What I Used for Inktober 2016: Sakura Gelly Roll Pen

Welcome back to the fourth and (for now) final installment of What I Used for Inktober!  Today we’ll be looking at the Sakura Gelly Roll Pen in White, a gel pen that I like to use for accents, outlines, and highlights, like I did in the picture above!  (I also added a blue background using a Promarker – but that’s a review for another day! 😛 )

When I committed to Inktober, I was worried about highlights.  In digital art, it’s easy to add a white outline or highlights at the end of a painting – just make a new layer!  But with markers? o~o  Luckily, with the Sakura Gelly Roll pen, it’s easy to add highlights and finishing touches after the main shading!  At about $5 USD for a set of 3, these pens are budget-friendly. . . and, I would say, well worth the price.

The pen looks like this:

White-on-white is hard to capture! orz

The pens are about the size of a pencil and very light.  They are small in diameter, so not very ergonomic, but it would be easy to add one of those squishy pencil grips to make ’em comfier.  ^w^

As the ink is white, it works well for highlights, and the gel formula means that it flows easily.  It’s also a lot of fun to use on black paper, like on these sketchcards:

I especially like how the summer berries turned out! :3

One thing to note is that the Sakura Gelly Roll White is slightly translucent.  It’s an effect I like, but for a strong white line you may have to go over it two or three times – especially if the base color is dark.  Here’s some examples:

This photo has a larger version! Click to view!

In Row 1, I layered the Sakura Gelly Roll over black Tombow water-based markers.  For some reason, the Sakura Gelly Roll appears more translucent over water-based markers, so you may need to layer more to have an opaque white.  They also have a tendency to smear if the marker ink is still wet, so make sure to let it dry thoroughly before using the Gelly Roll. On each black square, I drew a white loop, increasing the number of layers each time.  So left is 1 layer, middle is 2 layers, and right is 3 layers. (In the picture, “rep” is short for “repetition,” or layers.)

In Row 2, the same tests are repeated – but this time they are over an alcohol-based Promarker.  Again, left is 1 layer, middle is 2 layers, and right is 3 layers. I am not sure why, but the Sakura Gelly Roll appears more opaque over the Promarkers.  This doesn’t seem to change with darker colors; so it may have to do with the pigment composition of the Gelly Roll and how it interacts with water-based vs alcohol-based pigments.  In any case, even the 1 layer example shows up well against the blue Promarker, and increased layers will create thicker and more opaque lines.

In Row 3, I laid down a wash of blue-violet Promarker, and just doodled!  The Sakura Gelly Roll really shines with loose, fluid movements.  The line is even and consistent.  I’ve only had a Gelly Roll skip on me twice – which is amazing compared to the Papermate gel pens I use for writing.  Each time, it was only a small break in the line, and easy to repair.

To recap, here are some things I’ve learned using the Sakura Gelly Roll:

• Let the painting dry completely before using the Gelly Roll.  This will prevent smears!
• Go over the line several times to make it more opaque or thicker.  Or, leave it at one line for a slightly translucent effect.
• Relax a little! Loose, fluid movements help the gel ink flow smoothly and consistently.

Though there are other tools one can use for highlights, outlines, or the like, I really enjoy using my Sakura Gelly Rolls and would definitely recommend them!  😀

What do you use to create highlights in traditional media?

~ ~ ~

And this concludes the review series,  What I Used for Inktober!  Thanks for reading!  I hope you’ve enjoyed these reviews over the past month. Please do let me know what you think of this series, and if you’d like me to do more reviews in the future. 😀

 

What I Used for Inktober 2016: Tombow Dual-Brush Pens

Welcome back to the What I Used for Inktober series!  Last week, we looked at the Prismacolor Premier 0.005 black pen for inking, and today we’re looking at Tombow Dual-Brush Pens.  Which means we’re at my favorite part: Coloring!  \(^o^)/

Last year, I wanted to try coloring with markers after seeing so many amazing marker paintings on the Web and so many amazing speedpaints on Youtube.  As a beginner, though, I didn’t want to heavily invest in a huge set of markers or purchase the most expensive professional materials (looking at you, Copics!) – or not yet, at least.  So I chose to try the water-based Tombow Dual-Brush Pens after hearing that they are a good brand and (luckily) were on sale at the time.  Better yet, they were reported to be durable, self-cleaning, and even blend well.  Sounds good, right?

Long story short, yes, they’re great!  I like them a lot,  though I’m also using other brands these days.  Tombow markers do have a few downsides, mainly due to the nature of water-based markers; but the water-based vs alcohol-based debate is a post for another day.  Let’s get started!

