Couple of Manga sketching sheets samples

Playing with some basic head construction using a Caran D'Ache Grafwood 3B pencil on Xerox 67# ivory vellum cover paper.
Basic figure doodles of wizards and their familiars drawn with a Caran D'Ache Grafwood B pencil.

Quick note for teachers about scholarship deadline

Just got an e-mail reminder earlier today about the approaching deadline of April 14th for the Drawing Magazine Scholarship Competition. Check out this link for further details and rules.

Staedtler Mars Lumograph drawing tin of 12 graphite pencils

While the readily available regular No. 2 or HB pencils are fine for general drawing purposes allowing artists to create a few different tones simply by varying the hand pressure applied to the same pencil tip, a set of drawing pencils of a few different graphite hardness grades can be pretty useful for more efficient drawing and shading of grayscale graphite drawings. The harder H pencils are best suited for drafting and technical drawings since they keep their sharp points longer, and the softer B pencils tend to be preferred by artists for sketching and drawing since they glide more quickly and smoothly on the paper surfaces.
The Staedtler Mars Lumograph Drawing-sketching tin set of 12 pencils, ranging from 2H to 8B, is one of the easiest to find in the drafting sections of local office supplies stores while Derwent Graphic pencils is the brand commonly found in Arts & Crafts stores. The comparison chart below shows the different range of tones that can be rendered with each pencil grade using the same drawing pressure.
This Staedtler set is a fair set of pre-sharpened drawing pencils. Despite the card label claim that their "quality lead will not crumble or create dust", this new set started a bit messy with some stray graphite powder on the pencil tips and the inside holding tray. Fresh out of a new tin box, the softer B grade pencils initially left rather dry marks and felt a tad scratchy on the paper like charcoal pencils tend to do. They also smudged easily, crumbled, and left a few loose graphite particles on the paper surface. Fixing might be required when using the softest grades (6B-8B). Their performance did improved once re-sharpened, for they glided fairly smoothly on the paper afterwards. The softest 8B lead point was still prone to breaking a little with my regular hand drawing pressure.
The 2H pencil has a rather scratchy feel on the paper while H through 4B pencils are reasonably smooth and neat with no crumbling. The softer leads are suitable for quickly laying down shadows and felt even smoother on the paper after a first sharpening with a Faber Castell 3-Way Sharpener. For preliminary drawings and construction lines, start with the H, F, or HB pencils. The F lead has the hardness of an H lead with the darkness of an HB lead, so it retains its sharp point longer while producing fairly nice dark lines. Satisfactory results can be obtained starting with any of these middle grade pencils and then gradually moving to the softer grades to render contour shapes and shadows while keeping in mind the support characteristics and the handling limitations of the pencils in the extremes of the grade scale: the softest B leads tend to smudge and are more difficult to erase on rougher papers while the hardest H leads sharp points might scratch and dig into thinner delicate papers. For a skillful demonstration and a few how-to-draw tips with the Staedtler Mars Lumograph pencils check out this short video from architect Doug Patt.
Graphite grade scales are not consistent among different brands, for example these Caran D'Ache Grafwood and Technalo pencil sample swatches tend to be lighter than the same grades in other brands. These graphite leads are very uniform and free of rough spots or defects within their cores, so they feel incredibly smooth on this Xerox 67# Ivory vellum cover support. They are very strong and clean to use, for they absolutely do not crumble under normal drawing pressure. They are both premium graphite lead lines made in Switzerland that are typically only available through online vendors and specialty stores.

Testing some of the new Xerox paper stock

Practicing some quick face symbols with 2 mm lead holders loaded with F and HB leads.
Doodling with a Uni-ball Shift Pipe Lock 0.5 mm Mechanical Pencil on another sheet of Xerox 67# Ivory Vellum Cover.
Just a few dragon warm-up doodles.
For action-figure style doodles, it's usually easier to start the head and build each figure down limb by limb using simplified cylinder shapes.
Trying out 0.3 mm and 0.5 mm mechanical pencils and a few leads of different hardness. They all showed fairly well on this card stock support, and the smaller 0.3 mm dig not dig excessively into it.
Doodling with a Faber Castell Pitt Big Brush Artist pen on sheets of Xerox 67# Canary Vellum Cover
Basic figure construction doodles.

Just got some drawing and drafting supplies loot - Local clearance tip

Found quite a few drawing supplies on clearance at the Office Depot store on US 41 in North Naples near the Borders store. There were several Staedtler and Faber-Castell drawing supplies marked down in the drafting/art supplies section like: Faber-Castell Pitt Artist Pens Shades of Gray Set of 6, Staedtler Mars Technical Drawing Pen Set, Staedtler Pigment Liner Sketch Pen Set, and assorted graphite pencils and crayons. Might be worth a look if you need to re-stock your supplies or try something new.

