Staedtler Mars Lumograph Pencil Chart on Alpha Surface

One of the things I like to do are charts on various paper surfaces based on how I use or apply various mediums.

I worked this chart in the Stillman and Birn Alpha sketchbook using Staedtler Mars Lumograph pencils.  Two pencils are missing from the set and I will have to order them to complete the chart but I can always add those later.  Although honestly, I'm questioning whether I really need those two grade pencils.

What this chart specifically tells me is that I would probably get the most use out of 4B and 2B.  Maybe HB but I can always use my mechanical pencil or the F or H in this set if necessary.

This shows where I can obtain dark values as seen with 8B just using a 4B pencil.  Although I'm sure I could go darker using 5,6,7 or 8B pencils than what is showing in the chart, I only go so far with pressure so not to damage the paper.  I'm not crazy about how bad the softer (and darker) graphite smears or how difficult it can be to erase.  4B seems to be the sweet spot for me out of the set with darks and ease in erasing.  Smearing is slightly less than those softer grades.  2B used initially when lightly sketching and 4B to darken.

I can't remember ever using any of the H grades and not sure I ever will.

Bringing Out Some of My Pens and Color Charts

Thought I would go through checking on some of my pens to see how they are doing.  If fountain pens, I'm checking to make sure they still have ink flow or if they are dry and in need of cleaning.  Other pens, I'm just working color charts and testing if water soluble.  Just something easy to do without a great deal of thought.  Plus I was in the mood for some ink and wash.

These are using a Shaeffer Calligraphy pen with Italic nib.  It had a cartridge in it that appears to be a brown but not 100% sure.  There's not much ink left in the cartridge making it a little hard to really tell.  When applying water to it, it has a pinkish tone.  After the wash dried, I took a little watercolor to it.

Fabriano Soft paper


Next I worked in the Stillman and Birn Zeta journal using one of my Sailor Fude pens with ink cartridge that came with it.  This ink really bleeds when wet so have to be conservative with the water.  Also noticed dark ink areas dry with a shine....especially noticeable in the palm tree.

Worked in the Stillman and Birn Zeta sketchbook

Left Page:  Shaeffer Calligraphy Pen (as above).

Right Page:  Bayam Bullet Journal Fineliner pens (set of 18)

And this last is a color chart of all my Various Tube Greens.  Didn't realize just how many I had until I worked this chart pulling out all my different brand palettes.

Ink Chart and Stippling Fun

This first is just a color chart of the five DeAtramentis Document Inks that I now have.  I first worked the outside lines and then with brush and pool of ink, worked the color wash.

I find with inks (just like staining watercolors), I feel a little intimidated but wasn't so bad with pre-wetting the areas before applying the ink.  I also toned down the ink on my palette with water so it wasn't real concentrated.  HSFab01

Last night was one of those nights where I laid down to sleep but was back up a couple hours later.  To fill the quiet time until I could lay back down, I turned on the TV and stippled these old fashioned rose flowers.  Stippling can be really relaxing to me.

I used the DeAtramentis inks Dark Red and Dark Green in the Stillman and Birn Zeta sketchbook and then this morning I decided to add a Magenta wash to them.

Dad had a beautiful plant wildly growing up a huge tree he had in his yard back in West Virginia.  We had taken an offshoot and planted it at our house (there in West Virginia) and it grew up a trellis and then across the bars of the railing on our elevated porch.  It was a beauty but have to say very thorny.  One had to be careful walking past because it just seemed like the vines would reach out and grab you.

Before the move here to Florida, we had taken an offshoot and planted in a pot.  Now five years later, here in Florida, it still grows in the pot but has yet to flower.  Not sure why and something I need to do some research on.  With the intense sun and heat (along with sandy soil), not sure the best place to plant in the ground.  In West Virginia it flourished under tree canopies to include our house by the porch.

What's Next

Although it's probably just silly superstition, it's seems to always play out to be true for us when something bad happens, it comes in three.

First it was the refrigerator and now it looks like our vehicles.

