Suuketchy

Tsu's Tips

Here are a few tips that may help you when drawing whether if it's inspiration or the artistic medium you're using. Just to let you know before you read, besides inspiration, the artistic mediums that will have tips provided on will be: Charcoal, Colored Pencils, Tombow Markers, Ink Pens, Black India Ink, and Pastels. Alrighties, let the tips begin!

Inspirational Ideas:

There are many ways to get inspiration so you can obtain that image you want to draw. Some of the best ways would be to gaze at the clouds, observe sceneries of nature or towns, and listening to music. Inspiration can also come from melodies you listen to. Depending on its mood and tone, you might find what type of picture you want to draw if it inspires you. Also, scenery is great to observe. Closely look at the buildings, trees, clouds, etc. Does any of it ping an image in your head?

Charcoal:

Word of caution: BE VERY CAREFUL! Charcoal stains easily on practically anything, especially your hands. It smears easily as well. Charcoal is an excellent tool for shading in drawings. Sometimes, you can just purely draw with it. Aim for a light shade first and then darken it bit by bit afterwords until the contrast of colors fits your picture. You can smudge the charcoal with your fingers or use a napkin.

Colored Pencils:

=D I love using colored pencils for coloring in some of my illustrations. They are smooth and you can control the amount of pressure on the lead. If you're going for a shaded drawing, start with a light layer first and darken it later on. There's a cool technique I've learned with colored pencils. You can smoothen out the tones of the color by erasing it. Colored pencils don't erase very much but if you use an eraser on it, the texture will soften and become more smooth. Try it sometime! ^_^

Tombow Markers:

To be honest, I'm not a marker type of person. I only use the black Tomobow Markers mainly for black/white illustrations and manga. That's it. You can try to achieve a colored illustration with these markers if you'd like but I've never bought any other colors except for black. Well, if you are doing a black/white illustration or manga, these markers are sufficient for filling in the big spaces. I also refer Tomobw Markers as brush pens. There are 2 sides on this marker, one brush tip, and one fine marker tip. I only use the fine marker side to outline where I want to ink while the brush side is for filling in the spaces.

Ink Pens:

If you like to ink in the pencil outline of your drawings after roughly sketching them, then use an ink pen rather than the regular ones. Some pens I suggest using for outlining are Sakura Micron Pigma, and Pilot. Carefully keep your eyes on your drawing when outlining and whatever you do, do NOT shake your hand. It'll cause messy wavy lines. Just stay calm and relax. Don't let the nervous-ness take over you.

Black India Ink:

Another way to outline your drawings is by using a bottle of black ink! The Black India types are the best because they are waterproof and erasers won't fade the color that easily. Ink pens are usually more preferrable since they're easier to use but Black India ink brings depth to your lines. To use this ink, you'll need one of those calligraphy pens that has the pen holder and pen nib on it. These types of pens take practice!!!

Pastels:

They're a little bit like charcoal but it reminds me more of crayon and the Peel-Off China Marker. You'll need a napkin ready with you. Apply a light coat and then darken it later. Everytime you apply some pastels, use a napkin to rub it so the texture can soften out and become smooth. This can be used for any shades of pastels, whether if it's color, or black and white!