What are some of your favorite drawing tools (pens, pencils, markers, drawing tablet, all of the above)?

I’m definitely an old fashioned type of fella when it comes to drawing. My favorite of the past couple years is brush and ink. I have yet to find anything that gives me equal helpings of control and spontaneity. I love the Silver Ultra mini brushes - they keep a fine point and last a while if they’re kept clean. The only thing lacking with the old brush and ink is it inability to travel well. For portability I, like so many, like the .005 Micron in various colors. I love to be able to mingle some different colors in a drawing, especially if I’m working outside or on the subway. I’m also a fan of the Micron Brush Pens. I’ve also become a fan of the COPIC sketch markers. They’re a little pricey, but they’re dual tipped with a fat, flat end and a pretty sharp brush end. I also buy cheap calligraphy markers, mostly in black. I’ve been picking up Elegant Writer pens and using them to death for quick sketches. Again, the variable line is nice and you can do really fast fills. The line decays through the stroke, but that can give things a nice character and give you something more than a flat saturated black - something almost more photographic, especially in small sketches.

If you have a wide collection, how do you decide on which to use on a particular drawing, project, or day?

For a drawing day at the Natural History Museum, or the subway, I like to make purposefully random selections. A handful from the maker bin, and then try to go make it work. Illustration can get formulaic by design, so a strange assortment of pencils and pens can be really helpful to get out of a drawing rut.

For an illustration, I’ll generally rough in pencil, and then move right to ink, or gouache of late, to lay out the line structure.

If you prefer pens, is there any particular brand, color, or type of ink you like best?

As far as ink, I’m still trying to find the perfect ink. Since I use a lot and can correct in photoshop after the fact, I will use the old standard, Higgins waterproof black. I find it’s pretty wishy-washy. For more gallery type drawing I have been using Speedball’s Super Black India Ink. It gets better coverage and cavernous deep blacks. Although it professes to be non clogging, I find just the opposite. It can get a little chunky, and even syrupy if left open even a little too long. It also has a slight but noticeable bleed. I have experimented with Bombay inks as well, but find they have an iridescence I’m not too fond of.

How do you like your color? Watercolor? Acrylics? Oil? Colored pencils? Markers?

I was an acrylic painter for a longtime, and love the saturation. Maybe it’s because I’m getting older I’ve moved to watercolor and gouache paint gouache. Gouache can give you that really nice saturated color without the chunkiness of acrylics, along with a really nice matte finish. Since a lot of my work is reduced pallette work, it’s nice to do a full tone of watercolor on the bottom with a little mask to leave some of the white of the paper showing, and then draw with gouache on top.

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?

For watercolors and gouache, I definitely like the Winsor & Newton stuff, and for watercolor I do use a Winsor & Newton 14 color travel set as my default setup. It does have some drawbacks - the cools in travel sets always seem to be a little weak. I pull out the cobalt and substitute cerulean (I love the plastic-y, processed look of cerulean). I will also premix some gouache in the water dish that I’ll use as my major line color. I also have a Daler Rowney 12 set that Ive been pretty happy with too, and is a little smaller.

Is there any particular type of notebook or drawing pad you prefer? Or does any scrap of decent-sized paper work in a pinch? / If you paint, is there any particular type of canvas you prefer? Do you like to paint on wood or any other materials?

In general, I think paper is the most underrated supply people buy. Unfortunately, sketchbook are always notoriously filled with weak paper: 60lb paper is just sort of weak for my purposes. That does lower the price point and make it more expendable, which I suppose is the point, but I find sketchbooks a little frustrating to buy. I generally use the Daler Rowney bound sketchbooks. My favorite, which I’ve had a hard time finding of late, is the Canson Balloon Field Sketch book. It’s wire bound from the top which I definitely prefer. Dealing with the gutters in the bound sketchbook can be frustrating when you just need that extra half inch to make it work. I also like a Il Torchio notebook my cousin brought back for me from Florence. It has a really nice tooth and holds up really well for 50lb paper. My other little fettishy sketchbooks are a 3” by 5” R. Baldwin 150 gms cartridge paper book from England, and a 4”x 5” Daler Rowney Fabriano colored paper sampler book.

