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The Kakimori Brass Pen Nib
This spring a friend told me about a new sort of dip pen: The Kakimori Brass Pen Nib. It’s shaped like a bullet. Channels all around the nib feed the ink to the point. (See the product photo at the left.) I thought it might be interesting to try it out because you can […]
Derwent Shade and Tone Set
Manufacturers of art materials are always looking for new ways to bring existing products to more people, often in different forms. The Derwent Shade and Tone Set is a recent example of that. I’m not testing a lot of stuff right now (downsizing, blah, blah, blah; and a lot of paint I want to use […]
The Fun of a Bold Brush Line
A new pigment brush pen and a fresh page in a smooth-surfaced lined paper journal: what could be better than that? This is one of my sketches of actor Alun Armstrong. I did a project where I drew him (multiple times) every day in March last year. (#MarchIsSketchAlunArmstrongMonth; look it up, a couple other people […]
Hahnemühle 100 Percent Cotton Watercolor Books
In March I purchased one of the new Hahnemühle Watercolor Sketchbooks which contain 100 percent cotton, 120 lb. watercolor paper. I purchased the large portrait size (8.3 x 11.7 inches). I’ll start by saying it’s an expensive book. I paid just under $60 dollars for it (that becomes important later). You can click on the […]
Shakespeare and Hathaway: Private Investigators (And More on Magnani Portofino)
After my initial tests with Magnani Portofino I tried different pen and ink only tests. For today’s post I did a quick pen sketch of actor Mark Benton who stars in “Shakespeare and Hathaway: Private Investigators.” It’s a fun mystery show set in Stratford-upon-Avon where everything is Shakespeare-related. Benton plays Frank Hathaway, and the […]
“Revamped” Magnani Portofino Watercolor Paper Part 2
Today here’s another portrait I painted on a piece of Magnani Portofino Watercolor paper. I’m not one to give up a fight easily. With so many quality art paper mills being bought up by non-paper making conglomerates who evidently don’t understand what watercolor artists want to do with their papers, I have to push […]
Looking at the “Revamped” Magnani Portofino Watercolor Paper
This week I’m going to be showing examples of work done on a new block of Magnani’s Portofino, a 100 percent cotton, 140 lb. hot press watercolor paper. In the downsizing I came across a block of this paper when emptying my flat file. I’ve had blocks of this paper that I’ve worked from […]
Testing the Twone Sketchbook with Kraft Cardstock Covers
Do I actively seek out the most obscure commercially bound books containing non-art paper to test? No, it simply seems like that sometimes. I grew up with a small weekly allowance paid after the completion of standard house and family chores. That allowance had to stretch from candy to art materials. Let’s just say I […]
Demonstration Review of the Pilot Shunpitsu Pocket Brush Pen
Sometimes when I’m under the weather the best thing I can do is test new tools and materials. I find that it takes my focus aways from any aches, pains, or in the current case coughs and general systems failures. (I don’t have Covid, I just have a bad case of bronchitis which even with […]
Testing Langton-Prestige Watercolor Paper
I have just started testing Daler-Rowney’s Langton-Prestige Cold Press Watercolor paper. In the above video you can see my first experiments with it and my first thoughts. If the video doesn’t play you can view it on Vimeo at this link. Normally in my demonstration videos I include any photo reference or still life […]