So, as I've mentioned before, most of the "artwork" (term used loosely) that I create is done using digital tools: GIMP, InkScape, Scribus, MyPaint, etc. and most of them are free. So when I dove into the idea of real-world doodles, I stopped into a two-dollar shop and purchased a little coil bound notebook as well as a box of coloured pencils. Here's what I found out about cheaping out on products:
Speaking of coloured pencils, I would recommend that if you're going to buy art supplies, such as coloured pencils, that you don't cheap out. The ones I bought from the two-dollar shop seemed fine at first, but I noticed the poor quality when I tried to sharpen the pencils. I stuck the pencil in the sharpener, began twisting, and each time I pull out the pencil, the coloured lead kept breaking off. When I finally managed to keep the lead intact, I noticed that the lead actually started protruding from the top of the pencil; meaning that the lead wasn't affixed very firmly in the pencil itself!
Long story short (too late), I have decided to keep the notebook, but ditch the pencils for some better quality ones. I just got back from an art store where I purchased a pack of 24 Staedtler pencils for $10.00. If that sounds expensive, remember that this isn't the States, prices here are higher for everything. If that sounds cheap, then...ha-ha! I got a good deal!
That actually wasn't too hard to fix in that I just erased the iguana and started again. However, it would have been a lot easier if I created it digitally as all I'd have to do would be select the image portion, cut it, paste it somewhere else on the canvas, and scale it to the size I wanted. It probably would have take about six seconds in total. Instead, I had to erase the whole thing, and try again. It actually took me a few tries as well, because I wasn't happy with the second or third attempts.
The second illustration where cut and paste would have come in handy would explain the presence of the ant in the picture.
My niece, Alianna, asked if I took requests for the doodles. I mockingly said sure, as long as the doodle contains a beach scene, lopsided buildings, a dinosaur and a UFO. To which she wanted to include a penguin, iguana involved in a James Bond car chase.
Done and Done!
Towards the end of the drawing, I wanted to ensure that my niece knew that I had done this specifically for her, so I went onto Facebook, checked the correct spelling of her name, and then wrote it incorrectly on the drawing...in ink!
D'oh!
Kristie had suggested that I change one of the Ns into an A and then simply add a 2 superscript. So it would be like an N squared. But I didn't think I could make it look that good. So instead, I invented a little ant character that spelled her name improperly.
...the ant is a metaphor for my incompetence.
Duh!
Anyway, after all of that, I still like how it came out, but would love it if real life could incorporate digital tools.
Cheap-O-Joes Art-O-Rama
The coil bound notebook isn't too bad, the paper is fairly thick, not as thick as good cardstock, but good for a little doodling notebook. I did notice that when colouring on the paper there are a few noticeable etch lines defects within the paper, nothing to keep me from using it, but when you use coloured pencils you will notice that there will be some artifacts occurring on the sheet.Speaking of coloured pencils, I would recommend that if you're going to buy art supplies, such as coloured pencils, that you don't cheap out. The ones I bought from the two-dollar shop seemed fine at first, but I noticed the poor quality when I tried to sharpen the pencils. I stuck the pencil in the sharpener, began twisting, and each time I pull out the pencil, the coloured lead kept breaking off. When I finally managed to keep the lead intact, I noticed that the lead actually started protruding from the top of the pencil; meaning that the lead wasn't affixed very firmly in the pencil itself!
Long story short (too late), I have decided to keep the notebook, but ditch the pencils for some better quality ones. I just got back from an art store where I purchased a pack of 24 Staedtler pencils for $10.00. If that sounds expensive, remember that this isn't the States, prices here are higher for everything. If that sounds cheap, then...ha-ha! I got a good deal!
Real Life Needs Cut and Paste
Another thing that I've learned by delving into real-life "artwork" is that mistakes aren't as easy to correct as they are in digital format. Two issues will illustrate this. The first is you may notice that the pencil sketch doesn't match the layout of the finished product; the Iguana is not in the same place, and is much bigger in the sketch than it is in the finished product. That is because I didn't like the strange perspective that I originally drew. Basically, the iguana didn't look like it was being pulled by the car.That actually wasn't too hard to fix in that I just erased the iguana and started again. However, it would have been a lot easier if I created it digitally as all I'd have to do would be select the image portion, cut it, paste it somewhere else on the canvas, and scale it to the size I wanted. It probably would have take about six seconds in total. Instead, I had to erase the whole thing, and try again. It actually took me a few tries as well, because I wasn't happy with the second or third attempts.
The second illustration where cut and paste would have come in handy would explain the presence of the ant in the picture.
My niece, Alianna, asked if I took requests for the doodles. I mockingly said sure, as long as the doodle contains a beach scene, lopsided buildings, a dinosaur and a UFO. To which she wanted to include a penguin, iguana involved in a James Bond car chase.
Done and Done!
Towards the end of the drawing, I wanted to ensure that my niece knew that I had done this specifically for her, so I went onto Facebook, checked the correct spelling of her name, and then wrote it incorrectly on the drawing...in ink!
D'oh!
Kristie had suggested that I change one of the Ns into an A and then simply add a 2 superscript. So it would be like an N squared. But I didn't think I could make it look that good. So instead, I invented a little ant character that spelled her name improperly.
...the ant is a metaphor for my incompetence.
Duh!
Anyway, after all of that, I still like how it came out, but would love it if real life could incorporate digital tools.
 |
| Pencil Sketch |
 |
| Ink |
 |
| Colour |
Post a Comment