Max Riffner
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Testing Brush Pens
The last time I tried inking with a brush was in 2001 (it was also the first time). I became so frustrated with the experience that I went straight to the computer to do my comic art from then on.
This weekend must have inspired me. I had some new brush pens that I purchased for my Wisconsin trip that I never used. Tonight, after finishing Carnet de Voyage, I gave them a whirl on several sketches. This one was straight inks, no pencils at all. All those multiple undos in Illustrator must have come in handy, because now my control is far superior to what it was.
This is a character sketch of a wrestler that has been bopping around in my mind lately. It isn’t anything really yet.
Man, so much has come out of this con! I can’t keep my mind focused on anything. Going to work today sucked. It’ll get better once I get back into my routines, but I’m so thankful that the con shook me up a bunch.
When I was in high school, I just used to ink with pens constantly, never realizing that I was actually trying to achieve a brush line by building relentlessly on my existing, thin pen inked lines. Once I figured out that most inkers use a brush, I tried it out and it was the most frustrating thing in the world. I sucked so bad!
The brush pen is so convenient! Half of the problem with using a brush is utilizing the proper amount of ink on the brush. I always had too damn much or barely any. The brush pen is the best of both worlds, although my only criticism of it so far is that my fill blacks are a little opaque. I’ve also heard that they run out quickly.
I don’t know if you could do ink blot drawings with them because of the ink control… but I’m sure you could figure a way out.
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Aug 18, 07:42 AM
Brushpens can be a pain, but once you get comfortable with them, the artwork just flows.
I remember using them in college for an advertising course and faintly remember wanting to make ink blot drawings with them.