TL;DR Version

This review turned out super long, so here’s the short version!

Tombow Dual-Brush Pens are a good introductory marker.  There are a wide range of colors available, and I love, love, love the self-cleaning feature!  Also, being water-based they don’t smell strongly like alchohol-based markers; so if strong smells bother you, you can rest easy with these.  🙂

However, Tombow markers will pill and ripple the paper if you lay down too much pigment, a common problem among water-based markers; though it isn’t as bad as the Crayolas I used when I was a kid, it’s still annoying.  And while the blending feature is cool, Tombow markers don’t blend well on paper. 😦

I would recommend them for sketching, lettering, and for simpler coloring styles (like cell-shading, perhaps).

Pros

• Durable
• Self-cleaning tips
• Budget-friendly
• Wide range of colors available
• Cool blending feature
• Doesn’t have a strong smell – like alcohol does

Cons

• Pills the paper
• If you use a lot of wet-on-wet layering, the paper will ripple
• Doesn’t blend well with color on paper
• Prices tend to vary widely from $10-$25 USD per 10-pack

Now let’s get into the in-depth review!

The Packaging & Design

Tombow markers come in a pack like this, with nine colors and a colorless blender:

As the name says, the pens are dual-brush: They come with both a flexible brush tip and a fine tip:

This design makes these pens very versatile!  The brush pen is perfect for lettering, filling large areas, and blending colors:

The brush tips are also durable, so you can bend, twist, and otherwise abuse them and yet they spring back into shape!

Can you tell how far the brush tip is bent in the picture above?  It looks alarming, but it doesn’t hurt the marker at all.  And you can bend it further than this with no issues.

The fine tip is great for inking / outlining; the only thing to note is that as these markers are water-based, coloring over an inked image with other water-based markers will cause it to bleed slightly.  Here’s what the fine line looks like:

I also wanted to mention this cool design feature:

The large caps have a little ridge that keeps the markers from rolling around!  Very useful.

The Colors

Now let’s take a look at the markers that came with the Grayscale Palette:

It’s a little hard to read the numbers in the picture, I know!  The colors included in the Grayscale Palette are listed below.  (The numbers are the official Tombow reference numbers, while the descriptive text in parentheses are my own interpretation of the color for clarity.)

• N00 (Colorless Blender)
• N95 (Lightest Lavender)
• N89 (Light Warm Gray – almost a light beige)
• N75 (Light Lavender)
• N65 (Warm Gray)
• N60 (Purple-Gray / Lavender)
• N55 (Dark Warm Gray)
• N45 (Dark Cool Gray)
• N25 (Charcoal)
• N15 (Black)

The Grayscale Palette includes both warm tones (N25, N55, N65, N89) and cool tones (N45, N60, N75, N95), making this palette very versatile. 😀

I’ve found that the colors of the caps are fairly accurate about 2/3 of the time.  Even for the markers where the shade is different than the cap indicates, it gives you a good idea of the color’s value and tone. For example:

From top to bottom: N15, N25, N45, N55, N60, N65, and N75.

From top to bottom: N89, N95, and N00 (colorless blender).

(Please note that these color tests are not quite the same as the in-person colors due to the lighting.  They may also look slightly different on your screen.  So while they’ll give you an idea of the colors, take ’em with a grain of salt!)

As you can see in the color tests above, the caps give you a good indication of the marker’s shade, but aren’t always exact.  So it’s important to always test your markers before coloring!  That way, you’re always sure of the shade. 🙂

Coloring

I’ve used the Grayscale Palette for several pictures, mostly during last Inktober; and while I am no master of markers yet, I have figured out a few things during the 10+ hours I’ve spent with them.

First, I like the look of laying down two to three layers of color in a color block.  Except for N15, which is a dense black, seam lines appear anywhere two lines meet.  Going over the area with another layer helps to eliminate that effect.  For example, you can still see darker seam lines in the picture above, but trust me when I say they are about 5x less visible with only one layer of color!

When shading, try to keep the dark and light colors within the same warm / cool color group.  I’ve run into issues using, say, N95 (Lightest Lavender) over N55 (Dark Warm Gray).  I’m not saying to only use warm or cool tones in a drawing (though that would be cool too), but rather, keep the color group in mind when shading a specific area (example: River’s vest in the picture above).  This is one of those things that’s obvious – in hindsight, haha.