Wednesday evening Terry went shopping for groceries and came out to his truck only to find it wouldn't start.  My first thought was the battery but we didn't have cables on either vehicle to test that out.  He was thinking starter because he thought he heard a clunk sound when he turned the key in the ignition.  I brought him home and Thursday he had his truck towed to Toyota.  As it turns out, it was only the battery and an expensive one at that!!!  Here he was sitting in a parking lot where Advance Auto sits and could have had a choice in batteries at I'm sure a lower price.  Oh well.  The positive to this.........he FINALLY has maintenance done on his truck while at Toyota.  Something he's been dragging his feet on for over a year.

My SUV has had an ongoing issue with the tailgate.  Started years ago and three trips to Toyota only for it to work just fine when they tested it.  And we always left feeling like idiots because they would just pass it off as needing to hit the reset button on the tailgate.  Each time following the trip to Toyota, we'd get home and it would not operate correctly.  This went on until it reached the point where we had to forcefully open and close the tailgate 90% of the time.

Friday we scheduled for my car to have it's maintenance done (only a few months late) and Terry went to the service manager about the tailgate rather than relying on one of the techs.  We were tired of being put off without them holding onto and really taking the time to check it.  Of course at first try, the tailgate opened and closed just fine.  The service manager said they would test it while doing the maintenance and lo and behold, it failed to open.

Out of three prior trips only one tech bothered to document our complaint and fortunately it was when our car was still under warranty.  The service manager did some research and found this was a common complaint for our year SUV and is submitting for approval for Toyota to cover the cost since it was first reported while still under warranty.  No promises though (and I'm not holding my breath) but we can keep our fingers crossed.  If they don't cover the repair under warranty, we're looking at least $1300 just for the part.  We won't know until this coming week.

So we're asking ourselves, will these two added issues with vehicles be considered #2 or #3...........lol  What's next?

Yesterday was rather uneventful here but my nephew was married up in West Virginia.  I hated we had to miss it!!!  The entire day my mind was on them while I tried to focus on here at home.  At least my oldest son and his family were able to make it and I'm so thankful for that!!  At least someone from my side of the family made it to the wedding.

With yesterday's lack of focus, I at least managed a little illustration of the wedding and then decided to chart my greens for comparison.  I have all these tubes of green paint but normally only grab the Sap Green.

KG sketchbook / Mixed brands / Micron 01

Zebra F402 and F301 Ballpoint Pens

Tucked away in a drawer, I found these Zebra pens and thought I would check them out in two of the journals the Ink Joys did so poorly in.

Fabriano Venezia:

I would prefer a medium point for sketching but these fine points didn't do too badly!

I find the fine points take a bit more pressure to achieve the darker marks I need but I was able to get nice light to dark values similar to those I could get with the PaperMate Stick ballpoint pen (just takes longer and more strokes due to the fine lines).

The transition or blending of light to dark appears smooth.....not choppy and inconsistent like I found with the Ink Joy pens.

There can be slight skipping but not too bad.  At this point I'm not sure if the skipping and extra pressure is to be expected all the time or if because these pens have sat for a very long time possibly contributing to that.  I honestly wouldn't know unless I bought fresh new refills.

As for blobs, they happen but occasionally wiping the points on a paper towel helps keep them at a minimum.  Plus with a finer point, the blobs are smaller.

I would definitely use these for sketching.

UPDATE: after original blog post.  Worked an acorn with the F402 (black) and it definitely compares with the PaperMate Stick pen :-D

Handbook:

I tested these pens in the Handbook before I tried in the Venezia sketchbook.

With this paper, the pens only did OK.  With the fine points and paper texture, there was a bit more skipping and several ink blobs.  However, I did NOT wipe the pen points at any time like I occasionally did when sketching the knots in the Venezia sketchbook.

Even though I had a little trouble on this paper, I can work with these pens for sketching.  However, these would not be my first choice........not in this sketchbook.

PaperMate Ink Joy 500 RT Pens - Part 2

Rather than just testing on one other paper surface, I did so on two as mentioned below.  I really was hoping to find it was just the paper in the Handbook that brought out any flaws these pens might have.  Unfortunately, I found it's not just the Handbook.

