{"id":889,"date":"2008-04-07T00:50:44","date_gmt":"2008-04-07T05:50:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/?page_id=889"},"modified":"2023-06-09T11:17:01","modified_gmt":"2023-06-09T15:17:01","slug":"about-my-gear","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/about-my-gear\/","title":{"rendered":"My Art Tools"},"content":{"rendered":"

Pencil<\/span>
\n<\/strong>For drawing and sketching I prefer a mechanical pencil with .5mm HB (#2) lead.\u00a0 At one time I used “professional” mechanical drafting pencils but realized that they cost way too much, and the metal really hurt my fingers.\u00a0 These days I use a really cheap lead pencil I found at the bottom of a pencil box.\u00a0 Goes to show that more expensive usually doesn’t mean better.<\/span><\/p>\n

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I like the simplicity of pencil, but obviously the sheen of the graphite makes it hard to achieve values beyond three or four steps.\u00a0 While it is possible to get a rich black, it still pales in comparison to charcoal.<\/span><\/p>\n

The mechanical pencil is still versatile, in that an artist can build up layers slowly to achieve the shadows, or use a slight hatching pattern of lines to simulate gradations of value.<\/span><\/p>\n

Since graphite has a sheen to it, it does not respond well to smudging and it also reflects light in certain angles, making it somewhat hard to photograph.<\/span><\/p>\n

Charcoal<\/span>
\n<\/strong>I use two types of charcoal, the compressed stick kind, and the kind that comes as a pencil.\u00a0 For live figure drawings, I usually prefer the stick, with its cubic structure combined with the worn down nub, an artist can get different strokes as well as sharp lines by manipulating the stick.<\/span><\/p>\n

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For my realistic renderings, I prefer General’s Charcoal pencils and use them in a methodical way.\u00a0 For the longest time I used one particular pencil until it was down to about an inch long, but\u00a0 couldn’t bear to part with it because the charcoal in it was the perfect balance of hardness\/softness with a richness in black values (you can see it appear in many Progression photos). <\/span><\/p>\n

I use many different kinds, but even from the same manufacturer and same hardness rating (Hard, Medium, Ex Soft, etc.) I just could not find consistencies amongst the charcoal.\u00a0 Some would be higher in glossy material and thus would not interact well with the other charcoal.\u00a0 I enjoy the high key contrast that one gets from using charcoal, but it’s a disciplined medium, that doesn’t respond well to erasing.<\/span><\/p>\n

Kneaded\u00a0Eraser<\/span>
\n<\/strong>About the only thing\u00a0I erase\u00a0are the pencil lines\u00a0after I’ve inked a drawing.\u00a0 For me, I’ve found that erasing with something like a pink hard eraser ruins the texture of\u00a0the paper, but I always keep a kneaded eraser handy.\u00a0 This is an art\u00a0class favorite, and\u00a0the\u00a0kids like it because it’s like silly putty.\u00a0 Since it’s not tough enough to erase black charcoal marks,\u00a0I mostly use it for touch ups.\u00a0 I’ve\u00a0always found it better to draw around something that should be white or a highlight, instead of\u00a0erasing it afterwards.\u00a0 This takes a little planning ahead on the artist’s part.\u00a0 An example is a stray strand of hair with light hitting it, or the specular highlight in someone’s eyes.\u00a0 It’s better to draw around the light spot and use the eraser to dab it again to get a more\u00a0natural look. <\/span><\/p>\n

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Chalk<\/span>
\n<\/strong>I’ve used for a couple of drawings, handmade red chalk.\u00a0 These are based on the same formula that the Renaissance masters used.\u00a0 This medium is hard to use as well, as it requires good decision making.\u00a0 It’s tempting to get caught up in mimicking the diagonal hatching of the masters, but it is such a pleasing drawing style that one can’t help but use the medium in that way.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Ink Pen<\/strong><\/span>
\n For inking my line drawings, I mostly\u00a0use Pilot Precise V5’s, which are basically .5mm writing pens you can buy anywhere.\u00a0 I sacrifice the ability for line variation that I would get from a calligraphy pen or a brush, but this is just a simple tool that I prefer.\u00a0 It holds a nice crisp edge, which I need for when I scan the inked drawing in the computer.\u00a0 For large blocks of black, I use a simple marker.\u00a0 On an aesthetic level I like the different designs of markers.\u00a0 Some, like the ones we use to scribble on mailing boxes, look a little too utilitarian.\u00a0 The Japanese markers however look slick and instills a somewhat confidence to the mark making.<\/span><\/p>\n

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To add an uncertainty and randomness to the lines, I still use nibs and quills with India or drafting\u00a0ink.\u00a0 The level of detail depends on the nib itself, allowing for lines that almost no scanner or camera can adequately\u00a0capture.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"w_b-vong.com_drawing_brenda_1_1\"<\/span><\/p>\n

Drawing Paper<\/span>
\n<\/strong>For the pencil drawings and pen and ink drawings, I use the regular old 18×24″ paper from any art store.\u00a0 It is affordable and I use either pure white or off white.<\/span><\/p>\n

