Writer's block artwork

I don't really consider myself much of an artist, but lately I have been dealing with a bit of writer's block and have found myself spending a bit more time than usual on the ol' doodles. Just thought I'd share one that I think turned out okay.

wow ace, that awesome! faces are so hard draw for me, very challenging, it appears your a real natural. keep up the work! she looks kinda extraterrestrial to me, i like it!

Ace Yonder said:

I don't really consider myself much of an artist View attachment 3822334

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You're quite talented. If you ever write a book you could also do your own illustrations.

Thank you both kindly! Here are a couple more, figured I'd throw some up from time to time when they don't come out too horrid, but hey, there are bound to be stumbles when learning anything new, right? I can't expect to get good if I'm afraid of doing poorly.

Those are great! what type of pencil do you use? and how do you sharpen them?

Dr.Amber Trichome said:

Those are great! what type of pencil do you use? and how do you sharpen them?

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Thank you!
These are my three favorite pencils!

The Caran D'Ache I only use for writing, and is, by a hair thin margin, my favorite writing pencil. Just has great weight to it, and the beech wood has an intoxicating smell that is somehow even better than ceder. The Tombow Mono 100 HB is the pencil that pushed me into art, I tried using it to write with and while it was awesome, it just didn't feel right, and something about it just made me really really want to draw, and is the pencil I use most often for drawing. The Mitsu-Bishi Hi-Uni F is like my Goldilocks pencil, firm enough to write with and soft enough to sketch with, and buttery smooth doing absolutely everything. I also have a set of Staedtler Lumographs which I love, but they are a little bit thinner and lighter than the Japanese and Swiss pencils and I like them to have a little bit of heft. As for sharpening, I usually use a hand crank Carl CP-80 (Which gives a great, slightly concave long point), and then finish them off with a little Higonokami pocket knife when I need them extra sharp. Once they are sharpened (like this) they usually stay sharp because I subconsciously turn them in my hand a little bit every few words or lines.

One more, maybe my favorite I've done so far. I'm really enjoying incorporating more elements into the drawings rather than just the face.

Wow! Those pencils are amazing. I must try them!! Those sharp points you get are FANTASTIC! There is nothing better then a sharp point. You really know your pencils., I am so impressed. I have only tried the ones they sell at the art stores. Oh I am so happy I met you!! I can't wait to talk about paper with you!!

Dr.Amber Trichome said:

Wow! Those pencils are amazing. I must try them!! Those sharp points you get are FANTASTIC! There is nothing better then a sharp point. You really know your pencils., I am so impressed. I have only tried the ones they sell at the art stores. Oh I am so happy I met you!! I can't wait to talk about paper with you!!

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Me too!! Honestly you have no idea how excited I am to have you to talk to about this stuff, I could nerd out on pencils and paper and art supplies (and art itself of course!) until the cows come home! What kind of paper do you prefer? I am just starting to get deep into paper, although I don't have quite as much experience with them as I do with pencils. Most of my paper is Strathmore (I have pads of their Drawing, Sketch, and Toned Tan papers), but I very recently discovered Canson and am quite smitten with their cream colored drawing pad. I also just got a big 18x24 pad of Strathmore 400 Drawing paper because it went on a huge clearance at a local art store, but I've been too intimidated to try out a drawing at that size so it is currently just sitting in the corner of the room taunting me. Once I get more comfortable I also want to try out some top of the line paper like Arches or Stonehenge, but I definitely want to get better before I start using paper that is over $1 per sheet hahaha!

P.S. I highly recommend you do try out the pencils (At least the Tombow 100 and/or Mitsu-Bishi Hi-Uni), they aren't much more expensive than Staedtler. The Mitsu-Bishi Hi-Uni's are like $30 for a 22 grade set [10B-10H] on Amazon, the Tombow 100's don't come in multi-grade packs but you can get 12 packs in pretty much whatever single grade you want for like $18. Just be aware that both brands run considerably softer and darker than their equivalent grades from European companies like Staedtler. Alternately you can get individual pencils from places like cwpencils.com and jetpens.com, but they are like $2.50 per pencil compared to like $1.50 per pencil when you buy them in a pack, still a good option if you just want to try a couple different pencils before committing to one. While I wouldn't recommend the Caran D'Ache for art on account of the core being much harder and lighter than a normal HB pencil (which is why I love it for writing, it holds a point FOREVER but isn't scratchy at all like most hard pencils are), Caran D'Ache does make a set of art pencils called Grafwood that look amazing and which I don't have but am DYING to get my hands on.

Fascinating information Ace! Thank you !! My go to paper for as long as I can remember for pencil drawing is Bristol. I like a sligh tooth to it so usually get a medium smooth . I am ok with the all smooth for smaller drawings like the Chucky SLASHER drawing I just finished was done on it, but it smears way too much . My pencils melt like butter into it and I can get a fantastic deep color but the smearing irritates me, I have to wear latex gloves and graphite gets everywhere. With the medium surface I can control everything much easier. I have tried so many papers, single expensive sheets , but I just love the thick durable quality of Bristol, it takes my rough erasing which those fragile expensive papers won't . They end up getting creased and pulled apart from my rough touch. One annoying thing some paper pads do , which you might want to watch out for , is both sides are not the same! Lol!! I have a pad that fell apart and still have sheets to use and it's tricky figuring out which side is the right side! But there is a difference.

