In honor of the impending arrival of the year 2010, I am looking to the future. I am trying a new technique out in Photoshop and I'm pretty happy with it. This was done with my Kuretake brush pen and colored digitally.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Illustration Friday - Undone
Sometimes things just don't turn out the way you want them to. 
Next thing you know, all your work is undone.
Monday, December 21, 2009
Brush Pen Review
I just received some pens from Jet Pens, so here's my review:
Left to right:
Pentel Color Brush, Pentel Fountain Brush Pen, Kuretake Fountain Brush Pen, Sailor DE Brush Style Fountain Pen (55 degree angle), Sakura Pigma Brush Pen, and for comparison to an actual brush, Winsor and Newton Series 7 No 2.
I drew a bunch of similar looking heads for comparison, and then a few lines underneath showing the width of the line when the brush is pushed down to its maximum spread, and a few increasingly finer lines. This test was performed on Bienfang bristol board.
The Pentel Color Brush (which I didn't get from Jet Pens, but have owned for several years) is a big plastic pen with a barrel that you squeeze in order to dispense more ink. I have owned it for a few years now and am still on my first ink refill. In order to refill the pen, you have to detach the entire bottom of the pen and discard, but as I noted, it will last for a long time. Surprising, I found it to perform quite well in my test, maybe just because I am so familiar with it.
Pros: dark ink, large brush, relatively responsive, ink cartridge lasts a long time
Cons: not waterproof, no converter, ink flow is not as good as some others (can be dry, especially on rougher paper)
Pentel Fountain Pen Brush ($12)
This pen comes with cartridges, and though a plastic pen, is a little nicer than the Pentel Color Brush. This one actually looks like a pen instead of a giant plastic thing. The ink was not as opaque as the Pentel Color Brush, but it performed pretty well. The ink flow is a little better than the Pentel Color Brush, but it seems to get a little dry on rougher paper or with faster strokes. It seems to be a popular pen.
Pros: ink is waterproof, cartridges are convenient, decent ink flow, but not as good as Kuretake
Cons: no converter available
The Kuretake Fountain Pen Brush ($30) was my favorite of the bunch (next to the actual brush, of course). It was very responsive and had good ink flow. The ink is darker than the Pentel fountain pen, and it also works with the Platinum converter, so you can use whatever ink you desire. The pen snaps back to a nice sharp point. It is a little softer than the Pentel fountain pen. The pen has an aluminum barrel that comes in black or a snazzy red.
Pros: Good ink flow, works with Platinum converter, most like a real brush
Cons: not waterproof
The Sailor DE Brush Style Fountain pen ($15) is not a brush pen, but I was intrigued enough to order one. It has a nib that is bent up at the end, and will give variable line quality depending on the angle at which you hold it relative to the page. The ink flow was not as good as I hoped, but it might be promising with practice. It comes with cartridges or can also use a Sailor converter.
Left to right:
Pentel Color Brush, Pentel Fountain Brush Pen, Kuretake Fountain Brush Pen, Sailor DE Brush Style Fountain Pen (55 degree angle), Sakura Pigma Brush Pen, and for comparison to an actual brush, Winsor and Newton Series 7 No 2.
I drew a bunch of similar looking heads for comparison, and then a few lines underneath showing the width of the line when the brush is pushed down to its maximum spread, and a few increasingly finer lines. This test was performed on Bienfang bristol board.
The Pentel Color Brush (which I didn't get from Jet Pens, but have owned for several years) is a big plastic pen with a barrel that you squeeze in order to dispense more ink. I have owned it for a few years now and am still on my first ink refill. In order to refill the pen, you have to detach the entire bottom of the pen and discard, but as I noted, it will last for a long time. Surprising, I found it to perform quite well in my test, maybe just because I am so familiar with it. Pros: dark ink, large brush, relatively responsive, ink cartridge lasts a long time
Cons: not waterproof, no converter, ink flow is not as good as some others (can be dry, especially on rougher paper)
Pentel Fountain Pen Brush ($12)This pen comes with cartridges, and though a plastic pen, is a little nicer than the Pentel Color Brush. This one actually looks like a pen instead of a giant plastic thing. The ink was not as opaque as the Pentel Color Brush, but it performed pretty well. The ink flow is a little better than the Pentel Color Brush, but it seems to get a little dry on rougher paper or with faster strokes. It seems to be a popular pen.
