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Published: 2012-09-15 11:29:16 +0000 UTC; Views: 5254; Favourites: 75; Downloads: 0
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Description
I'm doing an FAQ soon and thought a couple of pictures showing tools might be helpful to go with it.Please excuse my photography skills once again
So in order of appearance:
1. A little barrel sharpener .. nothing special. I replace these every couple of drawings.
2. Workable Fixative. I use this for graphite to seal once I finish a drawing. But it's also really helpful in colour pencil drawings if you've filled the tooth of the paper and need another layer or two on there.
3. Sanding Block - To fluff up my tortillions. Also really handy to sand pencils if you need a little graphite dust.
4. Gel Pen - I hate these things, but occasionally, if needs must, this is the one I'd choose. It's a Uni-Ball Signo Broad.
5. Mechanical Pencils - I very rarely use the 0.35. It a Faber-Castell one. I paid more for this that the other four I have together and the cheap ones are the best by miles! This is not something I would recommend to anyone, it breaks constantly and is horrible to hold
6. Ruler and Set Square - for grids or guidelines and checking as I go to make sure I've not strayed too far.
7. Tortillions and Stumps - The tortillions are handmade ones and what I use more then anything. Stumps I use mainly for pores, I don't like them for blending.
8. Blu-Tack - I use this in place of a kneaded eraser. It's the best invention next to the Tombow Mono. It's tacky, unlike a kneaded eraser so you can blot graphite rather than drag. It's uses are endless!
9. Erasers - This is a Pentel Clic for big areas and Tombow Mono Zero (Fine and Broad) - the best inventions known to man and I think half of dA are converts now
10. Tombow Mono 100 Pencils - All grades and all I use with the exception of the 8B Mars Lumo
11. Bulldog Clip - To hold my paper on the drawing board
12. Colour Shaper and Brush - Colour shapers are mainly for pastels I think, but they make graphite really really smooth, so good for lips and eyes .... you need to be careful though, they're made of rubber and if you rub too hard it erases. The other end of this is a little dusting brush ... handy to get rid of eraser bits!
13. Lead Holders - I use these for unblended skin mainly. They are big fat leads and great for consistent application with the added bonus of not having to sharpen
14. My Drawing Board - A pressie from my little sister and I love it!
The reasons I'm doing an FAQ is that I get asked some questions over and over and it's much easier to answer in a single place. The other reason is that so many people seem afraid to ask questions and that they are bothering me. I find that really sad
Paula
Related content
Comments: 95
pbird12 In reply to ??? [2013-03-04 10:29:25 +0000 UTC]
The mono zero is the best invention EVER
I hope you love it as much as I do .. there are quite a few converts here on dA now.
I'm glad this was of some use to you. I have a little circle template too actually, I sometimes use it for eyes too ... if I can find it
The sponge brush sounds good! Lol, the electric sharpeners are much better than the manual onee ...your allowed to be lazy on this!
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Paul-Shanghai In reply to pbird12 [2013-03-04 19:57:39 +0000 UTC]
Your getting me excited I will let you know how I get on with them (I ordered their whole range hahaha)
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aRtUSSELL [2012-09-22 09:46:18 +0000 UTC]
Hi Paula.
I've always been a little wary of using a fixative. Have you experienced any issues?
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pbird12 In reply to aRtUSSELL [2012-09-22 17:34:40 +0000 UTC]
Hiya,
No, I never have at all. I think the issues only come in when people put too much on or spray too close to the paper. This one is my fave
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aRtUSSELL In reply to pbird12 [2012-09-29 17:32:20 +0000 UTC]
Cool. I'm gonna get me one of those.
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KW-Scott [2012-09-22 03:55:58 +0000 UTC]
Great tools my dear! I have almost all of these things in my arsenal as well
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Q-Le [2012-09-17 17:18:49 +0000 UTC]
Drawing materials It doesn't matter how many times I've seen them, I never get bored! I've never heard of a colour shaper before? I've also never seen any other artists use it as well...hmm it looks interesting (of course they all do
)
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pbird12 In reply to Q-Le [2012-09-18 08:59:58 +0000 UTC]
I'm the same ... it's kind of weird isn't it?
A colour shaper is really good to make lips looks very shiny. They're only good for limited use, but it gives a slight texture change in the graphite .. it sort of makes it glassy. They're not standard kit for graphite, but I like to play
Here's a little bit of info about them [link]
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JustABeautifulDream [2012-09-17 14:29:44 +0000 UTC]
The Tombow Mono erasers.
VERY lovely collection you have there. Now you only have to show us the goblins you force to draw "your" drawings, together with a link where you get them please.
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pbird12 In reply to JustABeautifulDream [2012-09-17 14:39:19 +0000 UTC]
They're the best
Haha, I need some goblins to help me with the one I'm working on now ... it's a nightmare
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JustABeautifulDream In reply to pbird12 [2012-09-21 19:47:02 +0000 UTC]
Do you mean the drawing for Kris's contest? I'm really curious to see what you do there!
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pbird12 In reply to JustABeautifulDream [2012-09-21 21:58:52 +0000 UTC]
Yes, that's the one .... I'll show it to you if you like?
