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

I usually draw my work with black pens, and I always try new brands or types that I see.

For rough sketches I have a love of pencils, I like colourful and sparkly ones, just because it’s more enjoyable to draw with pretty pencils.

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

If it’s a commission then I’ll draw with black ink pens. If I’m doodling in my sketchbook I use all kinds of pens.

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

I love Uni-Ball pens because they’re really black and they’re waterproof, so you can paint over them with watercolour without smudging.

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

I use digital colours for most of my illustrations. Occasionally I use a bit of watercolour. I do like coloured pencils and markers, but I mostly just use them in my sketchbooks.

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?

Schmincke watercolours are wonderful, I think.

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 a paper with a light texture, which is meant for drawing and watercolour.

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

Yes, I usually colour my illustrations digitally.

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

I think mostly I try new things because I see them in the shop.

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

I don’t think so.

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 love the computer and the internet. Without it, I couldn’t work in the way I do. I’m sure I could create my art without a computer, but it’s become so essential for communication, sending work, making contacts, research / reference material, promotion etc.

Of course it can be distracting, but I think I’m quite lucky that once I work I find it easy to focus completely.

Thanks Anke!

You can find Anke Weckmann online at her portfolio website Linotte.net, her weblog, Flickr (miss linotte), on Twitter (@Linotte), and her art and crafts are available to purchase online at her Etsy shop.

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

I like to draw directly in pen when sketching since it forces me to loosen up and lighten up and let things get as goofy as they often do. Or, if I want to be more accurate, drawing in ink helps me to remember to go slow and look closely at my subject.

Pencil: I’m rather fond of my Papermate Titanium .5mm mechanical pencil with built in eraser. I have a variety of drawing, drafting and mechanical pencils but I’m not too attached to any of them.

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

The Pigma Micron .01 black ink pen is my favorite. I like the fact that ink is permanent and waterproof and doesn’t bleed or dissolve when adding watercolor the way some other “permanent” or “waterproof” inks do. I’ve tried many others, from fountain pens to dip pens to markers, but I always come back to my Pigma Micron.

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

If I’m sketching from life, I choose my Pigma Micron. If I’m sketching from my imagination I usually use a pencil since I’m not sure where I’m going and kind of sculpt the drawing from scribbles as I go.

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

Watercolor had been my primary medium for 30 years. Then a couple years ago I tried (unsuccessfully) switching to acrylic. I just couldn’t get acrylics to do what I wanted (though I will likely give them another try at some point). Then I moved on to oils and I’ve been studying oil painting since, while not giving up watercolor. I’m finding that some subjects look better to me in different media. For example, when I want to capture detail or delicate flowers, watercolor is my medium of choice; landscape, especially plein air, seems to call for oil painting.

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 several different watercolor sets and two oil-painting setups. When I use gouache or watercolor in the studio I have two large Robert E. Wood palettes that live on a Boby tabouret beside my large drafting table. One is filled with gouache, the other with watercolor. My watercolors are a variety of artist colors mostly from Winsor & Newton and Daniel Smith, with a couple of Holbein and Schmicke colors thrown in.

When I go out to sketch in ink and wash, I carry a Winsor & Newton Artists’ Watercolor Field Box Set (over the years I’ve replaced all the original pan paint with colors I prefer from tubes).

If I want to use gouache in the field I carry an old small, Schmincke metal folding palette (my first watercolor set) that holds 12 half pans which I’ve filled with mostly M. Graham and Schmincke gouache from tubes.

I have a sturdy zipper bag I got at Utrecht that’s about 8x10 into which I can easily fit my entire sketching kit in (including sketchbook). The items I include in my sketching kit are:

• Micron Pigma .01 pen (my favorite sketching pen)
• Kuretake waterbrushes
• Kleenex purse pack of tissues
• Sketchbook
• optional extras:
  • 2 oz plastic squirt bottle (optional, easier than using waterbrushes to moisten paint and good for sprizting the paper if needed)
  • 2 oz plastic bottle with extra water
  • pencil
  • kneaded eraser

If I’m doing an actual plein air painting in watercolor rather than a sketch, I have a larger, Holbein palette. Then I use a watercolor block instead of a sketchbook and carry real brushes in a canvas brush holder, still quite portable.

For oil painting in the studio I have an old Stanrite Aluminum #700 easel and for field work I use my Soltek Pro (needed the Pro’s extra height because I’m tall). I’m currently using mostly Winsor & Newton oils and a few Gamblin but selecting my oil colors is still a work in progress.

