Greetings!
It’s been a minute since I last updated the blog. 375,840 minutes to be somewhat more precise. Regardless, here is a look into how I draw.
As you can see from the panel above….I often use two or three (sometimes more!) different colors of pencil lead to fill out my pages. This is because of my brain. My drawings sometimes get to a point where I have a hard time differentiating between what details go with what particular abomination I’m rendering into horrible physical reality. Using particular colors with certain parts of the drawing really help with clarity both as I am penciling and when I am later inking the finished piece.
The above panel is an even better example of how I work. The light blue pencils are matched to the creature in the foreground, green with other beings throughout the rest of the image, and red for the background details.
Less complicated panels, such as the one above, showcase how even just using two different colors makes it easier to keep things clear. For me, at least. The above image also gives you a tantalizing glimpse of one of the mechanical pencils used in these diabolical scribbles. I use the same brand for each of the colors. For those who wish to experiment using these tools themselves: I use the 0.7 lead size by the brand ‘Pilot’ in their line ‘Color Eno’ or ‘Color Eno Neox’. I also use their matching mechanical pencil to distribute the lead onto the page. I also do my best to match the pencil lead with the color of mechanical pencil whenever possible.
Fun fact: I often use red lead to render Darshana’s hair. This panel also shows how I use another color (orange) to set up a perspective grid. Fascinating.
Through all of this you may have noticed that I haven’t actually discussed how to draw, but rather, just the tools that I most commonly use in doing so. This is intentional. I am lazy and was never especially artistically talented when I was young. What I am is incredibly stubborn and obsessive when it comes to trying to get across an image I have stuck in my head. It’s taken me years of trial and error just to get to this point and I will never catch up to my imagination. My only real advice for drawing is that you should never, ever, give up on yourself.
Oh, and also, maybe take a life drawing class or two.
And keep a sketchbook.
Next time: Inking.