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

When I began working as illustrator I always used Van Gogh watercolors, but now I prefer to use acrylics and pencils and I use a drawing tablet for the final details or to fill big surfaces.

I use 2B and HB pencils to sketch and sometimes I try to colour with watercolors or coloured pencils.

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 very wide collection, so it’s not a difficult decision. If I use a product and I like it then I don’t need to look for another.

I start sketching with a graphite pencil and after that I try different tools.

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

I don’t use pens very often but I like to ink using my Rotring 0.5.

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

I started using watercolors but now I use acrylics and colored pencils. It depends on the project.

Lately I love to sketch with a red Col-Erase and colour with Da Vinci gouache.

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?

I have a Winsor & Newton watercolor travel set. I use it to paint my sketches. At the moment I am really enjoying using a set of colored pencils by Lyra.

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

With the years I’ve become more and more neurotic about the notebooks. I need one where I write and do my sketches. I was overwhelmed having scraps of paper everywhere with notes and sketches. But I don’t have a preferred brand. The most important thing for me is that the paper is smooth. I think that for writing, the best brand is Clairefontaine. I’ve never tried a Moleskine, maybe I should!

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

I like to paint on wood and on canvas. But I don’t have any preferences. Most of my work is on paper. When I buy paper it has to be minimum 180 grs and smooth.

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

Well, I try to avoid digital post processing but sometimes I make some changes using it. It helps very much.

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 read about the Rapidograph in Danny Gregory’s blog Everyday Matters. I tried it but I’m not comfortable with it. But he does wonderful drawings with it.

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

No, I don’t think so. I use paper when I do collages. Toothbrushes to add color and sometimes I make my own stamp to create a pattern in an illustration. And I use fabrics, too.

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 doodling in my notebooks and they’re sometimes a very useful resource when nothing comes to my mind. I start sketching with pencils and I try to maintain this type of line. For other work I try to use not line at all, so I work with the computer a little more. But I work mostly non-digitally. I find that it’s more fun and it’s very relaxing.

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 a great tool. It saves a lot time and effort to try colors on the computer. It’s very helpful for me.

The computer and being online it’s a very fast and useful way to be in contact with other artists, to get to know and to see things in places where I wouldn’t be able to go.

Working alone at home it’s become a very important tool to promote my work and to share ideas with other artists.

Thanks Natascha!

You can find Natascha Rosenberg online at her portfolio website natascharosenberg.com and on her weblog: Natascha’s Blog.

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

Pencil is my primary medium. Most often I use a .9mm mechanical pencil with a 6H lead to sketch a few guide lines, then finish with an HB lead or, for a bigger drawing, a toddler’s fat pencil, like Lyra Ferby or My First Ticonderoga. I use a lot of pressure when I draw, so a thick lead that doesn’t break easily is important. And my favorite Rapidograph is essential for any ink drawings or comics.

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

A .35mm (size 0) Rapidograph, the one with the gray collar, is my constant companion, and I’ve been known to really lose my shit if I misplace that pen when I need it. (You’ll know it’s mine because it has a strip of black bookbinding tape wrapped around the barrel, and the inside of the cap is stained brown.) I also use a red .6mm Rapidograph for larger drawings, and I have a few others that I only use once in a while, if I need them. All my ink illustrations and comics are done with these pens. (For comics I rarely pencil first, which is probably obvious if you’ve read my comics.)

I like to use brown ink with a few drops of black, because drawing in brown makes me feel like a monk.

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

Most of my drawings include areas of opaque color laid up against the pencil lines, and I’m always looking for coloring tools that provide the right amount of control as well as opacity. Prismacolor colored pencils are excellent. I also use china markers for lots of my reds and whites. (The red area on my Mercury cover is china marker.) I like pencil-style coloring tools because of the scratchy marks they make. Often the only real color hue my drawings comes from the background, which is a colored card stock, and the drawing itself is executed in black and white pencils.

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?

Since I prefer a very limited palette (usually only one or two colors plus graphite), a travel or starter kit of paints or colored pencils is useless to me. I buy individual Prismacolors in White, Cream, and Sky Blue Light, and about 90% of my drawings are executed with those colors alone.

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

Bookbinding is a hobby of mine and I generally make my own notebooks and sketchbooks. Most card stocks are fine as long as they take both ink and pencil well, without bleeding or too much smudging (though I like a little pencil smudging). I have seperate sketchbooks for comics, with the panels already in place, and these are a great innovation because they keep me on task, and prevent story fragments from being lost amid fifty sketches of my boyfriend’s monkey feet. For a finished pencil drawing, I prefer soft cotton rag papers—Stonehenge, or Magnani Pescia if I can afford it, which I usually can’t.

