Tools of the Trade

I love walking into new Art Stores and Craft Stores and discovering tools and other items I have never seen before or didn't know existed. I love getting new pens, brushes, pencils, software, papers, and other items to see what I can do with them. Most of the time I don't find anything life changing, but occasionally I find some real gems.

I've been using a Zebra disposable brush pen and Japanese brush pen in what I call my Combo brush style. I've been throwing in crosshatching courtesy of Adobe Photoshop. I love the effect, but that doesn't mean I don't feel like experimenting.

I recently bought a dual-tip Zebra disposable brush pen with a thinnish tip and a thick tip. I was pretty excited to try it out. It gives me a thicker line than the fine-point Zebra pen, but a more controlled line than the Japanese brush pen. I thought it would give me the perfect line, but after completing several sketches, I don't know that I'm sold on it. I've posted my lasted below so you can compare it to my Combo brush style which is above.

What do you think?

Pulp Illustration: Wandering Koala tackles Shark Lizard

I am a huge fan of Pulps from the 30s and 40s. They show the raw energy of writers and artists who are full of ideas that haven't been worn down by years of experience. There is something fresh about them. In our day, eComics, eBooks, and blogs serve a similar roll with wannabe professions throwing their ideas out there for the world to see. Most are rough and could use a polish, but polish tends to tone down some of the freshness and fun and uniqueness. Pulps, both modern and old, serve as great inspiration for myself and many others.

The image above was drawn with my Combo brush style (a thin Zebra disposable brush pen and Japanese brush pen), then colored in Corel Painter. I love how it turned out! The colors are much more muted than I usually use, but they work in this situation.

Let me know what you think.