Finally, I’ve noticed that with my heavier 50-70lb papers, the Tombow markers don’t bleed through even with many, very wet, layers of colors!  The paper will ripple before it bleeds.  It seems that the pigment is inclined to stay on the surface of the paper, even if the water seeps through.  For example:

Here’s the back of the painting in my sketchbook, along with the next page (the eraser test for the Caran d’Ache blue pencil review).  There are a few places where the color is distinct, as if it’s begun to bleed through, and yet there are no marks on the next page!  A definite plus.

Blending with Tombow Dual-Brush Pens

One of the awesome things about Tombow Dual-Brush Pens is the blending feature!  “But River, didn’t you mention earlier that they don’t blend well on paper?”  Well, yes, that is true.  However, there is a way to blend colors with the Tombow Markers: picking up a darker shade with the brush tip!  We’ll take a look at that in a minute, but first, let’s take a look at the blending performance:

What are we looking at?  From top to bottom:

1. Using colors N25 (left) and N65, attempted to blend the colors on paper.  First, I laid down a block of N25; then colored over it while it was still wet with N65.  Looks good, right?  Well, unfortunately, the block of midtone in the middle is actually a second layer of N65!  I usually forget to blend on the brush tip, so this is how I shade!
2. Same method, without the second layer of N65 in the middle.  So there’s one layer of N25 on the left, then colored over with a single layer of N65 while wet.
3. Using colors N25 and N00 (colorless blender), attempted to blend the colors on paper.  Like example 1, first I laid down N25 then colored over it with N00.  There’s a slight blurry line where the N25 bled, but it’s not very well blended.  This would be good for softening the edges of a line or color block, to give a slightly hazy effect.
4. Again using N25 and N00, I picked up some N25 pigment with the N00 marker and then colored on the paper.  This can truly be called a “blended” effect!  Or perhaps “gradient” would be better.  This is good for shading small areas, and gives a lovely effect on lettering!

Now, you may be asking, “How do I get the effect in the 4th example?”  If so, I’ve included a short tutorial. 😀  (Or maybe you already know how, in which case, feel free to skip ahead.)

Tutorial: Blending and Gradients with Tombow Dual-Brush Pens

First, pick out the darker and lighter shades.  In this case, I’ll use N25 and N00, for a dramatic effect.  Then dispense some of the darker shade onto a palette, like so:

Dispensing the Darker Color

Then, pick up some of the darker pigment from the palette with the lighter color:

Picking Up the Color

Don’t worry, the tip isn’t stained!  Tombow markers are self-cleaning, so the N00 will bleed off the color as you work until only the colorless blender is coming out.  Cool, huh?  Now you’ll have a gradient effect:

Color!

I picked up a lot of pigment in these pictures, so it was a nice, gradual gradient.  Try picking up more and less color to get longer or shorter gradients!

After the darker pigment runs out, the tip will look like this:

Nice and clean again!

Honestly, the self-cleaning nature of the pens is my favorite part of using Tombow.  Even if you accidentally brush against a different color, the tip isn’t stained; it’ll clean up with a few strokes on scrap paper! I just love it. ❤️

Final Thoughts

As I said in the TL;DR version, the Tombow Dual-Brush Pens are a great introductory marker.  The few cons (will pill the paper, don’t blend well on paper) are just annoyances really, and the many pros speak for themselves.  I especially love the self-cleaning feature!  They work well with lettering, sketching, and simple coloring styles. I’d recommend them to anyone who wants to try a new brand of water-based markers.

See you all next week with the fourth and (for now) final installment of this series: Sakura Gelly Roll Pens!

What I Used for Inktober 2016: Caran d’Ache Sketcher Non-Photo Blue Pencils

Last September, flushed with excitement at the thought of doing my first Inktober challenge, I splurged on some new art supplies.  Since I usually worked digitally, I thought it was a good opportunity to try out some different traditional techniques.  One that I was really looking forward to was using blue pencil like animators and comic artists, so after doing a little research I picked up a pair of Caran d’Ache Sketcher Non-Photo Blue animation pencils.  Though they were expensive (around $8 for a pack of two) I am so glad I did – they ended up becoming my favorite new tool of Inktober 2016!

Before we begin, a quick note: The main reason to using non-photo blue pencils is obvious: So that they will not show up in photographs and scanned images, or at least be easy to remove digitally. I’ve found that it is possible to photograph non-photo blue, but it shows up very faintly.  All the photographs in this review were digitally enhanced to show the blue more vibrantly.  So the color is a bit different than it is in real-life or in unaltered photos.