As far as painting, if I’m working on canvas or board, it gets the same treatment. I use the NY Central Acrylic Gesso - about 5 layers - and sand it down to as glassy smooth a surface as I can get.

I’ve come to prefer painting on paper, and haven’t found anything I like better that Arches 300lb, hot press for gouache and acrylic and cold press for watercolor. I also like their 140lb cold press for mixed media work and watercolors with very controlled but small bleeds. I will also use Strathmore smooth Bristol, but mostly for work line work that then gets re-colored in photoshop. Rives BFK is a close runner up, probably my drawing favorite for straight ink and pencil.

Do you ever do any kind of post-processing (like adding color in Photoshop or similar tool) to your drawings?

I often do, especially for quick turnaround illustration assignments. I still draw everything by hand but will work with black and two or three arbitrary colors (generally a hot and a cool) to flesh out the design, and then assign them new colors in Photoshop.

Have you ever tried a new pen (or paper, etc) from reading about it, or seeing the results in another artist’s work?

I saw a Marcel Dzama show at the Richard Heller Gallery a few years ago, and it really made me realize the power of working on paper. I had been making acrylic paintings that were really emulating silkscreen and woodcut prints, and realized that they should be on paper to really get that matte finish I was looking for. Acrylic suddenly felt way too plastic.

Do you have anything you use out of the ordinary for making your art?

I generally use the edge of an old credit card to apply gesso, a trick I picked up from Tom LaPadula, one of my teachers at Pratt. It saves a lot of time with sanding down a canvas or board.

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?

After a few years of creating art that was about half digital, I’m really trying to move back towards more traditional media. Mostly because I am working in better spaces and have constructed a light table and have the space to really avoid putting things into the computer until it’s sitting on the scan bed.

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)?

The computer is an amazing resource. I was very anti-computer as a young idealistic artist/idiot, and have come around big time. I use to feel that digitally produced work was a rather hack-y type method, but I’ve long since seen the light. What people are doing now with digital collage and painting and drawing is really incredible. I keep finding out people who I thought were traditional illustrators are working totally digitally.

As far as work as an illustrator goes, it’s a double-edged sword. In this economic downturn, magazines and newspaper are having a rough go. As more and more go online, it’s more common than not that the illustrators they used to hire don’t come with them, or if they do, the illustrator works for smaller fees. Conversely, having a website which you can construct and update yourself for free, a blog you can post on for free, and emails which you can send for free - it’s pretty convenient. It does have a democratizing effect of allowing new people to get wide coverage, and allowing me to look at work from all over the world. That being said, it can be a bit of a distraction. It’s easy to find yourself lost in a multimedia labyrinth only to emerge a hour later and none the wiser…

Thanks Andrew!

You can find Andrew DeGraff online at his portfolio website andrewdegraff.com, his own weblog DEGRAFFLOG, and on the group weblog welcome friend or foe.

What are some of your favorite drawing tools (pens, pencils, markers, drawing tablet, all of the above)?

I always have a 9” x 12” sketchbook going but have not drawn too much recently which bums me out. In that I work with Sakura Micron pens and Sharpies.

I also always try to have a softbound small Moleskine in my pocket and a black ballpoint pen so I can sketch on the go.

The watercolor Moleskine and a Waterbrush are a lot of fun.

If you have a wide collection, how do you decide on which to use on a particular drawing, project, or day?

Just depends on the mood I am in. Whether I want color or not, whether I feel like painting or drawing.

If you prefer pens, is there any particular brand, color, or type of ink you like best?

Sakura Microns are great since they are waterproof and come in so many sizes and colors.

How do you like your color? Watercolor? Acrylics? Oil? Colored pencils? Markers?

Acrylic is my main medium. I used to use Liquitex Concentrated in bottles exclusively since they had so many opaque colors but more recently been using Golden fluid acrylics as well.

