# What traditional materials do you use?



## keylionpie (Jul 16, 2013)

Please reply on my journal: No please reply here
I'm really interested in learning and growing as an artist


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## Arshes Nei (Jul 16, 2013)

No. I think people should reply here. This is a forum for discussion, not more views for your journal.

I have use pencils, colored pencils, markers. I have tried acrylics but they're my least favorite medium because they dry too fast. I have used oils and I also like using watercolors. 

Charcoal I also have little patience for though I am starting to get the hang of it. As far as inking I've been trying to steady my hand and use my arm more with sable brushes, though I admit to using lazy tech pens.


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## Fallowfox (Jul 16, 2013)

I replied on your journal. But I'll reply here too I guess.

I predominantly use ballpoint pen and fineliner. Whilst these are cheap, non-messy and quick media to use for the execution of a drawing I often face challenges with saturation, over-emphasis of texture and consistency in colouration. 

I also paint with acrylics on cardboard, which is fast and relatively cheap. I used pencils chalk or charcoal for primitive under drawings in such paintings.


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## HungryWolf (Jul 16, 2013)

I use prismacolor markers, and high quality color pencils.
All from* Blicks.*


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## Umbra.Exe (Jul 16, 2013)

I tend to just use a mechanical pencil, sometimes a regular pencil if I can't find the other one. I bought a brush pen to practice with too, but I haven't used it yet.
I've practiced with charcoals before, too, but I'm not a big fan of the mess.

Does clay count as a "traditional material" too, or are we only talking about drawing and painting?


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## Arshes Nei (Jul 16, 2013)

Umbra.Exe said:


> I tend to just use a mechanical pencil, sometimes a regular pencil if I can't find the other one. I bought a brush pen to practice with too, but I haven't used it yet.
> I've practiced with charcoals before, too, but I'm not a big fan of the mess.
> 
> Does clay count as a "traditional material" too, or are we only talking about drawing and painting?



I think it should, I remember how much you get better drawing by sculpting. Are you using regular clay or sculpty?


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## Aleu (Jul 16, 2013)

I use colored pencils for the most part. Prismacolor are nice in terms of blending but they just...break so damn easily. I spend more time sharpening the damn things than I do coloring with them.


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## Arshes Nei (Jul 16, 2013)

Aleu said:


> I use colored pencils for the most part. Prismacolor are nice in terms of blending but they just...break so damn easily. I spend more time sharpening the damn things than I do coloring with them.



You shouldn't sharpen prismas like regular pencils- long thin points are very bad. If you can you want to go to places that allow you to select individual pencils due to bad wood grain or centers. It probably got buried and mutilated here but I have done colored pencil tutorials.

One of which is if you're going to sharpen them - I found using a 2 holed sharper instead of electric ones work a bit better. Use the larger/wider hole. Basically you want to make a wide base with a short sharp point for less breakage. Since pencils are more wax and not graphite it creates better support. Long thin points are bad.







You can also use an exacto knife to shave them. 

Essentially you want to keep it mostly wood, and short point for the wax part, does that make sense?


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## Ley (Jul 16, 2013)

HungryWolf said:


> I use prismacolor markers, and high quality color pencils.
> All from* Blicks.*



Blick is amazing.

I use a 24 back of prismas, india ink pens and cardstock paper for my traditional drawings. At times, I love stretched canvas and acrylics, though. Charcoal too.



Arshes Nei said:


> You shouldn't sharpen prismas like regular  pencils- long thin points are very bad. If you can you want to go to  places that allow you to select individual pencils due to bad wood grain  or centers. It probably got buried and mutilated here but I have done  colored pencil tutorials.
> 
> One of which is if you're going to sharpen them - I found using a 2  holed sharper instead of electric ones work a bit better. Use the  larger/wider hole. Basically you want to make a wide base with a short  sharp point for less breakage. Since pencils are more wax and not  graphite it creates better support. Long thin points are bad.
> 
> ...




I did not know that :O To be fair, I do use an exacto to sharpen them a little but I didn't know the long thin point thing was bad. Huh.


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## Willow (Jul 16, 2013)

Pencil, pen, and paper. I used to use colored pencils all the time but most of them are either broken or so tiny you can't really use them and I just haven't replaced them yet. 
I also tried painting once or twice with some cheap acrylic. Not a fan. 