This first is using Fabriano Venezia Drawing Journal Book.  The paper is a bit smoother than the Handbook.

Although the pens behaved a little better on this paper surface, I'm still not impressed and would not recommend for sketching on similar paper surfaces.  In fact, I wouldn't want to write with them either on similar papers.

Some of the color inks didn't do well with light to normal pressure.  I had to put more pressure to get my marks and some skipped.  My hand quickly felt fatigued because of the added pressure I had to use just for these simple test marks.

Several colors resulted in pooled ink blobs.  As noted on the page, I wiped the tip/point only once at the very beginning as I wanted to see how bad the ink would pool up (see closeup).

Closeup to problem areas:

This next test is using the PaperBlanks brand journal with unlined writing paper.  The surface is slick.

I found I could make marks with less pressure and no skipping.  Definitely more consistent compared to the other two papers I've tried these on.

Only slight ink blobbing and this time I didn't even wipe the tips/points.

If I used the PaperBlanks journal for sketching, it wouldn't be too frustrating.  The problem is the paper is thin and not meant to take wet media.  If just working pen and ink.........I MIGHT actually sketch with these pens.

Final thoughts...........These pens will probably end up in the bottom of a drawer seldom to never seeing the light of day...........lol

PaperMate Ink Joy 500 RT Pens - Part 1

After the good results I've had with the PaperMate stick pen I have, I purchased a package of Ink Joy 500 RTs in various colors as recommended by another sketcher and other reviews.

My testing was immediately after opening the package and removing the little bead the company puts on the points to keep them fresh.

For Part 1, I am using the Global Arts Handbook, which I've had good luck with the standard stick pen (by same company).

Initial feelings with Ink Joy 500 RT - DISAPPOINTED

1)  I had to scribble on paper now and then just to get the pen to make a mark on paper (even after they had been making marks on paper).  Sometimes I had to go over lines or marks several times before I could even get a mark to show.  This was more of a problem with the other than normal Blues, Blacks, and Reds; but, even my black pen gave me trouble.  (The right page in the heading shows I had trouble with the Black pen.)

Is it pen or paper?  That remains to be seen after I experiment on other paper.  (Part 2).

2)  I could not get a nice even hatching and couldn't transition from light to dark very easily.....not like I can with the stick pen shown above.

Example:   This shows how nicely I was able to hatch and transition from lighter to darker values without much effort..........almost like using a graphite pencil..........using the cheap PaperMate stick pen.  See the wood behind the foreground jug.

I was trying to achieve the same type of marks with the Ink Joys.  There was no way because the ink flow was inconsistent with some of the pens having to use a heavy pressure just to make a mark.

Note:  The Ink Joys AND the stick pen are the same point size......... 1.0 m

3)  These pens end up with a buildup of ink on the point easily and quickly.  I had to wipe the point often, which I find to be a pain.  If a blob ended up on the paper (which it did several times even wiping often), it could smear if not careful.  I only had to do that once in awhile with the stick pen and that was with heavy sketching as I did as shown above.

Close-up of some of the problem areas:

I rely on reviews before I spend money on anything.  I take time to read what people say.....especially the negative reviews.  At the same time, I know that what works for one person may not work for another.  Best to try yourself with the papers you use to see just how something might work.  Only problem.........you have to spend the money to find out :-(   I found the same problem with the Bic Crystal pens everyone raved about and I didn't much care for mainly because of the blobs.  Some ballpoints are worse than others with this issue.

We'll see how I feel when I try other papers.  To be Continued..................

New Toy - Scan N Cut 2 - Making Stencils

For over a year I've been considering a Cricut machine for making stencils.  I tried using a stencil burning tool but to me was too slow and too tedious with less than desirable results.  As I was ready to take the plunge, I wrote a dear friend (very knowledgeable with various crafts and gizmos) telling her what I was hoping to do and asking which machine I should get.  One of the main things I hoped to achieve was to be able to use shapes of some of my own drawings (like bears or people).  She recommended instead of the Cricut, to get the Scan N Cut machine because that way I could scan in my own artwork.

