Thanks to George from My Supply Room got to try these vintage set of Gray Pentel Color Pen Fine Point Markers. While these markers were made in Japan in the past, it seems that the current version available in the market hails from Taiwan. They work well for writing and doodling for fun, so they would make a nice addition to kids' sketching kits. Yet from the product information and reviews, it seems like their water-based inks and bright colors might be prone to fading so use them accordingly. Besides online sources, they can often be found in wallet sets in the drafting section of office supplies stores.
Well (sigh) already retraced my steps checking where I might have forgotten it, and it does indeed appear somehow I managed to lose an entire roller crate loaded with art supplies, pop-up card templates, and cartooning assignment sheets. So time to streamline the amount of sketching gear and reference materials I take to class and events. For the past year, I have kept the bulk of my course notes and master copies of handout sheets in this Case it D-145 Large Capacity Zipper Binder. Thus it dawned on me, that with bit of tweaking it could become my customizable sketching kit for short classes and small birthday parties. Figured better to limit the cart use until I can keep better track of it.
Coincidentally found these suitable matching accessories at a Target store Back-to-School clearance section. These Case it Add+Ons would be a good way for students to add a couple of basic sketching tools to their regular school binders: a nice board suitable for taking notes and sketching on site, and a customized art supplies/sketching kit in its own case to take advantage of any free time to get a practice doodle or observation sketch done.
The Clip CLP-60 Add+On accessory is just a tad shorter than regular letter size clipboards, so it fits neatly within the main ring binder case. Now I can carry everything I need to teach a class in a single loaded binder case.
The back of the clipboard features a large nylon pocket that should come handy for holding handout sheets and stray sheets of paper.
The Case Add+On PEN-06 empty. It should help me customize the tools selection for a given lesson while keeping them separate from my main sketching kit. Best not to place too many tools in a single case. Should it get misplaced or lost, it would hurt far less if their contents are easier to replace.
The front of the case features two compartments: the smaller one is secured with a zipper and the larger one closes with velcro. The velcro strap features a pocket probably meant for a flash drive, but I am inclined to used it for holding one of my short stubby leadholders.
Loaded and closed rear view.
The mesh pockets on the back are large and elastic enough to comfortably hold a wide range of tools.
This pen case really can hold a lot of supplies in its front and back pockets. Of course when it is so over-stuffed, one would have to carry it separately from its base case.
Also got another transforming pencil case to hold the spare pens and markers that have been rolling freely on my drawing table lately. While I almost never rely on them, it also features a couple of elastic loops so it could also be secured within a ring binder.
Really like these Five Star Stand'N Store pencil cases for their large holding capacity and versatility. Now I have four of them with tool selections customized for different lessons. These additions to my tools collection should help keep the work flow more smoothly and hopefully reduce the chance of my losing another cart full of art supplies in venues when loss prevention can not be easily achieved.
Finally got around using my Michael's gift card (Thanks Toni & Tori!) remaining from my X-mas loot.
Latest additions to my sketching tools collection. I can never have enough Sakura Pigma Sensei sets, for I can use up my favorite 0.6 mm pen within 4 hours of continuous use when speed sketching at public events.
Also picked up several lighter hues of Prismacolor Premier Double-Ended Art Markers to complement my travel sets of gray markers. My original Prismacolor marker set was rather heavy on darker hues and lacking light base colors. Lately I have been relying more on my Copic Sketch markers, but given their higher retail value I prefer to limit their use to controlled environments like a studio. The recent release of the Prismacolor Manga set of 12 double ended marker caught my attention, so I selected several of the colors included in this set from the open stock rack to use in my regular field sketching kit.
This shot shows the differences between the new markers and my older markers. The barrel graphics have been updated, so it is a bit easier to tell the nibs apart at a single glance (the broad base of the black triangular Prismacolor logo corresponds to the broad nib size, and the opposite vertex clearly points towards the fine nib). The current fine nib itself has been redesigned to be wider and without the metal sleeve of of the previous marker version. The latter had an annoying tendency to dry out in no time, so I hope the new fine nibs will have a longer useful life.
Using both nibs to draw a reference color chart for the new markers and the set of French Greys.
Coloring test doodle.
