just wondering if any of you use blue pencil (non-repro blue) and how that works with scanners, etc? i've been using regular mechanical pencil and erasing, but i'm getting tired of that.
also, i just finished a bottle of Black Magic ink and it aint what it used to be. it used to be "India Ink" and now its "waterproof". It used to be really opaque, and have a shine to it. Now its kinda watery and my papers soak it up. True India ink has a shellac base, hence the shine (and that's why its waterproof). Anyway, what are you all using (those of you who use pens or brush, rather than marker)?
also, i just finished a bottle of Black Magic ink and it aint what it used to be. it used to be "India Ink" and now its "waterproof". It used to be really opaque, and have a shine to it. Now its kinda watery and my papers soak it up. True India ink has a shellac base, hence the shine (and that's why its waterproof). Anyway, what are you all using (those of you who use pens or brush, rather than marker)?
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SF Bay Area
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Re: blue pencil? ink? (art question)
Sun, February 27, 2005 - 12:44 PMI never liked the Blue pencils. I use the mechanical pencils (HB leads) and to get around the erasing thing, I started putting my penciled page on the light box and inking it on a new sheet of paper so I don't have to do any erasing. My erasing arm feels much better and I don't ruin the ink line either. I also feel less pressure to 'not screw it up' because if I do mess it up, I still have the original pencils and I can just get a new sheet of paper :-) So, I end up doing a better, more relaxed job of finishing it up. -
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Re: blue pencil? ink? (art question)
Sun, February 27, 2005 - 10:29 PMhey Michael,
I've done the lightbox thing a few times, but my lightbox is too small for full size (11x15) pages, so I sort of dropped the idea. maybe i should pick it up again - or just switch to tracing paper. (i bought two pads of it a year ago, but haven't used it yet!) -
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Re: blue pencil? ink? (art question)
Mon, February 28, 2005 - 5:58 AMHave you ever tried inking on Vellum? I know some artists ink on it and like it. It may be expensive though. I've never tried it but you wouldn't need the lightbox :-)
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Re: blue pencil? ink? (art question)
Mon, February 28, 2005 - 9:38 AMI liked the blue pencils just fine (they usually wouldn't show up when photocopied, which I would do before scanning), but eventually started doing the lightbox thing, as well. I have a small lightbox, but it doesn't really bother me. I use double-sided tape to affix the pencils to the back of my to-be-inked page, then move it around as needed over the box.
This is a lovely method, since I can use scrap paper to perfect the pencil drawings, and reserve my nice Bristol paper for the inks. -
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Re: blue pencil? ink? (art question)
Mon, February 28, 2005 - 5:58 PMthe double-sided tape idea is a good one.
I never thought of photocopying my pages before scanning -- what's the advantage? (I'd be afraid of losing some lines, but maybe it just clears off the scuffs?) -
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Re: blue pencil? ink? (art question)
Tue, March 1, 2005 - 9:35 AMThe non-photo-blue pencils usually don't show up when photocopied (but they do show up when I scan straight from the originals). Plus, I tend to ink lightly, then set the photocopier to a darker mode to achieve a more solid effect.
Okay, yes, it's neurotic and high-maintenance. :) -
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Re: blue pencil? ink? (art question)
Tue, March 1, 2005 - 11:36 PMactually, that makes a lot of sense. (wont work for me, cuz I'd have to be organized enough to get my stuff up to Kinkos, then back home to scan, which would probably result in lots of crumpled or smeared originals and excuses to not do things... "cant do that, cuz its raining..."). If I had a copier close by, i'd totally try it. -
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Re: blue pencil? ink? (art question)
Wed, March 2, 2005 - 9:34 AMAnd my friends think I'm a nerd because I've got a big ol' photocopy machine in my closet!
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Re: blue pencil? ink? (art question)
Wed, March 2, 2005 - 12:11 PMNerd? Your my hero
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Re: blue pencil? ink? (art question)
Fri, March 31, 2006 - 7:17 PMHey man, I have been doing this light-box thing lately and just wanted to thank you for the idea. Works wonderfully.
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Re: blue pencil? ink? (art question)
Sun, February 27, 2005 - 2:17 PMI dislike the blue pencils as well. Maybe I'm just gettin old but they are hard as hell to see clearly. And they scan just fine (or not fine as the case may be cause I don't want them too!). The ink thing is annoying.. and you are correct sir. I had to erase a finished page and then re-ink again after erasing since some of the ink went too and I ended up with lovely shades of grey! I like the lightbox idea and have used that to move from roughs to finished pencils.. I'll give them a try for my next inking assignment.
Cheers.
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Re: blue pencil? ink? (art question)
Mon, March 21, 2005 - 1:56 PMI use a light blue col-erase rather than the non-photo blue. It doesn't show up in scans or copies.
I, too, was once a devotee of the Higgins Black Magic. Since they changed the formula to CRAP, i've been using Hunt Speedball ink which works quite well.
Hope that helps...
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Re: blue pencil? ink? (art question)
Mon, March 28, 2005 - 12:54 PMthanks for the tip about the Hunt ink. i'll look for that next time. (and i'm glad to know that i WASN'T going crazy and that Black Magic DID really go to crap.) -
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Re: blue pencil? ink? (art question)
Sun, April 2, 2006 - 12:43 PMHere's my process;
1) Scan pencils into the computer, convert to CMYK
2) Delete all channels except for C, now you have non-repro blue art.
3) Final adjustment (I like it really light) before printing
4) I ink right on top of my tight pencils which have been outputted as non-repro blue.
Usually, I do my pencils AND my final inks on vellum. You just have to find a good vellum that will run through color laser printers or inkjet printers.
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Re: blue pencil? ink? (art question)
Fri, June 9, 2006 - 3:22 PMI started out with non-repro, liked the feel of the pencil and gradually expanded to just use colored pencil. I just strip the color out with photoshop once scanned.
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Re: blue pencil? ink? (art question)
Mon, July 10, 2006 - 10:38 PMI've just started using non-photo blue pencils for the first time, mainly because erasing is a pain. I still do my roughs in graphite and I just ordered a light box so I can trace everything over in the blue pencil. Then I'll ink. That's the process I have in mind and I'm in the middle of it right now. I think I may eventually go from the pencil roughs and then ink them on the light box. We'll see how things evolve.
