That said, most of the mediums I use are pretty common. I think it's how an artist uses a tool that makes it unique, more than the tool itself.
If you create purely-digital art, what are the software programs you use? Is one used more than another?
I only use Photoshop. I used to mess around a little bit in Illustrator and Painter few years ago, but not seriously. I'm a bit of a noob!
If you work both digitally and non-digitally, which do you find yourself doing more? Is there a reason you would prefer one of the other? Is it because of the tools available in either space?
I work digitally for my commission work (for press, graphic novels, illustrations for clients), because it's easier. I love the freedom that digital process provides me. For quite a long time I didn't had a scanner, so I learned to draw everything digitally, without traditional sketching. It was more a constraint at the beginning, but in the end it made things easier. I developed my style this way and I can work quite fast now. For my own pleasure I still draw traditionally though, but less than digitally. I sell original artworks on Etsy. I do some when I have time to produce stuff just for fun. No pressure. It seems more difficult for me to work traditionally for a client. I'm not confident enough with it, less practice.
I asked about post-processing on a computer, but do you think the computer is a helpful tool for making art? Whether it'’s looking for inspiration online, or using it to build a weblog to promote yourself and your art, do you think a computer is necessary, helpful, or a distraction (or all of the above)?
Definitely all of the above! It would be crazy to say that it's not helpful. Not especially for creating art, there is tons of full traditional artists that don't really need a computer as a tool of creation. But for creating a network, contacts in the industry, for job seeking, to have a website, to communicate with clients, to find reference, for inspiration, etc. Computers and the internet are obviously a huge resource.
Like mostly everything else, it also can be a huge distraction and a tool of procrastination. It's up to people to use it in a clever way. I'm still trying to figure it out!
Thanks Aurélie!
Aurélie Neyret can be found online at her weblog Clo! and on Twitter (@ZeuClo). Prints of her work can be found at INPRNT and some originals are available on Etsy.
