Filler Art Thread

[Azaeziel]

Anyone know what colored pencils are best for a starting colorist? I'm gonna try and do some colored art, and was wondering if anyone had a prefered brand or style of colored pencil that they would recomend, or are they prety much all the same? I've also heard of copic (spelling?) markers, and was wondering if they were good to use for a beginner, or are they only for experts? Any suggestions (that don't involve photoshop) would be appreciated. Thanks.

[James StarRunner]

I haven't used a wide variety of *coloured pencils and/or markers, but I have used prismacolor and enjoyed the results. The markers were new to me and a little practice was needed to get used to them, but such smooth colouring it did! ^_^

* and yes, I'm allowed to spell it 'colour' since I'm Canadian.

[Modesty]

Crayola...can't go wrong with crayola.
Prisma colored pencils offer a wider spectrum of colors at a higher price.

I use some generic brand I found at my school's bookstore.

Markers of any brand are tricky to work with. You have to not only have the right kind of markers but the right kind of paper. I've been learning how to use PrismaMarkers using various online tutorials.
Here are some tutorials
the-sinister.deviantart.com/art/How-to-Colour-with-Pencils-55649932
careko.deviantart.com/art/Hair-Pencil-Blending-Tutorial-47909085
kikane.deviantart.com/art/Crayon-Tutorial-Part-1-40637679

[Azaeziel]

Cool, I think I can get a pack of Crayola pencils at any local wally-mart-land, and I think we looked at Prisma pencils at a Michaels when we were finding the pens for Waxen to do her inking, so I guess I can compare prices between them and pick the cheapest (which sounds like it'll be the crayolas), and as far as markers, I'll just hold off on those for a bit.

Thank you Modesty for posting those tutorials, I was looking at them and it looks easy. (Of course, nothing is easy when I try it, but that's a different story... heheh...)

James, as far as using markers, I've frequently seen comics where it looks all blotchy and stuff, how do you avoid that affect? I've never been good with markers, even as a little kid (permanent ink and me just don't play well together), so what is the easiest way you know of to avoid that 'blotchy' look?

Thank you for your response to my questions. I may be old, but I'm still new to this art stuff, and get nervous using anything past a few pencils for drawing and a nice gel pen (which I stole from work) for all my inking needs.

[James StarRunner]

I don't know how to avoid it with crayola markers. I tend to stay far away from those. The markers that prismacolor makes though blend really smooth when the ink is still moist, but it's a bit hard to control at first since the ink tends to spread quickly.

I just pretty much gave up on tools I would have to constantly replace and colour pretty much only with photoshop now. XD

[azalea]

<_<; I use sharpie markers for traditional colouring and Laurentian pencil crayons though I also own prisma colour pencil crayons and water color pencil crayons.

Laurentian's are my staple, they blend fairly well when used lightly and are inexpensive, and take abuse well...they have a sorta waxy-ness to them if you layer them which is good for me cause when i drag my hand i don't get lots of smudges, but sorta bad for erasing or if you want to blend colour by rubbing

Prisma colours don't have the waxy seal as much so~ with me I have to obsessively make sure I'm not dragging my hand or I get smudges everywhere. XD They also constantly break on me because I press insanely hard when colouring.

[shiroikami]

Since I've had lots of issues with this sort of thing... what do people suggest in terms of inking pens? I've got my eye on a couple of really good ones that they sell in the UStore (the school store), but they're a bit on the expensive side.

I hadn't thought of using colored pencils for coloring though... I keep thinking in terms of paint programs, even though I don't have one on my computer, completely forgetting that I have a perfectly good set of colored pencils that I keep nearby at all times from my pokemon drawing days...

[Azaeziel]

Yeah, I was also wondering a little about inking pens. I use a .7mm 'Foray' gel pen for my inking needs, but like any fixed tip pen, I can't do thickening or thinning lines without some serious effort (and even then it still comesout looking funny). Would caligraphy pens work, or are they too broad at the tip for fine lines? (Waxen is trying to figure out what to get me for x-mass, and I was thinking caligraphy pens, if worthwhile, might be something I could suggest to her.)

[Modesty]

I know azzy as inked with calligraphy pens. I like to use drafting pens. I think the brand is called ZIG that I use. Microns are the most preached of the set.

0bscurusnox.deviantart.com/art/ASG-Inking-Pens-61584351
0bscurusnox.deviantart.com/art/ASG-Fineliner-61584356
0bscurusnox.deviantart.com/art/ASG-Colored-Pencils-61584357
tutorial-tech.deviantart.com/art/Inking-101-Part-1-37443499

Here are some guides on DA. :3

[Azaeziel]

Thanks Mod, the 'Staedtler Triplus Fineliners' are the set we bought for Waxen a few months ago so she could do the inking for our Saturday Knights comic, but they have the same problem that my gel pen has. Pointed tip = no ability to vary line thickness without major effort. I'll have to look for the pens listed in the inking pens picture and see which looks best for my ability level, though I may just wind up with a caligraphy-style pen or perhaps a brush pen of some type, as those seem like they have the ability to create the varied-thickness lines I'm trying to do.

I never realized that colored pencils had both water-resistant and non-water-resistant styles. Wow. Ok, that's got me lost in the world of colored pencils again. Are basic crayolas water or non-water resistant? Will the package say which they are? Which is easier to blend and highlight? AArrrgghhhh... Everytime I get a question answered, it spawns two more! heheheh...

I think I accidentally turned our filler art thread into a drawing/inking Q&A thread. Sorry...

[Modesty]

The box should say. Generally the watercolor pencils that azzy uses are non-water resistant.

I love using brush pens for line variation. That's the closest thing you can get before you get into nibs and dipping ink.
You'll find good brush pens in the scrapbook craft section of your Wally Mart. XD They'll be by the inking stamps. I only know because my mom used to do it and I stole the black brush pen. I still have it too. XD

[waxengoddess]

maybe we can go to wally world tonight love? after ribs or something! mwhahahaaha!

[azalea]

Calligraphy pens take a bit more patience then a standard inking pen since you have to press in various ways to get different line strengths. They can blob and if you use papers with high fiber or whatever and a sharp tipped pen you can end up having to constantly clean excess fibers from the tip of the pen. They do give really nice changes in line width plus there are a whole range of different heads that can be used for even more variance. India ink works well with water colors as it doesn't smudge when it gets wet. You have to constantly maintain a calligraphy pens head and make sure that after each use the ink is washed off and out of any of the metal nooks as dried ink can effect the flow of the lines the next time you go to use them.

Standard calligraphy writing pens are a mid-range size tip normally which are ok for drawing but the finer artists tip are nicer for detailing. If I had my calligraphy pen collection in my dorm I'd list off the exact sizes XD

There are also calligraphy style pens (like with the ink cartridge) there probably the same as the brush pen Modesty is describing.