Manga Sketching workshop for the CCPL Anime Club at the Library Headquarters

Heads up for my local readers! I will be holding a 2-hour Manga Sketching introductory class for CCPL Anime Club members at the Collier County Headquarters on April 25th between 2-4 pm. Check the CCPL Anime Club homepage to sign up and for meeting details.
With a Sketching mindset, the goal of the above doodle was to explore random ideas that pop to mind using symbols learned and developed through regular practice and exposure to Manga and Anime. It was drawn straight with a Sakura Pigma Sensei 0.6 mm pigment pen. Started with the guy on the foreground and gradually added the bird, droid, girls, 2-headed dragon, cat, floor, and ended with the rear wall detailing. I suppose it could make a fair coloring page, but it is basically a hastily drawn concept that could serve as a preliminary study for a finished drawing. If I would like to refine the sketch further, I would probably start with loose pencil construction lines to improve the composition. Seeking some reference material to be more precise and anatomically correct would lend more believability to the image. Using different pen nibs sizes to render elements in the foreground, middle ground, and background would better convey the spacial relationships among the picture components. Thicker lines could be used in rendering foreground objects, and thinner lines could be used on background objects as they recede in the distance. For this first workshop, we will concentrate on creating your own Manga sketching symbols and hopefully motivate you to develop your own personal Manga style.

A few more Mermaid coloring templates

Sample of mermaid fairy mini template colored with watercolors and highlighted with Caran D'Ache Neocolor I metallic crayons. For this coloring sample outlines were painted with watercolors, allowed to dry, and highlighted with metallic crayons in a bold manner reminiscent of the over drawings used on the Endangered Species portfolio (Warhol, 1983).
Another mermaid coloring template drawn with a Sakura Pigma Sensei 0.4 mm pigment liner pen.
No need to always color within the lines. Artists have the options of staying within the confines of the pre-drawn outlines or breaking free and apply color boldly in swatches to create excitement and catch the audience's attention. While it would not be practical nor safe to provide "diamond dust" (broken glass used by Warhol to add visual punch and interest to some of his series of prints) to students, similar results could be accomplished by using metallic crayons and sparkly glitter gel pens to add some finishing touches to marker colored templates.
Repeating pattern reflects Warhol's theme of multiples in much of his silk-screen print series.
Templates can be printed and colored with different color combinations to determine the best contrast and attractive designs by following the principles of color theory. Use a color wheel as reference to quickly pick sets of complementary colors for maximum impact.

A few more coloring templates

Continuing to enjoy doodling with the Uni-ball Signo bit 0.7 gel pen, created a few more coloring templates that might appeal more to girl tweens. After dragons (which seem to be universally popular with most kids of both genders) and princesses drawings, the following three subjects seem to be the more popular requests from girls during public sketching sessions.Pegasus/Unicorn set.
Mermaid set.
Faerie set.
Marker colored sample was done with Copic Sketch markers and Faber Castell Big Pitt Artist brush pens. Finishing highlights were applied with a Sakura metallic gel pen and Caran D'Ache Neocolor I metallic crayons though their sparkling effect was not picked up by the scanner.

Some Warhol inspired kid activity templates

For a collage type activity: this 20-faces template could be printed on sheets of assorted colored construction papers, cut into its component portraits, and pasted on a sheet of cardboard to simulate the repeating subject Warhol prints. Crayons could be used to color each mini cartoon portrait.
Completely blank template for more advanced students that would rather choose and draw their own subjects rather than coloring the ready-made templates.
Designed a few custom coloring templates for 30-minutes kids' activities to follow a tour of the Andy Warhol Portfolios: Life & Legends exhibit at the von Liebig Art Center.
Dragon and Phoenix blank coloring template.
These blank "Sentai Ranger" templates could be used for trying out different color combinations and finding the out the more effective color palettes and background colors.
Cartoon template with some mixed characters of Eastern pop culture origin.
Coloring sample done with Copic Wide markers and some Faber Castell Pitt Artist brush pens. Both inks are nicely translucent allowing the printed outline to still show through under the bright swatches of color. The only downside is that the white card board tends to soak up the Copic ink using up the marker ink load a lot faster.
Blank template can be printed on regular copy paper, card board, and even Strathmore watercolor paper depending on the coloring materials planned for the post-tour activity.
Sample template colored digitally with Photoshop.
Sample colored first with washes of Faber Castell aquarelle sticks, allowed to dry, and then the underlying outline was highlighted with Caran D'Ache Neocolor I metallic crayons. For a finishing touch inspired by Warhol's use of "diamond dust" crystals on some of his screen prints, glitter glue and metallic gel pens could be used to enhance the final effect of the colored templates.