Also would building and sewing count as traditional?


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## Rivers Bluetail (Jul 16, 2013)

Lately I've really liked using charcoal sharpened so you have about an inch and a half of charcoal sticking out, then you hold the pencil underhand. Its weird to get used to but its great for flowing in sketches quickly.


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## Aleu (Jul 16, 2013)

Arshes Nei said:


> You shouldn't sharpen prismas like regular pencils- long thin points are very bad. If you can you want to go to places that allow you to select individual pencils due to bad wood grain or centers. It probably got buried and mutilated here but I have done colored pencil tutorials.
> 
> One of which is if you're going to sharpen them - I found using a 2 holed sharper instead of electric ones work a bit better. Use the larger/wider hole. Basically you want to make a wide base with a short sharp point for less breakage. Since pencils are more wax and not graphite it creates better support. Long thin points are bad.
> 
> ...


I never use an electric sharpener for anything so there's no worries there. I do have a two opening sharpener, literally exactly like that one in the picture. I didn't know about the narrow point thing. I'm going to have to get used to that I guess. Non-narrow point drives me insane.


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## Arshes Nei (Jul 16, 2013)

Yeah keep in mind that the lead is more like crayon than regular graphite. You can even repair loose leads by letting your pencils sit out in the sun so the lead melts back into the casing.

That or you could get a lead holder if the lead is thick enough, but it may break if gripped too tightly by the lead holder.
I'm referring to one of these:


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## RTDragon (Jul 16, 2013)

Mostly pencils, computer paper, scrap paper, colored pencils, as well as mechanical pencil for artwork.


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## TopazThunder (Jul 16, 2013)

Ooh ooh, traditional media discussion; I'm all over this. 

I'm almost exclusively a dry media artist. Graphite is probably my most familiar media and where I'm strongest, followed closely by colored pencils (I use Derwents almost exclusively, but I do like to mess around with Prismacolors as well). I also do a fair bit of ballpoint and pen work, and I especially love the control that the former gives in terms of pressure and line width. I also work in marker often enough; I mostly use Prismacolor markers and Tombow pens while dabbling a little in Copics. I also do scratchboard, although I'm way overdue in making another piece in that medium.

As far as wet media goes (other than markers) I've only ever really done watercolor; I don't particularly like how unforgiving acrylics are and I don't have a proper studio for making serious oil pieces, so. Watercolor pencils are also something I like to play around with. I'm planning in the near future to start painting and doing washes in ink though.

As for preferred surfaces, I use a lot of different types of paper depending on what I'm using. For instance, I love smooth bristol for marker and pen and Strathmore drawing paper for graphite. For a good all-around workhorse sketchbook though, I _highly_ recommend Aquabee's Super Deluxe Sketchbook:






This book has heavy sheets, so it can take light watercolor and ink washes, many layers of marker or ballpoint without bleeding through, and it also has good tooth, making it great for colored pencil and especially graphite and charcoal. 



Arshes Nei said:


> {snip}You can also use an exacto knife to shave them.
> 
> Essentially you want to keep it mostly wood, and short point for the wax part, does that make sense?



I swear by using an Exacto knife for sharpening. Not only are you less inclined to break off the tips of the pencil, but the knife gives excellent control over the shape and size of the drawing tip itself.


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## UnburntDaenerys (Jul 16, 2013)

I've got a mechanical pencil with 2H lead for sketching, an assortment of B pencils, a brush pen, some regular pens, a large assortment of markers, and some oil paints.  I need to get some good paper for the markers.  I love the oils, I need to figure out a painting setup and do a still life.


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## Umbra.Exe (Jul 18, 2013)

Arshes Nei said:


> I think it should, I remember how much you get better drawing by sculpting. Are you using regular clay or sculpty?


I use oil clay, mostly. I've used that Crayola Air-dry stuff but it kept cracking. I much prefer oil clay, been thinking about ordering some Monster Clay, too.
I haven't used Sculpey yet, but I have bought some. I'm just paranoid about baking it in the same oven we make food in. I've read that it's safe, but like I said... Paranoid. ^^;


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## xAxiom (Jul 18, 2013)

For sketching I use the Prismacolor Ebony Extra Dark pencil. I also use that for figure drawing, but for quicker poses I'll either use charcoal or a pencil made by Pierre Noire. It's like charcoal but a lot less messy and has a more solid feel. I've also been experimenting with a conte stick. I hope to get my hands on some water paints soon so I can experiment with those, but I'm also thinking about getting copic markers. As for sketchbooks I usually just buy Strathmore. Nothing too fancy but it gets the job done. I need to experiment with ink more and start using more ballpoint pens to improve lines quality and the amount of strokes I make. Usually I just use a simple mechanical pencil though. You can buy different lead hardnesses for mechanical pencils which is nice.


