Now that stores are starting to take down their
Back to School supplies displays and discounting their remaining stock, there are plenty of deals to be had. Like this
Maped Spin Eraser for under a buck at
Target.
When I first spotted it hanging on a peg, it reminded me of a throwing ninja star or
shuriken. It even glided quite well across the room when thrown partially open.
In this erasing performance comparison chart made with a
Rhodia pencil and a
Tombow Mono 2B pencil test swatches, the
Maped Spin eraser performed as well as its predecessor and the
Tombow Mono zero erasers. As it would be expected the
Sakura SE2000 electric eraser was more efficient and easier to control across the test swatches.
Is it just me? or the
Spin eraser looks significantly smaller than the
Zenoa eraser that came out a few years ago? Perhaps another sign of the times.
The smaller protective cover of the
Spin eraser even when closed still leaves a large surface of the erasing compound exposed. It is also harder to slide open. Notice how its exposed center has already pick up stray graphite from the paper in the picture below.
The
Maped Spin Eraser is an ok addition to a collection of drawing supplies, but I prefer the older
Zenoa model that completely encloses the eraser with its rotary case which is also easier to open and close.
Found a couple of
Canson Fanboy Learn to Draw Comics kits in the clearance rack of the new
Jo-Ann store.
This kit consists of a few how-to-make-a-comic instruction sheets, 3 stencil-sheets with panel borders and word balloon templates, a #2 pencil, and 12 heavy weight 6.625"x10.25" comic size sheets of drawing paper.
The instructions are printed in English and French, and they were clearly written for the absolute beginner. The selection of stencil sheets, unlabeled purple pencil, and dozen sturdy sheets of drawing paper would make it a suitable choice for keeping kids busy on a short trip (just do not forget a sharpener and a nice eraser to complete the kit). Made for a fair paper sampler for a couple of bucks each. Though I
would not recommend it at its suggested retail price.
While the
Canson Fanboy paper from this kit was cut to the exact same dimensions of actual comic books, professional artists work on a much larger paper size when drawing their original art. Thus a young artist would probably be better off working on regular 8.5" X 11" letter size or 9" X 12" sheets for daily practice. To get a closer experience of the scale typically used by professionals, they should try any of the 11" X 17"
Canson Fanboy Comic and Manga papers currently available.
For an even better value on practice drawing paper, I would suggest getting a pack of 150 letter size sheets of 110 lb
Georgia Pacific white card stock at your local big box retailer.
This card stock features a very smooth surface that works well both with pencil and markers. The 110 lb stock is thick enough that it can be used on both sides without any see through.
2B graphite doodle.
It is also strong enough to withstand some light washes without warping.
Now that stores are starting to take down their Back to School supplies displays and discounting their remaining stock, there are plenty of deals to be had. Like this Maped Spin Eraser for under a buck at Target.
When I first spotted it hanging on a peg, it reminded me of a throwing ninja star or shuriken. It even glided quite well across the room when thrown partially open.
In this erasing performance comparison chart made with a Rhodia pencil and a Tombow Mono 2B pencil test swatches, the Maped Spin eraser performed as well as its predecessor and the Tombow Mono zero erasers. As it would be expected the Sakura SE2000 electric eraser was more efficient and easier to control across the test swatches.
Is it just me? or the Spin eraser looks significantly smaller than the Zenoa eraser that came out a few years ago? Perhaps another sign of the times.
The smaller protective cover of the Spin eraser even when closed still leaves a large surface of the erasing compound exposed. It is also harder to slide open. Notice how its exposed center has already pick up stray graphite from the paper in the picture below.
The Maped Spin Eraser is an ok addition to a collection of drawing supplies, but I prefer the older Zenoa model that completely encloses the eraser with its rotary case which is also easier to open and close.
Found a couple of Canson Fanboy Learn to Draw Comics kits in the clearance rack of the new Jo-Ann store.
This kit consists of a few how-to-make-a-comic instruction sheets, 3 stencil-sheets with panel borders and word balloon templates, a #2 pencil, and 12 heavy weight 6.625"x10.25" comic size sheets of drawing paper. 
The instructions are printed in English and French, and they were clearly written for the absolute beginner. The selection of stencil sheets, unlabeled purple pencil, and dozen sturdy sheets of drawing paper would make it a suitable choice for keeping kids busy on a short trip (just do not forget a sharpener and a nice eraser to complete the kit). Made for a fair paper sampler for a couple of bucks each. Though I would not recommend it at its suggested retail price.
While the Canson Fanboy paper from this kit was cut to the exact same dimensions of actual comic books, professional artists work on a much larger paper size when drawing their original art. Thus a young artist would probably be better off working on regular 8.5" X 11" letter size or 9" X 12" sheets for daily practice. To get a closer experience of the scale typically used by professionals, they should try any of the 11" X 17" Canson Fanboy Comic and Manga papers currently available.
For an even better value on practice drawing paper, I would suggest getting a pack of 150 letter size sheets of 110 lb Georgia Pacific white card stock at your local big box retailer.
This card stock features a very smooth surface that works well both with pencil and markers. The 110 lb stock is thick enough that it can be used on both sides without any see through.
2B graphite doodle.
It is also strong enough to withstand some light washes without warping.
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