The Prismacolor double ended markers are fun sketching and coloring tools. They lay down color smoothly and can cover broad areas quickly with their versatile broad nibs that can readily produce 3 different line thicknesses by simply turning the marker. While their color coding and barrel markings might not be as permanent and durable as the ones on the Copic Sketch markers, they are still fairly functional for their expected useful life. Ultimately they are fairly nice disposable markers since they can not be refilled, and their nibs are not replaceable.
Just put together a custom sketching kit for Daniela, one of my nieces in Peru, that I just recently learned is really into Manga and Anime. I included a selection of several of my favorite sketching pencils and brush pens along with a reliable 2mm lead pointer and foam eraser. For drawing support I bundled it with a gift set of Naruto Hardbound Sketchbook and Journal by Rock Paper Pencils. The full rundown of tools included in the pencil case:
On a recent trip to a Barnes & Noble bookstore, I found this neat set of colored pencils.
Their original block pencil set presentation resembles a pencil "sandwich" before it is cut into individual pencils, so it could easily be used as a visual aid when explaining to kids how pencils are made.
Despite their natural interest in coloring and drawing activities, younger kids might grow bored with the limitations of the same old materials (mostly crayons) available to them for their artistic pursuits. To keep them motivated, it is a good idea to introduce new drawing and coloring tools from time to time.
Both of my pre-school age nieces enjoyed folding and rolling the flexible pencil block set while the 12 colored pencils were still attached to each other. The oldest one quickly pointed out that this colored pencil set was"clearly" designed for kids and shrewdly talked me into letting her take them home after promising that she would share them with her little sister.
The rectangular profile of each pencil is rather unique and comfortable enough for doodling with the added advantage that they won't roll off an inclined drawing surface.
The pencils can be easily sharpened with standard sharpeners.
Freshly sharpened set. Top side of the pencil block features the picture of whimsical birds while the bottom and sides are painted white.
Since each colored pencil is decorated only one one side, they can also function as an easily solvable puzzle by memorizing the color sequence of the set.
For an inexpensive gift set, these Wacky Birds Colored Pencils laid down fairly bright colors on the white card stock. After completing this color chart, I used a few colors on the apple sketch as an example for Nicole that she could use more than the red pencil to render the apple surface.
Thus, she promptly sketched the falling apple with the red, orange, green, and purple pencils underneath and even saved some white to convey its reflective surface. These 13 pencils make for a nice portable sketching gift set.
With a handful of 4" X 6" index cards and any pen or pencil, you can make the most of any idle time and get tons of doodling and sketching practice. These sample sketch cards were done at a Books-a-Million bookstore and a Target food court. Occasionally you can draw inspiration from people passing by, and make observation sketches and quick notes of the subtle differences among the many facial and body types in existence. The beauty of this particular format is that you can crank out many practice doodles in a short time uninhibited by the inexpensive nature of the support, for the packs of 100 blank index cards tend to retail for under a dollar at most places and each card doodle can be completed in a few minutes. Remember the big secret to drawing better: "the more you practice, the faster your drawing skills will improve".
These are some of my preferred graphite tools that I like to take with me to do the sketching demonstrations for my cartooning lessons. It is nice to have a wide range of options in lead sizes and graphite grades to work with any kind of support that I might find in a classroom. The main advantages of the clutch-type leadholders are that they maintain a constant length and do not require constant sharpening (especially if you are careful to periodically rotate the pencil as you draw). If they ever get too blunt, there are also specialty leadpointers available to restore the sharp points of the thick graphite leads (like the red KUM model shown in the photo above). The Worther Shorty is my favorite choice for sketching on-the-go for its sturdy, compact, and lightweight design. Its 3.15 mm thick 7B lead resists breakage while still producing a nice range of grays with ease. I find it extremely comfortable to hold and use for extended periods. For one of my most compact sketching kits, I tend to take the Shorty and a small Moleskine sketchbook in the pockets of my cargo pants. The only real problem I have with it is that its 3 mm refills tend to be rather hard to find. Usually the tubes of 3 mm leads can only be found online, and often they are out-of-stock when you need them.
Now that I managed to get some more spare 3 mm 7B graphite leads for it, the Worther Shorty has regained its regular spot in my daily take-along sketching kit.
Sketches drawn in blank and gridded 4"X6" index cards.
The Worther Shorty pencil and a handful of 4"X6" blank index cards also make a very efficient field kit for doodling and sketching anywhere.
Posts
All Comments