Stonehenge Paper<\/span>
\n<\/strong>For my realistic black and white charcoal drawings, I’ve been using Stonehenge paper for many years now.\u00a0 It comes in sizes of 30×44″ and 40×50″.\u00a0 It’s a relatively difficult medium to work in (on) due to the paper’s tooth (surface) and also its oversized format.\u00a0 But for some reason I just liked its bright white tone, and how charcoal reacts to it, making some images jump off the page.\u00a0 Like my charcoal pencils, there are variations to this paper, and have found that the back or\u00a0 front of the paper matters.\u00a0 In some drawings, the charcoal responds well to it, and I can carry the momentum from start to finish.\u00a0 Other batches of the paper, it’s hard to work with, and can become a chore when rendering with 3 different charcoal pencils, cotton swabs, and sandpaper.<\/span><\/p>\n

I also like this paper, because it photographs well.\u00a0 The white point can be set to the white of the paper, and that compresses the levels of the digital file to give it that optimum high contrast look, that I personally like.\u00a0 Charcoal drawings are relative, as you’ll see that drawings take on other forms when moved from different light sources.\u00a0 View a drawing indoors under incandescent light, under a flourescent drafting table light, and outdoors, and you can see if the artist’s intent holds up.<\/span><\/p>\n

Working on this paper does have its drawbacks.\u00a0 I’ve found it next to impossible to erase.\u00a0 Now I normally don’t erase in any of my drawings, but there does come a time when “CTRL+Z UNDO” is needed in real life.\u00a0 This paper has memory of the physical creases that are caused by the pencil marking the page.\u00a0 If I’ve messed up a drawing, or if it’s headed down the track of “unsuccessful” I usually just tear up the paper and start over.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The sheer physical size of the paper is taxing.\u00a0 In a real drawing (as in the act of drawing) the artist usually moves all over the picture plane, making marks everywhere.\u00a0 This paper, being somewhat expensive, I save for my realistic figure drawings, and have to work on it in a methodical way.\u00a0 Since a person’s head, face, etc, is almost always near the top of the page, using this paper forces a person to hunch over the drawing paper, and then work down slowly to avoid unnecessary marks.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Newsprint<\/strong><\/span>
\nNewsprint has been the bane of all art teachers and art students for many years.\u00a0 Relegated to “practice” drawings, I don’t think many people (professors included) realize its potential.\u00a0 Most of the art elite don’t like newsprint because of its low shelf life, its acidic content, and of course its cheap price.\u00a0 When the warm up figure drawings are done, the student is supposed to pull out the “fancy” paper and do a finalized drawing. <\/span><\/p>\n

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I actually prefer newsprint due to its smooth finish,\u00a0 which is suitable for\u00a0finger smudging\/blending right on the sheet.\u00a0 With a soft charcoal (2B) it’s almost effortless to get a calligraphic stroke for the pose of a model, and then marks and smudges that become the core shadow on something like a muscle, torso, or cheek.\u00a0 When art students switch from practice newsprint to drawing paper, they’ll find that the two are very\u00a0different, with different types of mark making needed.<\/span><\/p>\n

Colored Paper<\/strong><\/span>
\nI like to use on occasion colored fine art paper with a tooth (grain).\u00a0 Having been through the nonsense that is art school, I’ve tried out all brands and realized that they charge way too much for a single sheet of paper.\u00a0 Granted, an artist can charge 1000 times more than the cost of his materials, but that’s usually after you die, so I digress…<\/span><\/p>\n

For the many brown paper drawings, I use Canson Mi-Teintes Bisque paper.\u00a0 I’ve found that this paper responds really well to black charcoal pencil and white charcoal for the highlights.\u00a0 Since there is a tooth (vertical grain), I have to employ hatching and other types of mark making to render values.\u00a0 Blending with a finger or stump doesn’t work too well, but the contrast and visual pop make this paper one of my favorites.<\/span><\/p>\n

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I usually draw with a piece of copier paper that goes between my hands and the paper, and for this Canson, it’s a must.\u00a0 For some reason this paper really doesn’t take well with the oils in your skin.\u00a0 I’ve made the mistake of eating potato chips and working on a bisque drawing and realized that the\u00a0grease always finds a way on to the page.<\/span><\/p>\n

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With this medium, I can work fairly quick and the intermixing of white and dark is engaging for me.\u00a0 It is easy to render form and create images with pop as well as texture.\u00a0 On a technical note, I’m sure some photographers out there notice that every time I post a Bisque drawing, the browns are always a different saturation.\u00a0 Again, just my choice of how I want a physical drawing to be displayed in a digital format.\u00a0 A real photographer would calibrate my shooting area and get the white balance correct, but hey I’m not a real photographer. \ud83d\ude09<\/span><\/p>\n

Digital<\/strong> <\/span><\/p>\n

For coloring my pen and ink drawings, I’ve used Photoshop for many years now.\u00a0 I scan the large drawings in sections, put them back together and with some brightness and contrast adjustments I can have a pretty clean file in which to do overlayed\/multiplied color drawings.<\/span><\/p>\n