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

Lately I’ve been using mostly Moleskine watercolor sketchbooks and Strathmore Medium Drawing spiral bound sketchbooks. In the past I was fond of the inexpensive Aquabee Super Deluxe spiral bound. I’ve tried many others that I didn’t like for one reason or another. I recently purchased a Fabriano Venezzia bound sketchbook and am looking forward to using it next. Of course I’ll draw on just about anything if no sketchbook is at hand. One of my favorite sketches was done on the back of a bag of Trader Joe’s Biscottis while waiting in the checkout line.

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

Yes! I’ve tried stretched canvas and practically every kind of painting panel there is and I LOVE Ampersand’s Gessobord. I use their 1/8” flat panels because they’re the least expensive, while still being “archival, museum quality.”

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

I went through a phase of drawing in ink or directly on the computer using a Wacom tablet and then coloring them in Painter for creating illustrations, but didn’t love spending so much time at the computer so have moved away from that for now.

I do post-processing in Photoshop when I prepare photos or scans of my artwork for my blog. Despite my care in lighting, monitor calibrating, etc., I almost always have to make some adjustments to the digital photos. I also do the same for photos I want to use for reference material.

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

Oh yes! I’m easily seduced by glowing descriptions by other artists of their new discoveries.

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

Nope.

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

I was using Painter rather than Photoshop as it had more artist-friendly tools but it crashed way too often.

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 spending less time at the computer since I have a part-time day job that requires me to be at the computer the whole time, as does blogging, and too much computer time = too many physical aches and pains.

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, to all of the above.

Thanks Jana!

Jana Bouc can be found online at her website/porfolio janabouc.com, her journal and sketch weblog, and on Flickr (janabouc).

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

Variation is fun, but I usually draw with an ink pen, and either leave it as an ink drawing or colour it with watercolours.

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

I am not sure, I guess I just choose pens from what my hand feels like holding. You know, sometimes it’s a fountain pen day, other times it may be a Micron day… I usually have a few different kinds with me.

Sometimes the paper decides too. Some inks bleed on some papers, so you have to choose pen according to that.

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

Lamy Safari is my preferred choice of pen right now, usually with Noodler’s Lexington gray or Polar black ink. The Safari has a little springy feeling that I like, at least with the Extra Fine nib. I use other ink pens too, like Microns, dip pens, technical pens… Usually waterproof. I recently discovered Copic Multiliners, I like those a lot.

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

Watercolours, usually. Sometimes coloured 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?

In watercolours, Schmincke and Winsor & Newton are easiest to come by in Sweden, so those are the ones I use, both pans and tubes. Great quality and loads of pigments in both brands.

I have all kinds of sizes on my palettes, from tiny travel sets to a huge tool box with tube paints. I use an English handmade travel set most, the tool box is for larger paintings and experimenting.

I sometimes use coloured pencils too, Faber-Castell Polychromos are the ones I like best. They are very soft and rich in colour.

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

Any paper will work, if I happen to have forgotten my sketchbook at home, but I prefer to use my own hand-bound sketchbooks. That way I can get the paper and format I want. I have yet to find a store-bought sketchbook that is actually good for both drawing and watercolours.

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

I enjoy working on my images in Photoshop, adding colours and textures and so on, but I rarely have time to really sit down and do it thoroughly. I teach computer graphics (among other things) so I get to do it a lot at work, and that makes me prioritize working by hand in my spare time.

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

Many times. I am, in fact, an addict to new pens, I try them all. Then I usually go back to my Lamy Safaris…

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

Not that I can think of, really. Well, I adore patterns, so I cut a lot of stencils with repeating patterns, but you don’t see a lot of those in my sketches. I use them more for paintings and larger works.

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

I rarely do purely digital stuff, but I use Photoshop and Illustrator pretty much, couldn’t choose one over the other since they do different things.

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 with traditional art tools more in my own art, and digital tools at work. I enjoy digital work very much, but computers never get your fingers dirty or let you splash around with water or messy paint. I like that, so traditional techniques will always be part of what I do. There aren’t as many “happy accidents” in digital work…

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 computers are very helpful AND a huge distraction. I find a lot of inspiration on the internet, and I have made a lot of online acquaintances (of which some have become real-life friends) with people who share my interest in drawing and painting. I keep an art-related blog and get a lot of feedback, so for social and inspirational purposes, the computer beats everything. But these are also the things that easily consume a lot of time, time that I could have spent drawing, for instance. You have to find a balance in how much time you spend online - even if it’s inspirational and informative.

The computer is a great tool for making art, but I don’t use it to make art that tries to replicate traditional techniques (such as drawing or painting directly in Photoshop). I think real art supplies are better for that. Purely digital art often looks a bit dead, it takes some handmade work to make it interesting.

Thanks Nina!

Nina Johansson can be found online at her blogspot weblog ninajohansson.blogspot.com and she also regularly contributes to the wonderful Urban Sketchers weblog. Nina’s portfolio is located at ninajohansson.se.