Sunday, September 23, 2012

Austin Zoo + Kuretake Brush Pen

I really didn't know what I was missing until I got a Kuretake #13 Brush Pen. Until today, I've only used the disposable felt-tipped "brush" pens made by Tombow and Faber-Castell. The Kuretake makes those pens feel like crap. There is a WORLD of difference. The Kuretake feels like an actual brush. It's soft. The tip gives. There's bristles! The disposable ones feel so stiff, I wouldn't even consider it a "brush" pen after using the Kuretake. I think the only advantage of those is that they're cheap and easier to control, but you loose that beautiful calligraphic look of a real brush. Anyway, if you're into brush pens, you owe it to yourself to get the good stuff :) I heard Pentel Pocket Brush is amazing too and cheaper than the Kuretake #13 that I have. Worth looking into.





I really like the very bold look of brush pen drawing. It's a bit scary though because re-stated lines don't look as nice on a brush pen drawing as they do in pencil. It's definitely for artists that have a brave streak.

Well, Hope you enjoyed my drawings!

Until next time!
Tiffanny

9 comments:

Ted Blackman said...

I've got a friend who is always pushing the merits of using brushes to ink with. But they are a bitch to learn how to control. For quick sketching they are perfect, but try to do a tight finish with one and you'll probably make a mess. In the past that was how a lot of inking in comics was done, and the most underrated inking of all; the lowly coloring books of the 50s and 60s. Take a good look at them; they are all brush-inked and masterfully done. I'm sure the artists who cranked them out had to work very quickly with few mistakes. No wobbly lines either, like I do when I try to copy them. Those were the days before the more user-friendly brush pens, using real brushes to ink beautiful lines. Tiffanny, I'm sure you are better at inking lines with a brush than I am. I've pretty much given up on it.

Rajesh said...

How lond did you take for each sketch...?

Dawn said...

These are fantastic sketches!! Great pen and even better hand :)

Mauricio Abril said...

There's always the debate on how much the tool affects the artist's effort, but your own talent notwithstanding, there are some cool marks being made here. I'm sure that a great tool just makes it that much easier for your talent to show through.

Craig said...

Tiffanny, the thing I love about the Kuretake is that it's compatible with the Platinum (of Preppy fame) brand inks, which means you can use the virtually waterproof Platinum Carbon ink cartridges in it. Awesome if you want to do watercolor washes right away, which, who doesn't?

I've heard the ink will ruin the tip if you let it dry out, but I personally haven't had any problems. I use the same ink in the terrific and super cheap Preppy fountain pens.

tiffannysketchbook said...

Ted - Yeah inking is definitely an art onto itself. I just use these for sketching :D

Rajash - Not long, maybe 3-5 minutes? I do many many tries though, not all my sketches look so good. I only post worthy ones :)

Dawn - aw thanks Dawn :)

Maurico - You're so nice as always :) I love your art too ;)

Craig - Yeah thanks for more tech info on my brush pen :) That'll come in handy!

Thanks you all for visiting and commenting. It means a lot!

benjamin trobat -cartoonist- said...

great work

Unknown said...

Love this blog, bookmarked!

Ted Blackman said...

Yes, I enjoyed them very much... about a month ago...

Have you retired?