The stencils I want to make are for my journaling.  My goal is to make stencils the size of a journal page with all the shapes repetitively laid to fit on that page..........like squares or circles for making color or ink charts. etc.   This would save me time compared to taking ruler and pen drawing all the lines and shapes needed or using a single stencil shape and having to repeat it over and over until I achieved the number I needed on the page.

Other shapes I want to make, like my bears, are so I can quickly get them sketched on a page in order to play with wet in wet colors and then go back and add details (as shown below).

I spent hours using photoshop elements to create my originals to scan of repeated shapes and a few of my bears and people.  Then yesterday I spent the entire day getting them into the Scan N Cut and finally cutting my stencils.  I think once I have the mechanics down with steps necessary, it won't take as long.  I'm still learning my machine and the menu structure.

How I've used a couple of the stencils so far:

The stencil with squares helped me to work exercises I'm doing with pen and ink.  The left page was worked first using a stencil I had with a single square.  I had to make each square one at a time lining them up to each other.  Took quite a bit of time to get all my squares down on the page.

The page on the right was using my created stencil making it so much easier and quicker so I could get right to my pen stroke practice.

This next shows how I can use shapes from my own sketches.  I located my digital scanned files of my mini bear I've sketched and/or painted in various poses.

Next I created this page group changing to black and white by using the threshold adjustment in Photoshop Elements.   I printed these off and then took a black magic marker to outline each shape to make it easier for the Scan N Cut to determine a nice smooth outline for cutting.

I had to then split these up into two files to fit on the size template material I'd be using as you can see in the photo of stencils above showing the templates I created.

This evening I thought I would try one of my bear template shapes to play with color wet in wet.  This page was worked in the Strathmore Visual WC journal using my Sharpie Pen (F).  The first bear I worked is to the far right.  I worked the softer looking bear second and find I really like the triad combination I chose.

Steps photographed (cell phone) along the way (forgot to photograph the initial pencil outline from stencil....ooops).

Has Fabriano Watercolor Sheets Changed?

Ten years ago (plus), I was planning to work with beginners learning watercolor.  I had purchased paints, brushes and Fabriano Artistico 140 lb Cold Press paper in packs of 10 (back then) which were sold cut down to about quarter size.  I chose to do this so those I worked with were using the same materials as I was.

Fabriano has always been my #1 favorite with how I like to paint.  I liked the texture and the amount of sizing in the paper compared to other brands.  I also liked the fact my extra fine nibs didn't have trouble moving across the paper surface.

Anyways, I ended up with an overstock of supplies and have been using the paper purchased years ago until recent when I needed full sheets to tear down to the size signatures needed.

It seems different.  Feels different.  My pen nibs appear to hang and if I don't keep the nib moving, the ink feathers or spreads.

I know Arches changed but hadn't read anything about Fabriano changing.  I'm wondering if full sheets are made different from the cut down smaller size sheets packaged as I purchased years ago.  I just don't know.

Here are three pages in my Fabric Traveler's Notebook made last month using the new Fabriano.  I like how it handled the watercolor application (mainly wet in wet except the paint palette chart) and I used different pens........Lamy Safari EF nib, TWSBI EF nib (wetter feed), and a Sharpie pen.

Comparing the Micron with the Sharpie Stylo

One of my good friends and sketching buddies here in Leesburg uses a Sharpie Stylo pen and loves it.  Finally I picked up a package and I have been using the Sharpie with several sketches to see what my thoughts might be.

I'm really liking this pen for a felt tip pen when sketching.  I've worked it on drawing paper and on watercolor paper with sizing in it.  I love the feel of the tip moving across the paper surface.  It just seems to glide across the surface.

I also like the fact it has more of a dark gray tone versus a stark black which I tend to stay away from.

On some papers, the difference in color or tone is not always evident unless you look real close in good lighting or zoom in with a scan.

This first example is working in the Fabriano Venezia which is a 90lb drawing paper.  There's no sizing in this paper.