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These 3-step drawings take a little while to do, but as a digital artist, one is blessed with the ability to never have to buy paints or mess up your jeans painting.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"w_bvong_about_art_1.jpg\"<\/p>\n

What few sketchbooks I had in my youth ended up being thrown away.\u00a0 In this modern age, I think it is really nice to have a digital sketchpad, like Sketchbook Pro on the iPad or Mischief on a Surface Pro–unlimited paper and crayons.
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\n<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Pencil For drawing and sketching I prefer a mechanical pencil with .5mm HB (#2) lead.\u00a0 At one time I used “professional” mechanical drafting pencils but realized that they cost way too much, and the metal really hurt my fingers.\u00a0 These days I use a really cheap lead pencil I found at the bottom of a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":19431,"parent":0,"menu_order":2,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"class_list":["post-889","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","post","post-with-thumbnail","post-with-thumbnail-large"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/PelE0-el","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":42853,"url":"https:\/\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/aboutme\/","url_meta":{"origin":889,"position":0},"title":"About","author":"Boon.Vong","date":"December 21, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Hello! Sabaidee! Konnichiwa! Thank you for visiting my website!\u00a0 I'm an artist & professional photographer from the metro Atlanta, GA area.\u00a0 I've been drawing since I was a kid, into tech and computers since I was a teen, and have enjoyed photographing people and places for over 25 years. In\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Business-Cards-25-01-Boon-Vong.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Business-Cards-25-01-Boon-Vong.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Business-Cards-25-01-Boon-Vong.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Business-Cards-25-01-Boon-Vong.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":31465,"url":"https:\/\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/work\/","url_meta":{"origin":889,"position":1},"title":"Work \/ Resume \/ Skills","author":"Boon.Vong","date":"October 5, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Work \/ Resume \/ Skills Boon Vong - Atlanta Based Artist, Photographer, Visual Designer boon@b-vong.com\u00a0 \u00a0|\u00a0 \u00a0www.b-vong.com\u00a0 \u00a0|\u00a0 \u00a0678-777-4067 BFA Drawing and Painting, The University of Georgia Skills in Drawing, Photography, Design, and Computers. Keen interest in Art, Music, Cinema, Pop Culture, and Technology. Volunteered and Independently documented the Metro\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/cover_image_work_b-vong.com_.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/cover_image_work_b-vong.com_.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/cover_image_work_b-vong.com_.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/cover_image_work_b-vong.com_.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"rttpg_featured_image_url":{"full":["https:\/\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/04\/bvong_drawing_stranger_6_4-450x3001.jpg",450,300,false],"landscape":["https:\/\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/04\/bvong_drawing_stranger_6_4-450x3001.jpg",450,300,false],"portraits":["https:\/\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/04\/bvong_drawing_stranger_6_4-450x3001.jpg",450,300,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/04\/bvong_drawing_stranger_6_4-450x3001.jpg",290,193,false],"medium":["https:\/\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/04\/bvong_drawing_stranger_6_4-450x3001.jpg",450,300,false],"large":["https:\/\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/04\/bvong_drawing_stranger_6_4-450x3001.jpg",450,300,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/04\/bvong_drawing_stranger_6_4-450x3001.jpg",450,300,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/04\/bvong_drawing_stranger_6_4-450x3001.jpg",450,300,false],"post-thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/04\/bvong_drawing_stranger_6_4-450x3001.jpg",450,300,false],"vantage-thumbnail-no-sidebar":["https:\/\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/04\/bvong_drawing_stranger_6_4-450x3001.jpg",450,300,false],"vantage-slide":["https:\/\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/04\/bvong_drawing_stranger_6_4-450x3001.jpg",450,300,false],"vantage-carousel":["https:\/\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/04\/bvong_drawing_stranger_6_4-450x3001.jpg",272,182,false],"vantage-grid-loop":["https:\/\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/04\/bvong_drawing_stranger_6_4-450x3001.jpg",408,272,false],"yarpp-thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/04\/bvong_drawing_stranger_6_4-450x3001.jpg",120,80,false],"sow-carousel-default":["https:\/\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/04\/bvong_drawing_stranger_6_4-450x3001.jpg",272,182,false],"sow-blog-portfolio":["https:\/\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/04\/bvong_drawing_stranger_6_4-450x3001.jpg",375,250,false],"sow-blog-grid":["https:\/\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/04\/bvong_drawing_stranger_6_4-450x3001.jpg",450,300,false],"sow-blog-alternate":["https:\/\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/04\/bvong_drawing_stranger_6_4-450x3001.jpg",450,300,false]},"rttpg_author":{"display_name":"Boon.Vong","author_link":"https:\/\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/author\/admin\/"},"rttpg_comment":0,"rttpg_category":null,"rttpg_excerpt":"Pencil For drawing and sketching I prefer a mechanical pencil with .5mm HB (#2) lead.\u00a0 At one time I used “professional” mechanical drafting pencils but realized that they cost way too much, and the metal really hurt my fingers.\u00a0 These days I use a really cheap lead pencil I found at the bottom of a…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/889","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=889"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/889\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19431"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=889"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}