Dr.Amber Trichome said:

Fascinating information Ace! Thank you !! My go to paper for as long as I can remember for pencil drawing is Bristol. I like a sligh tooth to it so usually get a medium smooth . I am ok with the all smooth for smaller drawings like the Chucky SLASHER drawing I just finished was done on it, but it smears way too much . My pencils melt like butter into it and I can get a fantastic deep color but the smearing irritates me, I have to wear latex gloves and graphite gets everywhere. With the medium surface I can control everything much easier. I have tried so many papers, single expensive sheets , but I just love the thick durable quality of Bristol, it takes my rough erasing which those fragile expensive papers won't . They end up getting creased and pulled apart from my rough touch. One annoying thing some paper pads do , which you might want to watch out for , is both sides are not the same! Lol!! I have a pad that fell apart and still have sheets to use and it's tricky figuring out which side is the right side! But there is a difference. View attachment 3838974

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I just figured that out about the paper sides being different textures too! One of my pads is labeled smooth/medium surface and only the other day I realized it meant that the front was smooth and the back was medium, rather than both being somewhere in between the two. I actually like the backs of some of my paper better than the front because the tooth is in a less regular pattern and makes natural looking shading a bit easier, if that makes any sense. I know what you mean about smooth papers occasionally being too smooth, I started out on Rhodia paper, which is AMAZING for writing on but it's just so smooth it's like plate finish, and every tiny error really gets magnified. I really need to get a pad of Bristol paper, I love the feel of the thicker, heavier papers like that. I've also heard good things about their Heavyweight Drawing paper, I think it's like 120 lb with a medium tooth. One trick I have learned when it comes to erasing is that Blu-Tack works even better than a kneaded eraser when it comes to lifting graphite off the paper without damaging the paper or smearing the graphite, works great on more delicate papers. My all time favorite eraser though (For writing, at least) is the Sakura Arch Foam eraser, totally blew away my previous favorites (Mars Plastic and Pentel Hi-Polymer). Let me know how that Tombow Mono Zero eraser works, I have had my eye on those for detail erasing and hair highlights for quite some time now, if it works well for you I'll have to pull the trigger and get one.

Haha! I hadn't figured that out about the medium / smooth sides . That is the kind I have. I previously had not paid much attention to names . I just go feel the paper / pencil tests and make a decision . I will have to check out those erasers you mentioned. The new tombo mono pen eraser is pretty cool, it is very good for hair. But not sure if the quality of erasing is superior to my mars straetler . The new tombow pencils are quite soft. I really like the shading quality the 2h delivers.

Dr.Amber Trichome said:

Haha! I hadn't figured that out about the medium / smooth sides . That is the kind I have. I previously had not paid much attention to names . I just go feel the paper / pencil tests and make a decision . I will have to check out those erasers you mentioned. The new tombo mono pen eraser is pretty cool, it is very good for hair. But not sure if the quality of erasing is superior to my mars straetler . The new tombow pencils are quite soft. I really like the shading quality the 2h delivers.

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Nice, nice. Yeah, Japanese pencils tend to run softer and darker than their European/American counterparts. In my personal shading chart, the Tombow Mono 100 HB is a hair darker than the Staedtler Lumograph 2B, and the Mitsu-Bishi Hi-Uni F is right between the Lumograph B and 2B. The Swiss, on the other hand, make (in my experience) the hardest pencils, my Caran D'Ache HB is a shade lighter than the Lumograph F and almost as light as the H. I really want to get one of the Caran D'Ache Grafwood in a very soft grade like 4B or 6B and see how they do on the darker side of the scale.

it's a real eye catcher

Revisiting your work , I'm again, taken back by your immediate talent and quiet powerful undertones.

Thank you so much!! That really means a lot!

Used that 2b tombo pencil down all the way. So thank you for letting me know about them . Just love the Super rich darkness. Picked up a .3, .5, .7, .9 Pentel graphgear 800 mechanical pencils after watching some artist draw with them and they really help with tiny detail like crosshatching .

Nice! I'm stoked you like them! If you settle on a grade you like I would highly recommend getting a 12 pack of that grade in the Mono 100 (or Mitsu-Bishi Hi-Uni), they are a little bit pricier than the standard Mono (or standard Uni), but they are made in Japan, as opposed to Vietnam, and the lead is about 20% denser. I have both versions of the Mono and the differences are pretty minor, but the Mono 100's (And Hi-Uni's) are just a hair smoother and darker and quieter on the paper. I know that probably made me sound like a huge snob, but hey, pencils are kind of an obsession and I would feel like I was doing a disservice to you if I didn't mention the weird little details.
In other news, that's awesome about the Graphgears, I have heard absolutely great things about them, they seem to be held in even higher regard than the rOtring pencils that are so trendy right now! I'm interested in trying crosshatching, because I've never taken an art class or anything I don't really know all that much about different techniques (other than what my research has turned up), I think they way I shade is technically called Scumbling? (Awesome word by the way) It will be fun to branch out tho. I only very recently found out that shading via smudging with my finger (or even laying my bare hand on the page while I draw) was a no-no because of the oil it deposits (and I guess it's total amateur hour), but hey, ya live and ya learn.

Yes! I love your knowledge of pencils. You have helped me so much! One trick I do is to take a paper and place it under my drawing hand as I work over already drawn areas. This helps cup down on smudge with and on your hand . Yeah try to not touch your paper with your bare hands. I also wear latex gloves sometimes to keeps my hands clean from any graphite. I look forward to seeing some of your recent work.

Dr.Amber Trichome said:

Yes! I love your knowledge of pencils. You have helped me so much! One trick I do is to take a paper and place it under my drawing hand as I work over already drawn areas. This helps cup down on smudge with and on your hand . Yeah try to not touch your paper with your bare hands. I also wear latex gloves sometimes to keeps my hands clean from any graphite. I look forward to seeing some of your recent work.

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I cut up a sock that covers the bottom of my hand and pinky and leaves the other 4 fingers free so that my skin doesn't touch while I draw. Looks funny, but it is comfortable and effective!