Keep It Simply Sketchy 2: Basic Pens For KISSes

Remember when we talked about easy sketches? Since my statistics showed me that readers seem to be interested in that topic, I present you another post about being sketchy. I don’t want to turn this one into a tutorial. So many blogs, books and videos will show you how to do your first steps on the paper. They will probably do a much better job than me. On that I usually recommend Superheroes: Joe Kubert’s Wonderful World of Comics. It’s fun to read and since we all love comics it’s also gives a good kick to start drawing too. Same here: I want to encourage  you drawing simple sketches. Why? Because I’ve witnessed so many boring presentations and read even more lifeless brochures and handouts. Many people think it’s easier to use clip art or dingbats. You don’t need to be a pro to cheer up your audience. Try a simple moustache on the nearest magazine cover and you know what I’m talking about. I bet you know how to draw one of those, so we skip that and start with the pens!

What you need when you start nor sophisticated or expensive at all. Even the BIC pen you stole from the postal worker will do the job. Here three pens I recommend for you starter package. Actually I still use them alot. You will hardly meet me without one of them outside my apartment.

1. First of all, you might guessed it, a pencil should start your collection. You might already own one. Maybe you even have one of those mechanical pencils. They are nice too. For myself I prefer to have many old fashioned pencils around me, instead searching for the mechanic one. They are cheap and you don’t have to worry about loosing them or if they will survive the washing machine because you left it in a pocket. Of course you should support your local art material shop, but any other big office store will sell them in dozens too. Just don’t go too cheap. The price difference of a almost useless pencil that feels like drawing with a nail and a nice sketching tool is just a few cents. So it’s really not worth to save on that. I like the classic Ticonderoga’s. The hardness is printed on the pencil. Check out Wikipedia for the classifications. HB or 2 is the most common since it’s a good compromise between darkness and not being too soft. Also don’t safe on sharpeners and erasers! Cheap erasers are not only bad erasers, there’s a good chance that they destroy your paper!
2. A marker with a medium felt tip is the sketcher’s duct tape. Sharpie‘s are the most common here in the US. If you’re in Europe you might buy a Edding. Both are of good quality. They are reliable and not expensive. Same advice as with the pencils: Don’t go cheap here too. Black ink stains in your bag or pocket is one of the things that might happen with low quality markers. It’s good to have them permanent. Especially when you want to use tracing paper. Sharpie offers two tip versions for thick and thin lines.
3. A very small tip pen for writings or thin lines is also essential. Uniball-Pens are my favorite, and the Micro is the one I recommend to you here. Good price and a good quality.

So that’s it! Now you can start with mustachios or funny stick figures. If you like you can mail them to me: sketches@mezaboogie.com. I would love to see them!

Tags: artwork, Basic Drawing Tools, Beginner, California, cartoons, Drawing, Illustration, illustrator, Ink, Joe Kubert, Marker pen, Neue Helden, paper, pencil, Permanet Marker, Sharpie, Sketching for businessmen and woman, Sketching for teachers, Starter, Tracing paper

• 06/30/2011
• How To, Illustration
• 2 Comments