Pros: ink is waterproof, cartridges are convenient, decent ink flow, but not as good as Kuretake
Cons: no converter available
The Kuretake Fountain Pen Brush ($30) was my favorite of the bunch (next to the actual brush, of course). It was very responsive and had good ink flow. The ink is darker than the Pentel fountain pen, and it also works with the Platinum converter, so you can use whatever ink you desire. The pen snaps back to a nice sharp point. It is a little softer than the Pentel fountain pen. The pen has an aluminum barrel that comes in black or a snazzy red.
Pros: Good ink flow, works with Platinum converter, most like a real brush
Cons: not waterproof
The Sailor DE Brush Style Fountain pen ($15) is not a brush pen, but I was intrigued enough to order one. It has a nib that is bent up at the end, and will give variable line quality depending on the angle at which you hold it relative to the page. The ink flow was not as good as I hoped, but it might be promising with practice. It comes with cartridges or can also use a Sailor converter.
The Sakura Pigma Brush Pen doesn't have actual bristles like the other pens tested. I've had this pen for a while, and I find that the tip gets worn easily. It is not very flexible and functions more like a marker. I find it most useful for filling in areas rather than outlining details.
Pros: waterproof, inexpensive
Cons: doesn't last long, less line variability and control (doesn't mimic the feel of a brush very well)
Lastly, here's the sketch with the actual brush for comparison. I found the Pentel Color Brush was similar for bristle spread, but the Kuretake was closer for feel, ink flow and line quality. I saw that Jet Pens also sells a sable brush pen, which I bet would be awesome, but it's also pretty pricey.
In the end, once you scan these in, they all look pretty similar.
Sunday, December 20, 2009
My sister as a vampire
Sometimes I am the worst procrastinator. I was going to do something productive tonight, but instead I spent way too much time making this little portrait of my sister as a vampire, as a gift tag to put on her birthday present.
It was fun, though.
It was fun, though.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Some northwest inspired images
A couple of new portfolio pieces, inspired by the Northwest - one showing the sea life of Puget Sound, and one showing a spotted owl spotting.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Christmas Card Reject
Somehow, it's already time to start thinking about Christmas. Here's an image that I drew for a holiday card, then rejected when I realized that they look like they are thieves stealing the tree and the presents. Hmm. At least they are cute thieves.
Sunday, November 08, 2009
Recent projects
I haven't posted for a while, because I had an arm injury that prevented me from doing much work (shoulder strain, tennis elbow and carpal tunnel combo). Basically, it made my whole right arm useless. But I am back! And here's some recent projects that I neglected to post.
This is for a label for organic dog shampoo:
This is a sample image for a picture book:
This is for a label for organic dog shampoo:
This is a sample image for a picture book:
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Monday, September 14, 2009
Ghost Illustration
Right around this time of year, we start to get lots of searches for "ghost art" (instead of ArtGhost). So, to satisfy people looking for ghosts, here's a ghost drawing.
Fuzzy Cat
Here's a character sketch for a picture book idea that I'm working on. I wanted a very fuzzy kitty.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Monday, August 24, 2009
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Self Portrait with Unicorns and Lightning Bolts
This started off as a pretty normal self portrait until I decided it needed some unicorns and lightning bolts.
Monday, August 10, 2009
Mr. Darcy, vampire, part 2
Another quick image for my own entertainment. The idea of Mr. Darcy as a vampire has proved most diverting. Jane's arm from shoulder to elbow is really abnormally short, but I don't want to bother to fix it now.
"Pray tell, my dear Lizzy, what are these strange marks upon your neck?"
"Jane, I know not, but I must confess that I have been feeling a bit unwell since my marriage to Mr. Darcy."
"Pray tell, my dear Lizzy, what are these strange marks upon your neck?"
"Jane, I know not, but I must confess that I have been feeling a bit unwell since my marriage to Mr. Darcy."
Friday, August 07, 2009
Recent Project - Trabant Coffee and Chai
A recent pair of illustrations for Trabant Coffee - they wanted some coffee-themed monster images.
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Jane Austen's Revenge: A Comic
A comic inspired by the recent Jane Austen Paranormal trend (Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monters, Jane Bites Back, The Immortal Jane Austen, Mr. Darcy, Vampyre, Mr. Darcy's Hunger... yes, these are all actual published books...).
This is Jane's revenge for taking such liberties with her work.
This is Jane's revenge for taking such liberties with her work.
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