Daler Rowney FW Acrylic Artists Ink is pretty awesome. You can get so many “watercolor” effects but once it dries stays put.

If you paint, is there any particular type of canvas you prefer? Do you like to paint on wood or any other materials?

Paper bag is generally what I paint on. I like the tooth, the folds and the way opaque acrylics “pop” off the surface. I have started branching out with Arches watercolor paper and Okiwara paper for the acrylic ink and wash effects.

Do you ever do any kind of post-processing (like adding color in Photoshop or similar tool) to your drawings?

No. I scan all my paintings or have them photographed. The only Photoshop action is sometimes tiling together multiple scans of larger pieces.

Have you ever tried a new pen (or paper, etc) from reading about it, or seeing the results in another artist’s work?

The water brush I got from seeing a friend use it and how handy it seemed (water filled handle allows for water to slowly flow out of brush tip). Great for traveling.

The acrylic ink I picked up on a tip from Robert Hardgrave.

Do you have anything you use out of the ordinary for making your art?

Besides the bag, not really. My original bag paintings all had the drawings inked in with a bamboo pen, but now everything is pretty standard.

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)?

Not necessarily a necessity, but the computer has certainly made the process faster for me. I am able to adjust images’ contrast so that they work better for my limited palette style. I also like the fact that I can scan my images and that is about the cheapest, easiest and almost best method of documenting for me. Websites I think are pretty critical for an artists exposure. Sites like Flickr help as well. It sure does become a distraction having a computer in the studio. Hearing the email incoming or just thinking about checking the weather or other online nonsense.

Thanks Chris!

You can find Chris Crites online at his portfolio website bagpainter.com and on Flickr.

What are your favorite drawing tools (pens, pencils, markers, drawing tablet, all of the above)?

Charcoal has to be one of my favourites; not always practical because it’s quite messy, so I would use it in the studio or on a day out sketching where getting dirty didn’t matter - not on a day out with family :>)

I also like mechanical pencils with an eraser on the end - really simple and accessible, biro on occassion, Conte pencils. charcoal pencils. coloured pencils, Caran d’Ache Neocolor II with water, but only very occasionally ink,

I like painterly drawing media rather than the graphic lines of an ink drawing for the way I work (though I love them in other peoples work). I do like those double ended Tombo pens with water soluble ink (mid grey is a favourite) as you can get lovely washes - again it’s the painterly feel that attracts me. I really don’t like the scratchy feel of most dip pen nibs. I like bamboo pens and twigs because of the changes in line as the ink dries and the slight unpredictability but am more inclined to use them with watercolour.

If you have a wide collection, how do you decide on which to use on a particular drawing, project, or day?

It will depend on the subject matter and what will give me the vocabulary of marks that I need. Also on whether I’m out ‘seriously’ sketching with lots of choices with me or on a trip with family or friends where I can only carry a little, can only draw quickly in order not to hold everyone up and need to keep clean! I’m inclined to use fingers to smudge or drip paint or ink onto clothes or dip sleeves in paint so that is an important factor!

A current long term project on local waterways has work in charcoal, watercolour, coloured pencils, mixed media. linoprints. pencil, Caran d’Ache neocolor II, Inktense - I don’t think I’ve done any oil sketches yet which is unusual as that is usually my first choice at the coast.

How do you like your color? Watercolor? Acrylics? Oil? Colored pencils? Markers? All of the above?

Oil first usually, also watercolour, often with oil pastel or coloured pencil. coloured pencil. pastel - acrylic in the studio but not plein air and markers not for colour but occasionally as drawing tools. Studio work in acrylics is usually finished in oils as the oils work so well glazed or scumbled or scratched through, over underlying acrylic marks put in very very loosely. Most of my work is mixed media as I pick up whatever will give me the marks I want and so a combination of materials is often involved.

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 or do you need a full set of colors?