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

I use Photoshop to make my scanned drawings look more like the originals. The pale blues, for example, tend to scan pretty grayish, so I’ll increase the contrast on the image to brighten them and make sure they read as blue online. I sometimes add color for illustration projects, if I’m delivering them digitally—my Brett Dennen poster originally had a white background, but it looked too stark on the scan so I added a pale yellow tint to the entire image—but I would never do that for self-generated work. The original drawing is the finished piece.

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

Yes, but for the most part that hasn’t worked out for me. I love other people’s charcoal line drawings, for example, but my own never satisfy me. The one exception is the Rapidograph pen, which I always insisted I didn’t need, until my boyfriend started using one and I got envious.

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

Two slim hardcover books: “The Life and Times of Saint Francis of Assisi,” a children’s biography with full-color photos of his relics, and “Les Bidochon: Ragots Intimes,” a pretty dark French comic book about lower-class married life. Both of them provide a lightweight, portable drawing surface, safe storage for unfinished work, inspiration, or distraction, as needed. I don’t have a desk, but I always keep one of these books with 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 do a lot of my drawings from photos that I take myself or find online, so the computer is an important part of my work in that respect. The internet can be a distraction, but it’s so useful for research, and to keep in touch with other artists and with people who want to support your work, that any artist who doesn’t use it is handicapped.

Thanks Julia!

Julia Gfrörer can be found online on her website thorazos.net and on Flickr (thorazos).

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

I like to use pens, I enjoy using traditional tools. I use a drawing tablet everyday, but I seldom use it to do drawings.

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

I use pens in black (for comics and travel sketches), but I also use watercolor pencils and more pens of different colors when I make my travel sketches.

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

Rotring Rapidograph — mainly black, and sometimes I add colored ink (Winsor & Newton) to it.

Pentel hybrid gel pen — silver and gold. And the Faber-Castell Ecco Pigment pens.

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

I like the color of oil painting, but the material is so complicated for me, and it’s messy, so now I seldom use it.

Now I mainly use colored ink and watercolor pencils.

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?

I think my favorite are watercolor pencils, because they are convenient and simple.

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

My favorites are Il Papiro paper (made in Italy) and Moleskines. But the paper of new Moleskine Japanese Album is different, and I don’t like the new paper, it’s too smooth (not rough enough) for me, so now I’ve stopped using them.

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

I only like to draw on books.

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

Sometimes. Like recently I used Photoshop to cut a shape from my original drawing, that I’ll use to make T-shirts.

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 found the Moleskines via a Flickr group.

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

Once I tinted with a tea bag, and sometimes I’ll use my fingers.

If you create purely-digital art, what are the software programs you use? Is one used more than another?

Photoshop, more than Illustrator.

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 to do non-digital drawings. It’s more comfortable and I enjoy it. And I don’t want to carry a computer everywhere I go, but I am happy to carry a sketchbook. I do like to use the computer and the internet, but not for drawing.

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)?

Yes, the computers are so helpful, they are my slaves :)

I think the ruler is hard to use, but the computer is easy to use. I use the computer to make my comic books. I’ve made homepages for the last 10 years. And I’ve found that Flickr is a nice place to show my drawings.

Thanks Ying-Chieh!

Ying-Chieh Liu can be found online at her website liuyingchieh.com/imagination/, and posting regularly on Flickr (imagenation). Some of Ying-Chieh’s comics, art prints, and decorated wallets can be found on her Etsy shop.

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

I use a size .35 Rapidograph for most of my drawings and I love it. Graphite pencils are also great. I love ink washes over graphite. When sketching from life, I carry a refillable brush pen filled with an ink/water mix for washes. A drawing tablet and Photoshop are important for when I’m doing any digital work. I have a cute little Wacom Bamboo tablet that I often bring around with my laptop.

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

I use a Rapidograph, so the ink I use is almost always black Rapidograph ink.

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

Most of my color is done in Photoshop. I love the quickness and economy of digital color. Watercolors are also great and I have been using them more frequently. I use Winsor Newton.

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 am currently alternating between a Moleskine and a Global Art journal (sketchbook). Those are the two main sketchbooks I use. I love the richer and more textured feel of the Global art paper, but it tends to be rougher on a Rapidograph nib. I also do a good amount of drawing on copy paper and bristol paper when I have it.

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

Yes, I use Photoshop for most of my color.

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

Yes, sometimes I pick up things by talking to artists/friends or seeing how they work. New tools and methods are fun to experiment with, but only very occasionally do they become integral to the way I work. The Rapidograph, which I first tried after seeing a friend using one, is now a tool that I really trust.

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 all of those things. It’s mostly up to me whether it’s more helpful than it is necessary or distracting. It has been infinitely helpful in self-promotion and as a source of information.

Thanks Vikki!

Vikki Chu’s illustration portfolio can be found at vikkichu.com and her weblog is at vikkichu.blogspot.com. Vikki can also be found on Flickr (vikki-chu).