ComixTalkin’
Friday, August 20, 2010
This week I was a guest blogger for the comics news and reviews site ComixTalk – here are my contributions …
“Seeking Solace at the Symmetry Shop (An Appreciation of Ben Katchor)” – a not-quite-review of Katchor’s books Julius Knipl, Real Estate Photographer: The Beauty Supply District and The Jew of New York.
“Grey Vampires and Green Cowboys” – A quick look (with lots of pictures) at the art techniques of Christophe Blain in his book Gus and His Gang, and of Joann Sfar in his book Vampire Loves.
Thanks to site proprietor Xerexes for inviting me to blather on!
Watercolor Paper Roulette
Friday, July 16, 2010
A few years back I found a watercolor paper that I really liked: Winsor & Newton 140lb Hot Press. It’s not as slick and weirdly absorbent as other hot press papers I’ve tried, and not as toothy as your average cold press paper. The back side of the sheet has a semi-regular pattern (from drying on felt?) that’s different from the front side, but still pleasant. It takes ink fairly well too. I’ve found it to be excellent for making painted comics.
The downside: it’s hard to find, compared to Arches or Canson products. As of this writing most of the brick-and-mortar stores I contacted don’t carry it, and the online ones are out of stock—with no clear answer as to when they’ll have more. Update 8-17-10: I called the company I’d ordered the W&N paper from, and was told that it’s been temporarily discontinued; apparently they’re in the midst of changing paper manufacturers.
I decided to look for an alternative paper and ordered a selection of stuff from Dick Blick. Here are my notes on each paper—no scientific tests, just a quick reaction and scan to give a general idea of the paper’s characteristics. Hopefully this will be helpful to other people ordering these papers blind.
Lanaquarelle 140lb Hot Press
I liked this paper. Its surface has a very slight, pleasant tooth for hot press paper, and it doesn’t absorb the brushstrokes quite as quickly as other hot press papers I’ve tried. The back side looks to be smoother than the front. It also took pen and ink very well. I don’t do a lot of blotting, but it was pretty easy to blot up part of a fresh wash. I’d call this a good backup choice for my comics work.
Saunders Waterford 90lb Hot Press
This is a light, finely textured hot press paper, slightly creamy in color. My brushstrokes sank in quickly, and paint pooled on top and made unpredictable blooms. So it’s not suitable for the painted comics projects I have in mind. However it’s a terrific surface for pen and ink—the pen just glides over it. I could see doing a large-scale ink drawing on this with lots of crosshatching.
Winsor & Newton 140lb Cold Press
I would call this more of a “rough” surface—It was nice and crunchy, and would be great for drybrush. It’s not as great for pen and ink—the pen drags a bit on the surface—but still doable. Absorption seemed pretty slow, and I was able to blot up a fresh wash without too much effort. I don’t think it would work for the detail-oriented comics I’m painting now, but I liked the surface enough to keep it in mind for other paintings.
Strathmore Series 500 140lb Hot Press
This paper had more of a machine-made feel to its surface than the other papers, though I don’t know if it is. It took the pen and ink well, and didn’t absorb brushstrokes too quickly. Might be better with gouache—it would have just enough tooth to do some drybrush.
Fabriano Artistico Extra White 140lb Soft Press
“Soft Press” is Fabriano’s surface midway between cold press and hot press. This was the paper I’d hoped would most closely approximate the W&N paper, and so it did. It’s toothier, and the surface seems harder (more sizing?) when drawing on it with the pen. But the washes dry at about the same rate as the W&N stuff, and without any blooms.
Many thanks to the folks at Johnson Paint in Boston for the lead. Of course, this is another speciality paper that’s hard to find in stores. But at least I have two options to pick from now.
Comments (1) | Tags: paper
NCS Reuben Weekend 2010
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Over the Memorial Day weekend I visited New Jersey for the National Cartoonists Society 2010 Reuben Awards. I had a great time at the NCS events, and wandering around whatever big city that was across the water.
I was given a “first time attendee” ribbon to stick on my name tag, which I think prompted several kind people to come over and chat with me, despite not knowing me from Adam@Home. I also had the benefit of hanging around with Cartoon World Big Wheels Andrew Farago and Shaenon Garrity, who graciously introduced me to a lot of folks. And you couldn’t swing a stuffed Garfield without hitting some cartooning luminary: Richard Thompson, Garry Trudeau, Hilary Price, Mo Willems, Jerry Robinson (his on-stage reaction to the playing of the “Batman” TV theme was hilarious), etc. etc.
I’m embarrassed to realize that I didn’t take any pics (of my own) of the attendees. Instead I went after stuff like this:
Lots of architectural details, coming soon to a graphic novel near you. For actual pictures of people, head on over to Mike Lynch’s blog – he’s sure to have a great photo album.
| Tags: Andrew Farago, Batman, Garry Trudeau, Hilary Price, Jerry Robinson, Mike Lynch, Mo Willems, richard thompson, Shaenon Garrity
“Out of Sequence” Exhibit at Keene State College Gallery
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
The “Out of Sequence” show, which includes a Smithson strip (not the one excerpted above), is now up at the Thorne-Sagendorph Gallery at Keene State College, Keene, NH. The show features art by Shaenon Garrity, Nicholas Gurewitch, Hope Larson, Jenn Manley Lee, and Drew Weing, among others, and will run until December 6. I hope you’ll check it out if you’re in the area!
The Mean Cardboard Streets
Monday, October 26, 2009
Inspired by my recent visit to the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art. The background is watercolor and ink, with pasted paper on top.
I highly recommend visiting the Museum – it’s an attractive, friendly space with three galleries (currently showing: Tommy dePaola, E. H. Shepard, and Carle), a library of children’s books, and an art studio where kids and adults can make things. And probably my favorite museum bookshop ever. In addition to a vast array of picture books, they carry mammoth art books like Kramer’s Ergot 7, the Sunday Press collections of Little Nemo in Slumberland, Little Sammy Sneeze, and Sundays with Walt and Skeezix, as well as a smattering of other comics work. And right down the road you can buy dark chocolate peanut butter cups. Well worth the trip.
It Might Be New to You Dept.: Video: Watch Brian Draw
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Just added the short video (played at about 6X realtime) of me making a watercolor illustration. I posted it to the News section of my illustration site awhile back, but it might be new to you. Just click the “Watch Brian Draw” button near the top of the page.
Consolidation, not Consternation
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Hello! In an effort to Make Things Simpler, I’m merging the former “News” section on my illustration site with my sketchblog. In an ideal world they would combine to form a ten-story high crime fighting robot, but hopefully you’ll be happy to settle for a smart-looking webpage. Plus: I’m going to try turning comments on again. We’ll see how that goes.
Out of Sequence Exhibit Moves to Keene, NH Gallery
Sunday, June 7, 2009
The “Out of Sequence” comics art exhibit (previously on display at the Krannert Museum in Champaign, IL and The Laboratory of Art and Ideas at Belmar in Belmar, CO) will appear in a third venue: the Thorne-Sagendorph Art Gallery at Keene State College in Keene, NH. The new showing will be up from October 23 to December 6, 2009.
The exhibit features a Smithson strip which I drew, and lots of great art from artists including Shaenon Garrity, Nicholas Gurewitch, Hope Larson, Jenn Manley Lee, and Drew Weing, among others. It should be a terrific show, and I’m looking forward to seeing it in person now that it’s going to be in my neck of the woods.
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