Monday, November 24, 2008

Sketchbook 011


(click image to enlarge)

7 comments:

Dan said...

Very cool. What brand of notebooks do you use? Do you spray them w/a fixative when you are finished so they don't smudge?

Steve Epting said...

Hey Dan, these sketches are done in a ProArt 4"x6" Hardbound sketchbook. I think I got it free with an order I placed at Dick Blick. The description says it's a "perfect place to preserve your ideas with pencil, pen-and-ink, or watercolor", but it's not the highest quality paper in the world (as you might imagine for $3). A month or two ago I picked up a Moleskine Sketchbook (3 1/2"x5 1/2") at the local Barnes and Noble. I haven't started sketching in it yet but it has a thicker, heavier paper stock (it costs about $10), and you can open it so that it virtually lays flat. I thought I'd probably wait until I worked my way through the ProArt before starting on the Moleskine, but maybe not.

Alan said...

Another excellent page, Steve. I love the confident brushwork on the head furthest right at the top, especially. As usual, very fresh

Steve Epting said...

Thanks Alan. If I remember correctly, I was trying out a new brush pen on that one. I'm not quite sure why I keep trying brush pens because they are never as good as the real thing - which I always come back to.

Alan said...

I've experimented with brush-pens because they seem to be used by so many artists these days, and some of them work wonders with them (like Sean Phillips), and they're less messy, I guess. But I guess there just isn't the same variety of makr-making with them.

dylan said...

Great sketches, I really like the lighting on the bottom right head.
I agree with you about brushpens, I like them for sketching but they never work for me if I try using them on pro work. I do sometimes use ones that are nearly empty for dry brush effects in backgrounds though. I am quite tempted to get a japanese sable one I've seen online, but it seems like a bit too much of a gamble.

Steve Epting said...

I'm the same - I really only use them when sketching. I use the PITT pens but the tip gets destroyed rather quickly and it's useless for any fine line work.