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JustABeautifulDream In reply to pbird12 [2012-09-22 08:19:07 +0000 UTC]
Oh yes, that would be awesome!
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pbird12 In reply to JustABeautifulDream [2012-09-22 17:37:11 +0000 UTC]
I'll send you a link
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VahnKira [2012-09-17 09:51:54 +0000 UTC]
What are Blu-Tacks ? Its my first time to hear about them haha
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pbird12 In reply to VahnKira [2012-09-17 09:53:58 +0000 UTC]
BluTack is just poster putty really, but it works so great as an eraser It looks like this [link]
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VahnKira In reply to pbird12 [2012-09-17 09:58:42 +0000 UTC]
I have no idea how it'll be used as an eraser
How ?
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pbird12 In reply to VahnKira [2012-09-17 10:08:08 +0000 UTC]
Just like a kneaded eraser and the dirtier it gets, the better it gets I roll a fresh piece in graphite to make it a bit grotty before I use it.
Honest, it's just like a kneaded eraser but better!
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tigeratails [2012-09-17 02:44:48 +0000 UTC]
nice dude that is awesome i wish i had a set like that dude
that would be so awesome
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pbird12 In reply to tigeratails [2012-09-17 07:18:24 +0000 UTC]
As long as you have pencils and paper, the rest is just stuff
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tigeratails In reply to pbird12 [2012-09-17 21:40:41 +0000 UTC]
yup i know it would still be awesome
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Codinas [2012-09-16 21:52:53 +0000 UTC]
When I see all these gadgeds , I only can think at the table where the surgeon has surgical instruments.
That large amount of instruments to be used!!
(^_^)(^_^)
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Reevah-Willow [2012-09-16 15:51:43 +0000 UTC]
I really appreciate your efforts to help amateurs/hobbyists/etc. There are many deviants who share their knowledge - again, treasured information. I think it would great if dA had a "mentorship" program. I'd love to have professional suggestions on my submissions.
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pbird12 In reply to Reevah-Willow [2012-09-16 17:34:36 +0000 UTC]
Thanks for taking a look
I love to see other people ways of working and the things they use too. The mentor programme would be brilliant! I think there is a group I'm in doing a mentor programme at the moment, but maybe a group just for that reason would be an idea
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markstewart [2012-09-16 14:17:27 +0000 UTC]
Very nice graphite survival kit, everything one needs. My little art store doesn't have half of that lot. I'll have to start shopping online
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pbird12 In reply to markstewart [2012-09-16 17:33:30 +0000 UTC]
I love browsing online, I really like a site called Artifolk, they're brill and Cult Pens are great for pencils
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markstewart In reply to pbird12 [2012-09-21 17:21:19 +0000 UTC]
Ooh thank you, i have bookmarked them both and will enjoy browsing later when i get time. This was going to be my question for you .. where do you get your supplies from?
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pbird12 In reply to markstewart [2012-09-21 17:38:15 +0000 UTC]
These two sites are where I buy most from
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markstewart In reply to pbird12 [2012-09-21 17:45:56 +0000 UTC]
Yes .. nice to get a couple of good reliable sites, so many to choose from.
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Sekhmets-child In reply to pbird12 [2012-09-20 14:21:00 +0000 UTC]
Artifolk are amazing, I live in the arse end of nowhere and they still manage to get my order to me the next day.
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pbird12 In reply to Sekhmets-child [2012-09-20 18:04:17 +0000 UTC]
They really are great, that's really impressive getting things to you in a day!
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Mari-J [2012-09-16 14:06:49 +0000 UTC]
awesome collection , the rulers & set squares are awesome, love the dear blu-tack, it's so cheap for a big wad & has it's uses
personally i don't really like faber castell for mech pencils neither (everything else, i love the brand especially the colour pencils)
if, you are going to pay more for a mech pencil, i personally recommend pentel graphgear/graph range (the most popular one is graphgear 1000 aka the sonic mechanical pencils, the grip is quite nice on that one and they have 5 different sizes (including the rare 0.4mm) but they are quite expensive & cost about £13 (at cult pens) - £20 each , but the graph 500 is pretty good also & they only cost £5 at [link] , it's a good art-store, i buy most of my markers & pencils from there)
another is the uni kuru toga range, where you can buy them from cult pens (0.3mm) & rymans (0.5mm)
also, the pentel f.357, which is an awesome multi mechanical pencil, it's a 0.3, 0.5 & a 0.7 rolled into one, it's about £14 & the grip is quite decent
and pilot supergrip (easy to find & under £2.50 per pencil) & dr grip (quite rare, you can buy them from jetpens.com & jstationery.com, but i used to have a mini green mech pencil, the grip is beautiful & it was so nice to use) ranges are also good but they only come in 0.5 & 0.7, but they are really good pencils
another good but inexpensive is the rotring tikky series, the grip is good & it doesn't break, and it also comes in a range of sizes
lol sanding blocks, mine are used to clean up tortillons & stumps
lead holders (i recently brought one & i'm in love with it, it's a koh i noor - toison d'or one & it only costs £3 - £6, at my local union shop)
ahh the 8b lumo, my fave, i don't really buy tombow at the moment i heard that they are good, i got too many derwent graphic graphite pencils (found some new ones in my garage), i also have conte (the old graphite one & the pierre noire that recommended to me), faber castell (castell 9000 range), staedler (tradition, noris & mars lumograph) & bruynzeel design graphite pencils, i've also tried uni mitsubishi range (only the 2b & 2h though, it also comes in 10b & 10h, as well) & they're quite good and the dixon range is pretty decent, especially keeping the sharp lines, royal & langernickel do a big range of graphite pencils, but i'm not a huge fan of their brand (the coloured pencils are aload of crap), caran d'ache (are pretty good according to , but are quite expensive like the majority of their stuff)
another shop that i recommend is pullingers.com (polychromos are quite cheap there, for only 99p each & £99 for 120 set)
and pentel clic (i used to use a steadler mars, but the art shops i go to (h.blyth & co and fred aldous), stopped stocking them, so i brought the pentel instead) & tombow mono zero are awesome erasers, i love using the mono zero on coloured pencil drawings for flyaway hairs, i also use a faber castell perfection eraser too
gel pens - boy do i love them (personally), i tried white ink (it was too watery, i think i might invest in the opaque white) & white markers(i don't really like those at all),but i'm trying to cut down on these & use pastel & erased highlights instead
questions - does the bulldog clip affect your drawings??