Introduction and a few tips for the upcoming Manga Sketching program for the CCPL Anime Club members

I subscribe to the "Manga" definition of being simply "Japanese-style comics" to include the work created by actual Japanese artists as well as the works inspired by manga sensibility and conventions regardless of the nationality of their creators. It is undeniable that the Manga art movement's popularity has grown exponentially in recent years judging by the large sections that bookstores and libraries now dedicate to their manga collections. The Japanese pop culture effective reshaping and integration with American pop culture can be observed in the anime/manga stylistic influences in current American toy lines, animation, and even live-action movies. As a self-taught artist raised on a steady diet of anime, manga, American comics, and sci-fi movies, my cartoon sketching techniques have developed as an amalgam of the most striking representative visual elements of these popular sources.
For our first meeting I plan to go over some of the drawing tools and materials suitable for drawing Manga characters, monsters, and robots while demonstrating my design philosophy and quick-sketching techniques. No special materials are required, but you are welcomed to check out the suggestions and tips posted on the right column of this blog. Whatever pen or pencil you already have at home along with some regular printer/copy paper would be fine to get you started. While I am a bit of an art supplies collector myself, there is no need to get everything from the list of suggestions. In fact, it would probably be best to try only a few at a time before you get stuck with tools that you do not care for. Drawing tools selection is rather subjective, and there is no magical perfect pen that will make you a great artist overnight. That said, you might find the learning process and sketching more enjoyable if you choose reliable quality tools. If you would still like some specific suggestions and tips on local retailers check out the comment tags on this photo. A good minimal starter kit would be to pick a 9"X12" sketchbook along with the Sakura Pigma Sensei manga drawing set. That would give you plenty of paper to practice, a nice 0.7 mm mechanical pencil, a foam eraser, and a range of different pigment liner nibs to cover most inking needs. In the meantime, feel free to ask any questions through the comments section or by contacting me by e-mail.
Quick tip: Small plastic toy animals can be useful as portable 3-dimensional references for more believable quick sketches of the subject models viewed from different angles. Don't get distracted with textural details since generally these type of toys are not that accurate on that regard, but use them as reference to get the general posture and relative position of the limbs. Gradually rotate each figure 360 degrees, and draw it from different points of view until you are satisfied with the results.

Drawing progress: Developing symbols for Princess and Castle

Using a Faber Castell Pitt sepia pigment liner to draw a residential castle freehand.
Adding a bit of color.
Nicole's current rendition of a castle had been colored with some Crayola Extreme colors pencils which were not picked up by the scanner.
Following her older sister's example and practicing her triangular shapes used for castle roofing

and a clown's hat.
Having fun coloring with some watercolor pencils.
Colored cartoon portrait.
Doodling a "Princess" with a Faber Castell Pitt Artist pen.
Nicole's current symbol for "Princess" is inspired by the common imagery of Princesses in today's media and features a fair amount of attention to detail: 5-digits hands, braided hair, symmetrical gown design.

When not sure what to do, just doodle!

Brainstorming ideas for developing instructional materials for a manga sketching workshop, started picking up random drawing tools and sketching whatever concept came to mind. Sometimes switching pens and pencils might inspire new artistic directions to explore. At the very least, the exercise might highlight the strengths and weaknesses of each sketching tool.
Just some random doodling with a 0.5 mm mechanical pencil.
Basic figure construction using a Mitsubishi Uni HB pencil.
Loose doodles guided by the main components of my main sketching blog: "Robot" + "Ninja" + "Monsters". Going to have to get around designing a logo combining these 3 concepts sometime.
A few robot doodles drawn with a Uni-ball 2 mm F leadholder. Robot subjects are an ideal early project to practice "blocking-in" figures with basic geometric forms.
Scrap sheet filled with doodles using Sakura Pigma Sensei 0.4 mm plastic tip pens (one brand new and another one with a damaged tip that had a faulty ink flow). Tried using the damaged pen for some hatching effects, but found it so unreliable that ended up pitching it into the waste basket. Thus use some care when using the finer point pens of this Sakura set.
Uni-ball Pocket Medium Brush Pen quick sketch inspired by a photo of Nicole.
Faber Castell Pitt Artist brush pen in sepia with a brush nib from a 4 pens set that is several years old. These Pitt pens store well and retain their performance for extended periods. Thus if you find them on sale, you can feel comfortable to stock up.
Faber Castell Pitt Big Brush Artist pen face doodles.These Japanese brush pen doodles were drawn with a Kuretake No. 8 Fountain Hair Brush Pen, Pentel Pocket Brush Pen for Calligraphy, and Uni-ball Pocket Medium Brush Pen. The first two actually feature nylon hair brush tips that are quite flexible and require some practice to control. The Mitsubishi Uni-ball brush pen has a medium felt brush nib that is easier to control for those accustomed to drawing with brush markers. Doodles done with an old Faber Castell Pitt Artist brush pen (hence some of the faded lines) and a Platinum Pocket Soft Brush Pen.

More mermaid and tritons doodling

Warm up doodles page working out initial construction of some merfolk with a Pilot G-2 05 mechanical pencil. While boys tend not to be interested in being depicted as half human/half fish hybrids as much as much as girls, sketching tritons (the male counterparts to mermaids) can help round up the cast of characters for any story involving merfolk.
Doodling possible versions of Triton, mythological character (son of Neptune or Poseidon) with the head and upper torso of a man and a fish tail for lower body and occasionally depicted with horse forefeet attached to the front. Notice how the swirly warm up doodles come in handy as shorthand symbols to suggest turbulent waters by strategically placing them in the background.