The Pencil

First, let’s take a look at the pencil itself:

I’ve already used up most of the eraser. . . TT-TT

As you can see, the pencil looks like a standard erasable colored pencil, aside from the fact that it says “Non-Photo Blue Pencil” on the side.  The eraser it comes with is nice and soft, and erases the pencil well.  The blue lead is fairly soft and doesn’t crumble, meaning that it is easy both to lay down a soft line with a light touch and a darker line with a heavier hand, without fear of those stray marks you get when a pencil breaks.  The only downside to the nice, soft leads is that the pencil will be used up fairly quickly – something to keep in mind if you’re on a budget.

Color and Eraser Tests

Next let’s take a look at how the pencil performs:

On this page, I performed five tests:

1. Varying how hard I pressed to vary the intensity of the color.  There are actually three or four of the lightest lines there on the left, but they are quite faint and hard to see.
2. Tilting the pencil on its side to create a wash of color.  Again, I pressed harder to the right to deepen the color.
3. Eraser test #1: With a deep wash of color, how well does it erase?  I traced a line three times with the eraser.
4. Basically #2 again, but with an eraser line. Again, I traced the eraser line two or three times.  As you can see, the lighter the blue pencil is, the easier it is to erase.
5. With a deep wash of color, I erased three lines.  The top line was one stroke of the eraser; the second line, two strokes; the bottom line, three strokes.  For a deep wash of color, one needs to erase more firmly and more times than a lighter line.

I tried to experiment with different things, but what I think this mainly proves is that the more lightly you press, the closer to a true “non-photo” blue it is.  The harder you press, the more like a standard blue colored pencil it is.  However, there is an advantage over colored pencil in that the Caran d’Ache pencil is easy to erase, which is good for me as I tend to press down hard, haha.

That page may be a bit hard to see, so here’s a close-up of the first four examples:

As you can see, the lighter the line is, the more likely it is to vanish when photographed or scanned.  In the original photograph, the lines to the left in examples 1 and 2 were almost too faint to see.  They are only visible now due to the digital enhancements.

And here’s a close-up of the fifth test, the eraser test:

Again, the three eraser lines are as follows: The top is traced only once, the middle twice, and the bottom three times.  The harder you press, the more thoroughly you will have to erase.  (For a light line, going over it once or twice is usually enough.)

The Sketch + Thoughts

Now the fun part!  Here’s the picture we’ll be following throughout this series.

I’ve included a comparison of the original photo and the edited version, with white balance adjusted and colors enhanced.

This piece worked up quickly in about two hours.  I used the Caran d’Ache pencil for each step from the blocking out to adding the details.  (Drat, I should have photographed each step. orz  Next time!)  I know some people only use blue pencil for the roughs and blocking out, but as I am not confident in my inking yet, I prefer to add details at this stage.  Already you can tell how well the non-photo blue pencil erases / disappears, as the skeleton stage has been mostly erased.  Can you tell that it’s there?  No? XD

Inks lay fairly well over the Caran d’Ache blue pencil.  Here’s the River sketch after inking (on the left) and after erasing the blue lines when the ink was dry (on the right):

Inked using the item we’ll review next week, the Prismacolor Premier .005 illustration marker!

Can you tell the difference?  It’s subtle: The blue pencil lines are faintly visible on the left, and the black inked lines are clean, if slightly lighter, on the right.  Though inks lay very well over the Caran d’Ache pencils, there is a slight waxy residue.  If you need to erase, small itty-bitty specks of ink will disappear as well.  However, it is not enough to both me, especially as you can’t really tell in the photograph.  It’s a non-issue if you plan on digitally removing the lines, anyway.

Scanning

I actually forgot to scan in the River picture before inking (oops), but I wanted to cover that as well.  So I quickly made another sketch and scanned it in.

This picture hasn’t been edited at all, so as you can see, the blue pencil disappears very, very well when scanned.  Only the darker shades are truly visible; the lighter lines are faint or have vanished completely.

To make the colors more visible, I actually had to darken the image:

So you can rest assured that the blue lines vanish easily, and any that remain you should be able to edit out.  🙂

Last Thoughts

As I said in the beginning of the post, the Caran d’Ache Non-Photo Blue pencils quickly became my favorite new tool last Inktober.  They’re easy to use, lay down color beautifully, and erase so easily it’s hard to believe it’s a colored pencil at all!  Though they are a bit expensive, I’d say that’s well worth the price if you can afford it.  I would definitely recommend the Caran d’Ache brand to other artists.

Have you used non-photo blue pencils before?  What is your favorite technique to use with them?  Are there any other brands I should try?  Let me know in the comments below!  And don’t forget, I’ll be back with another review next Tuesday!  See you then!