This next example is from the Strathmore Visual Watercolor (140 lb CP) sketchbook which has a fairly heavy sizing (at least how I compare it to other papers with sizing).

What really was interesting to me was the experiment taking a wet brush immediately to the paper after scribbling marks with both "permanent" pens.  Just goes to show that the paper surface along with drying time allowed makes a big difference.  I did not bother trying this on non-sized paper since it grabs ink/pigment immediately without sitting on the surface for any period of time.  Testing this will hopefully help me to remember to allow some drying time before adding watercolor to the sketch.

And when the ink bled, there shows a major difference in the ink's pigment hue/tone

Before adding the water, I was able to visually see a difference in the tone between the Sharpie and the Micron.....although subtle.  It was much more apparent after the scan and I zoomed in to compare.

Close-up

Testing a New Sketchbook - Fabriano Venezia Drawing Sketchbook

A very dear friend here where I live uses this brand sketchbook........Fabriano Venezia Drawing Sketchbook.  Last week I accompanied him on a presentation given in Stonecrest about keeping Artist Journals and as a gift for doing so, he gave me one...........6 x 9" size.

Lee is one who jumps in with pen......using a Sharpie Fine pen and then applying watercolor to his sketch.  Normally I don't dedicate my sketchbooks to anything in particular but this one I want to use his method..........meaning no pencil allowed.  We'll see how that goes.............lol

To start off the first couple of pages, I decided to test different pens on the paper surface.  This lets me know if I need to take care with ink bleeding or bleed through to the back of the page.  I was particularly interested in seeing how my extra fine nibs handled being moved across the paper surface which has a very slight tooth.  And with it being 90 lb "drawing" paper, I wanted to see how it handled my application of watercolor.  For these examples I used only a light wash wet on dry.

The only "drag" I noticed was with the 005 Micron.  My EF fountain pen nibs seemed to move across the paper without any problem.

As noted in my page notes, fountain pen ink tends to spread or feather with the wetter feeding nibs more so than the dryer feeding nibs.  I would have to keep that in mind not allowing my nib to linger in one spot for any length of time but instead moving quickly.  The only bleed through I experienced was when I did the "dot" test letting the tip of the nib just sit for several seconds to see if the dot grew larger.  That showed up on the back side but the thicker nibs with heavier application moving along quickly did not.

First impression..........I like the paper!  I like the texture or slight tooth.  :-)

End of February 2018 Sketches

Found I have fallen behind again in posting here on my blog.  Here are the last few days of February sketches completed.

Top left is experimenting with Camera Lucida and trying to mix a cinnamon color.  Strathmore Visual Watercolor journal.

Top right is an updated Micron and Fountain Pen comparison chart.

Bottom left and Bottom right are Procreate sketches from our outing to Trout Lake Nature Center.

Mini Folding Palette - Jackson Art's Supply

Anytime I set up a palette, I like working pages in my journal that I can refer back to on what colors I've chosen.  I have been adding pages like this to a dedicated Journal so I can easily look up the charts.  Before that I had them in random journals and could never remember which one.

This palette is similar to the Whisky Palette but they were out of stock and I found this through Amazon which is very similar.

Closed it's only 5" x 2.75" and open it is 5" x 8"

I took the metal tray with rails that hold the 1/2 pans out of the palette so I could fit more 1/2 pans if I wanted or replace with whole pans at some point (or a combination of both).  Plus have room for my mini waterbrush and a sponge.

With this palette, I decided to start out with W&N watercolors although I do prefer Daniel Smith.  But I have several small travel palettes already set up with DS pigments.

Stillman & Birn Beta
Micron 03
W&N watercolors

Derivan Liquid Pencil - Testing

After working the lamp last night, I wanted to play a bit more testing a few things with this liquid pencil.  Also tried out the other colors received.

This time I worked in the Stillman & Birn Beta Journal.

I have to say this stuff is really nice!  I just love how it goes down on paper.  I even played a bit wet in wet just to see what it could do.