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## DawningFox (Jul 18, 2013)

The material I use on an average art piece is two sheets of 8.5in.x11.in printer paper, an average mechanical pencil, an eraser, an outlining marker, an ultra-fine magic marker, and high quality color pencils.



I would use better materials, but that's what I have I make due with it. Oh and the second sheet is for the colored version on my drawing. I put the second sheet over the original sketch and then trace what I can see through the paper.


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## Xubuntu (Jul 22, 2013)

I'm very picky and snoody about my art materials, so i try to only use the best. Prismacolor, Sakura, and Copic :3 All high quality materials! I also use a weighted mechanical pencil for my traditional ketches, it's very comfortable and sleek, and it makes me feel special =w=


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## Springdragon (Aug 7, 2013)

I like to use a water pen and cake watercolors. At home I like acrylics and watercolor pencils or tube watercolors, but they aren't as nearly as portable. For pencils, a plain old mechanical pencil is fine for me, so long as the lead is B and not H. Since I like to control the darkness with pressure, H pencils drive me crazy and put holes in the paper. 

I tried markers before, but I can never seem to find the right color or blend with them. I prefer paint because I can mix my own pallate as needed without having to carry a giant tub of colors that may or may not work. 

Also, I'm cheap and I have student grade acrylics, only one brush (square, flat, nylon, no. 8), normal sketch paper, and one of those 2 dollar watercolor paints from the grocery store. I tried bristol once, and it was glorious, but it's far too expensive to use on a regular basis.


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## Blue.ki (Aug 11, 2013)

Though i am primarily a digital artist i have a decent amount of traditional materials at my disposal..... this may have something to do with my addiction to new stationary and art supllies but nonetheless here are the aterials i sue brand name and all.

*Crayola Crayons*: Never underestimate the all mighty crayon it is a weapon, a symbol of hope, and super fun and nostalgic to use...... (i have a 96 pack of them on my desk)
*
Woodless Charcoal Pencils: *I have soft, medium, and hard charcoal pencils all of which i purchased from "the reject shop" (shop in Australia that works like an over glorified $2+ store) Invaluable for sketching as you can easily shade and blend with them.

*â€‹Pacer/Mechanical Pencil: *Portable and durable use it for sketches and proper artwork

*Blick Artists coloured pencils + Derwent Student grade pencils + Monte Marte Watercolour pencils: *Blick artists pencils are amazing, i prefer using them over prismacolour or derwent artist grade pencils, they blend nicely, they are soft, but not as soft as prismacolours (which feel more like soft pastels than pencils) and they produce vivid colours. I use my derwents for everyday work and i also use them in tandem with my blick pencils as they provide softer more muted colours. And The monte Marte watercolours are cheap and reliable, they produce decent colours and use decent quality pigments.

*Watercolours + Various inks: *I use various watercolours and various inks, they are fun to use, they produce amazing visual effects and work extremely well with digital art.
*
Jinhao Roller ball Pens + Baoer Inking Pens: *These pens are amazing, Jinhao produces amazing pens and the roller ball inks that are used in the pens are absolutely brilliant. Baoer roller ball pens use Jinhao inks but the actual pens themselves have great designs which give different pens different weights, also the Nibs on their Fountain pens are superb for inking. 

*Papers: *Whatever tickles my fancy.


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## Suid (Mar 18, 2015)

Black.Bold.Markers. The main two are a classic sharpie and an unbranded marker i found on roadside, makes a thinner line.


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## Floogle (Mar 18, 2015)

I usually use either an HB pencil or ball point pen in my sketchbook, along with an assortment of Sakura pens.

Outside of my sketchbook I like to use my set of Copic Sketching Markers and the Sakura "Koi" Watercolor kit, for drawing charcoal and chalk.

When it comes to painting, i much prefer Acrylics over Oils.


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