does the drawing board help with improving your drawings??
and which are your personal favourite : tools to use for : graphite
colour pencil
water color
what is your other favourite forms of media to use??
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pbird12 In reply to Mari-J [2012-09-16 17:32:43 +0000 UTC]
The blu-tack one of my fave things
Thanks for all the info on the mech pencils, I will take a look. The cheapie pentel one I have is great, it was only a couple of ££s. I do have Staedtler Mars lead in it mind you, it's really great.
Oh, cleaning the stumps and tortillions on the block! Can't believe I didn't say that
I do like Caran d'Ache, I'd love the new pastel range. Maybe I'll ask Santa
The bulldog clip does scratch the paper if your not careful, I usually fold a little scrap of paper over the end of the board and put the clip over that ... if I remember.
The drawing board is great, it's lovely and smooth and I can stick a blob of blu-tack on there, so it's really handy. I don't know that it improves drawings, but it stop paper getting bashed and bent, so that has to be good.
My faves for graphite ... no contest, the tombow mono 100's and for colour pencils fc polychromos.
Other mediums I'm very much an beginner, so I've to discover all that yet
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Pevansy [2012-09-15 17:35:25 +0000 UTC]
Wow, great piece, really nicely put together. I'd say you would find my pencil case quite amusing..
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pbird12 In reply to Pevansy [2012-09-15 18:34:45 +0000 UTC]
Thanks for taking a look Aw, I wouldn't laugh, whatever works for you is all that matters.
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Pevansy In reply to pbird12 [2012-09-15 20:04:31 +0000 UTC]
True...a very helpful piece you have put together nevertheless, many thanks...I will be throwing my tiny rolled up pieces of newspaper away and investing in some proper blending stumps...only kidding I had at least added those to my drawing tools many moons ago!
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MayumiOgihara [2012-09-15 17:24:38 +0000 UTC]
I just about bought Tombow Mono Zero the other day. Now I regretted I didn't buy I grew up with Tombow products. I've always liked their erasers.
Do you know "Tombow" means dragonfly in Japanese? There is a little funny story about this name. Japanese writing is made up of three different systems, and besides that, there is Romaji which is the representation of Japanese sounds using the western, 26-letter alphabet. If you write the Japanese word of dragonfly in Romaji, it's TOMBO and there is no W at the end. (adding W doesn't change the pronunciation much) I was wondering about this for sometime, but I found the answer today They added W at the end because the spelling of TOMBO is too similar to TOMB. lol. They have a new logo now [link]
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pbird12 In reply to MayumiOgihara [2012-09-15 17:27:57 +0000 UTC]
They are amazing little things, I wouldn't be without them
I had no idea Tombow meant dragonfly, I love them even more now I do like this story and how funny about the W
Thank you for telling me
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Henu-Chan [2012-09-15 16:05:38 +0000 UTC]
I have bad memories of using fixative as I managed to ruin one of my drawings with it..
Blu-tack, really?? I didn't know it could work too, I thought it might be too sticky..
I hate gel pens too! they are evil..
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pbird12 In reply to Henu-Chan [2012-09-15 16:20:27 +0000 UTC]
Aw no Kris had the same issue recently too with fixative
This one is great, I've never had any problems.
The Blu-tack is stuck to my drawing board all the time, it's brilliant. It works best when it's a bit graphite filled, it stays nice and soft and the tacky is the good part, it's so precise when you don't need to drag across the paper It can be too harsh on fibrous papers, but smooth bristol board can take it easy.
Lol, another gel pen hater! Good on you sis
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Henu-Chan In reply to pbird12 [2012-09-15 16:29:28 +0000 UTC]
Winsor & newton brand is great indeed! I have their oil colors and I love those
I should probably give it a try sometime!
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