The 'pigment' (if you want to call it that) is of course heavy so with wet in wet it's not going to move very much.  Kind of like heavy opaque watercolor pigment.  But it did produce a nice effect.

Here is the page I worked showing:

1) values created two different ways;
2) how it handled lifting with a damp to wet brush and erasures after completely dry;
3) wet in wet example applying water first;
4) how pen and ink with fountain pen would behave and look drawn over top of a shaded area - light and a bit darker.  I wanted to test that because I've often experienced problems using a fine nib fountain pen drawing over graphite or pencil lines.
5) samples of the other three colors - red, blue, and sepia

Here is the enlarged wet in wet example.  LOVE the granular look to this!  Reminds me of Daniel Smith Lunar Black watercolor paint.

****Noticed after posting............do you see the large chick or duck hiding under the tree????  :-)****

Larger examples of the three colors...

Koh-I-Noor Artists' Drawing Pencil Lead 5.6 mm

Received this set of 5.6 mm lead for my clutch pencil yesterday.  Although purchased through Amazon, it came from the United Kingdom.  I was pleased at the speed in which it came too considering where it was coming from.  I had placed my order on April 17th with an estimated delivery date of May 12-26th; however, I received it yesterday April 28th.

Koh-I-Noor Artists' Drawing Pencils

The last set of 2 mm colored lead I received days ago were waxy color pencil like lead.  These here are more chalky and what I was hoping for.

Here is a quick chart I did last night.  The one thing lacking on this chart is testing how well they erase.  One will definitely have to use a fixative to keep these from smearing but love the blending quality.

The Charcoal is super dark and I had a problem being able to achieve a nice value scale.  Would definitely save that for when I needed a real dark area applied and using the Gray for the other values.

The White I also struggled achieving a good value scale but I think that was from operator malfunction ...... not what the lead itself will do ;-)  I did find when using a tortillon that more rubbed off than actually blended.  I need to work with that a bit more to see if that's just the nature of the white or problem with the one using it.

MEMTEXTs Color Carbon Leads 2mm / 2B

I'm such a sucker for art supplies buying new things to try out.  Yesterday I received an order of the MEMTEXTs Color Carbon Leads for a 2mm Mechanical Pencil.  These color leads are 2B.

On Amazon it's stated these are best used for Adult Coloring Books, which may very well be the case.  The paper that makes up these coloring books may have a toothier paper surface the lead adheres to better than, let's say, smooth like I tested.  I wouldn't know because I don't have a coloring book to try these out on.

One review that stood out to me was the fact they are light in color value and was not satisfactory to that person.  I don't recall if that individual shared what paper they tried their pencil leads on.

Being the person I am......curious and liking to experiment, I purchased a set.

That person is indeed right, although you can go dark if enough force is applied when laying down color.  That would quickly become cumbersome though, I'm sure, for most people.

This little example was done in a PaperBlank's journal which has a slick/smooth paper surface.
I've included on the example my own thoughts and personal findings.  Personally they are nothing more than colored pencils in a format to fit a mechanical pencil.  Great for making up a small sketch kit without having to take a tin of regular sized color pencils; BUT, definitely too much work would have to go into obtaining darker values for my liking.

I've been on the hunt for tinted "graphite" that behaves like regular graphite one can smudge and blend with a tortillion or paper stump.  These definitely do not fit that bill.

I have a set of Koh-I-Noor Gioconda 5.6mm Artists Drawing leads on order and can't wait to try them out.  They come in a set of six (browns/sepias, black, and white).  Will share my findings once I've received and had a chance to try them out :-)

Playing with Watercolor Pencils

As I continue to work with the various mediums and pens I have, I decided to get Cathy Johnson's ebook on using Watercolor Pencils.  I've had several different sets for years but rarely took them out. 

The following are pages from various sketchbooks where I'm getting to know what the pencils can do and the colors I have.  How they look dry and how they look after they become wet.

Stillman & Birn Beta Journal

 

Strathmore Visual Journal - Watercolor

 

 

Daler Rowney Sketchbook

 

 

Handmade Journal