Special Deliveries!

When we send Parcel Post packages to friends during the holidays I like to decorate the front instead of using a mailing label. I hope the deliveries look fun for the little recipients!

Pentel brush pens (JetPens) and Blick colored pencils work really well on cardboard boxes. Stabilo Colored Marking pencils (from Blick) are excellent for white highlights. The Kum two size sharpener (from Jet Pens) is also very handy.

The Pentel Brush pens have terrific line variations and work smoothly even on the cheapest cardboard.

Sometimes I'll do a quick sketch before hand. This is a Rhodia Dot pad (from Goulet Pens) and a Ohto Comfort 2mm lead holder from Jet Pens. I love these little pencils! An inexpensive leadholder with click advancement, a sharpener on the top and awesome colors too. I also have a green one.

 I try to obscure any previous mail info with something decorative. I turned the blacked out address into a present.

 It's usually a hectic time of year, but it's always worth it to take the time to personalize something special.

Sketching with the Tombo Airpress pen.

I'm not a big ball point guy, but the Tombo Airpress at JetPens terrific. It came in handy when  personalized copies of paperbacks that I had illustrated. I would prefer to use one of my favorite fountains, but with the pulpy stock I did not want to run the risk of making a mess of the title pages.

 Beowulf, Dante's Inferno, Ten Plays of Sophocles and Ben-Hur are just a few of the covers I've designed and illustrated for Penguin, USA. To say I was red-faced to be asked to sign some copies would be an understatement, but I truly appreciated the sentiment!

The Airpress has a nice smooth line and a chunky barrel that feels good to hold. It's also pretty cool looking, you can see the inside mechanism that forces air into the ink cartridge, making it easy to write (or draw) on tricky surfaces. Comes in different colors too. Ten buck us a little pricey for a ball point in my opinion, but it makes up for it in it's cool design features and usability.

I can only hope the owner of this book likes my sketch as much as I enjoyed making it! 

Thanks to Drew at Goulet Pens for ask me to sign them!

New tools!

Santa's elves (and Mrs Clause) were very generous and thoughtful this year... as always, and I've got a lot of new stuff to keep me busy for a while. I'll have reviews of these items posted soon. They're all awesome additions to my studio/carry bag. Links to some item are below if you want to check them out for yourself.

A nice bundle of items from my thoughtful family.

Great new drawing tools that I can't wait to get into!

Pictured above:

• Edison Hudson fountain (from Goulet Pens)
• Pilot Prera fountain (from JetPens)
• Sharade Tactical Pen
• E+M Pocket Clutch Pencil and sharpener (from JetPens)
• Noodler's Dragon's Napalm ink (from Goulet Pens)
• Field Notes 3 pack, grid notebooks (from JetPens)
• Quo Vadis 4x6, blank sketchbook (from Goulet Pens)
• Rodia 5 3/4 x 8 1/4 side stapled, lined journal (from Goulet Pens)
• Derwent Sketch Pod
• Sennelier soft pastels with a pad of Sennelier Pastel Card
• A Chronicle sketchbook
• Package of Flower Dot mixed crayons (from JetPens)

Let me know if you've gotten a great new addition to your writing/drawing tools!

Sailor Brush Calligraphy Pen... and Hippies!

I have to recommend the Sailor Sailor Brush Stroke Calligraphy Fountain. It's got an unusual shaped nib that lays down a wonderful line; thick to thin, with the feeling of a brush. It's designed to write Japanese calligraphy and is an awesome drawing tool. This was one item from a haul at Jet Pens and I'm glad tried it.

Parkman Bandstand in Boston Common, MA

I had it along with me during a trip to Boston. I have other drawings from the "Freedom Trail" that I will post soon.

This is a 55 degree nib, there's also a 45 degree that makes an even bolder line (I have both). I must admit, it takes some getting used to, but it's really great. This is not the most luxurious pen you'll find, but for under seventeen dollars, it's a great buy.

The barrel is long; 7 1/2" with the cap posted, which is great because you can store an extra ink cartridge and the Sailor cartridges are pretty big, so you can store quite a bit of ink.

 You can see the Sailor in comparison to the length of a Sharpie and a Lamy Vista. The cartridges come 12 to a box; not sure if there is a converter that will fit these pens.

These are some hippies I sketched at a recent "Hippie Shop" benefit concert. I have more drawings from the night, but these are the ones that I used my Sailor Brush pen.

Looking forward to drawing a lot more with these great pens!

Pilot Envelope Address Gel Ink Pen

These Pilot Envelope Address Writing Gel Ink Pens were a great find at Jet Pens. They are designed specifically for kanji writing for postcards and letters during holiday time in Japan. It has an oil based, waterproof ink that dries fast and works without smearing. I tried them out with Pitt Brush Markers in a Moleskine sketch.

They draw really smooth with a nice dark wet line and come in three sizes Fine, Extra Fine and Broad. And for two bucks each they're not a bad buy.

 They're great for quick sketches on location, like capturing this dancing hippie.

What you carry with you...

Tom Stoppard said,  “If you carry your childhood with you, you never become older.” I gotta believe he's right. If I cannot carry at least one drawing tool with me at all times, I'm out of sorts.
I thought I'd share the contents of my every day go-bag; the stuff I don't leave the studio without. When I have it, I know I can do all the dumb stuff I gotta do...

I've got a Black Paw messenger bag that is pretty roomy and presently holds the following:

• 3 Moleskine sketchbooks (1 soft cover, 1 storyboard, 1 watercolor)
• Canson Mi-Teintes pastel pad (9x12)
• Strathmore 80lb Windpower Drawing pad (8.5x10)
• 60 lb Strathmore Sketch, 100 pgs, (9x12)
• A Niji roll with one set of Blick colored pencils
• A Windsor Newton travel watercolor with 14 mini pans
• A set of 12 Diane Townsend pastels (the fat stubby kind)
• A Nomatic PE-08 Easy pencil case (red). I'll show the contents in a future post. (JetPens)
• A Lihit Lab Teffa Pencase (brown). Again a future post. (JetPens)
• A Pleple Choco pencil roll case, great for brushes. (Loew-cornell 4,6,8,10) (JetPens)
• A set is Stablio point 88 mini markers
• a bottle of Higgins black drawing ink (a Ziplock bag is a MUST!)

All not too heavy or bulky. It works well for on the run and in the studio. Naturally I can't carry it everywhere; my solution to that in a future post...