As a colourist painter I like to have a lot of blues, yellows and reds to choose from and a range of other colours. I mainly mix colours, not using them straight from the tube or pan and though a painting will only use a limited range of them. I want the specific blue or whatever to achieve the results I want to catch the light, mood and colour of the day.

I don’t use sets but have a collection, bought individually over time, of colours that I like to use.

I use Winsor & Newton and Daler-Rowney Artists watercolours but also have a box of White Knights that I’m fond of. Oils are a mix of brands, mainly artists colours but not all. I also like the quick drying Griffin Alkyds. In pastels I like Unison - luscious and velvety and they don’t break into tiny shards like some soft pastels.

If you have a different set of tools for working in your studio (or office, or home, or on the couch) and out in public (at the park, or a coffee shop), what are the differences?

I answered this one earlier really - it depends on the subject, the situation - do I need to stay clean and tidy without smudges or paint on clothes or face, how long have I got to work? am I with friends with all day to paint and so getting paint splattered doesn’t matter and I have all the time I need? then the bag of materials gets heavy as I can’t resist all the stuff I may need - and if I don’t take it will be certain to want!

Is there any particular type of notebook or drawing pad you prefer? Or does any scrap of decent-sized paper work in a pinch?

A wide variety. I like heavy weight cartridge paper as you can use it with any medium, watercolour paper - Arches, Fabriano hot pressed, not Bockingford very much, hand made paper, moleskine for pencils, large A3 sketchbooks in a landscape format that open out to about 3 feet across. I’ve also made my own books recently but I’m no expert at this like Nina. In a pinch - anything.

If you paint, is there any particular type of canvas you prefer? Do you like to paint on wood or other material?

I like deep sided canvasses as I never frame them, I prefer the look of them as they are without imprisoning the work. Plein air I do oil sketches on Cryla primed paper and frame as if for watercolours. I also sketch straight into sketch books of cartridge paper without any priming as I like the way the oil paint behaves - not archivally friendly but ok in a sketch book. Occasionally I’ve painted on hardboard (masonite) and like the firm surface but don’t like the fact that it has to be framed.

Do you ever do any kind of post-processing (like adding color in Photoshop or similar tool) to your art?

I do use Photoshop to create images that exist in their own right and play with ideas - it’s a great tool. You can see examples on my blog and website.

Have you ever tried a new pen (or paper, etc) from reading about it, or seeing the results in another artist’s work?

Yes, I had been using coloured pencils in mixed media work but wanted some better quality ones and had great advice from Katherine and others. They advised Polychromos for the way I work and they were right - I love them.

Do you have anything you use out of the ordinary for making your art?

The way I mix media probably. I like the variety of marks possible by combining for instance watercolour, oil pastel as a resist and coloured pencil to subtly enhance or overlay colour. Again on my blog you’ll see lots of mixed media pieces - recently lino prints, printed non-traditionally with oil paints and then worked into with oil pastel and coloured pencils.

If you create collages, where do you get the materials and objects you use in your pieces?

I prefer to paint the papers myself if it is going to be a finished piece and then cut and tear them - recently I learned to marble to create some different papers for beach sketches - so far these are just in sketchbooks. I will also use hand made papers and elements that won’t fade or tarnish.

When creating your digital art, what are the software programs you use? Is one used more than another?

Photoshop mostly and occasionally Corel Photopaint to manipulate and change elements fed in.

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 prefer the hands on of ‘real’ materials and the happy accidents and ‘language’ of marks. I don’t paint digitally but manipulate elements to create something very very different from the starting point.

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)?

Very helpful for playing around with ideas, creating work that exists in its own right - and very distracting, eating up time if I’m not careful Very useful for research, for talking to fellow bloggers, critique, exchanging ideas, selling a little and learning a lot. So for me an essential.

Thanks Vivien!

Vivien Blackburn’s website is vivienblackburn.com, her sketches can be seen at sitekreator.com/viviensketches, and she also has a shop on Etsy. She has also started a group weblog called Watermarks, which “is a small community of artists who make art from water.”