Currently Browsing: Art Materials 745 articles
The Hocoro Fude Dip Pen From Sailor
A student wrote to me a few weeks back about a recently released dip pen—the Hocoro Fude Dip Pen from Sailor. I have fude pens from Sailor already. I use Platinum Carbon Black ink in them. It’s a pigmented black ink that will not clog fountain pens. I have had great success with it in […]
A Look at Stoneground Gouache Pans
Everyone who reads my blog knows that I love gouache. I have since childhood. So I was excited to see a new gouache, Stoneground Gouache, bring out a line of gouache in pans. Who doesn’t like the ease of having pans of paint when out and about? I’ve done a video product […]
Another Liner Brush Test with a Direct Brush Portrait
Here’s another direct brush painting I did with a liner brush. I used only the Princeton Select Liner P3750L-1 #1 to make this portrait. I found it difficult to write with it (though not as difficult as some of the others I’ve tested), but just in case I’ll transcribe my notes: Soft, good pigment load, […]
Liner Brush Test Sheet
Most of you might not want to wait until I finish testing all the liner and rigger brushes I’m going to be testing to hear which is my favorite. Frankly I don’t know how long this project is going to take me. So in the interim I’m posting my initial test sheets (which are two […]
More Direct Brush Painting With the Liner Brush
This is about sketch 4 or 5 in my series of testing liner brushes. I like this dog sketch (and it’s already on my Instagram page so I thought I’d round out the week with it). I’m still using Schmincke’s Ocean Grey with a warm and a cool red. The difference here is that I’ve […]
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 […]