Despite my long gaps between posts, I’ve actually been very busy with my artwork. I’ve been doing practice sketches, working on new pieces and experimenting with tools, as well as acquiring new supplies. Let’s get into it.
Uni Ball Fine Liner Pens
I’ve been wanting some new fine liner pens for a long time. While I have a set of Sakura Micron pens, the ink color is Sepia and I have no use for them. And for the past few months I have been primarily focused on painting and all that goes along with it – colors, brands, techniques, etc. But one day I took a hard look at the art I was doing and realized I had moved far away from the art I originally set out to do – doodles. My art looked nothing like the kawaii doodles I aspired to make myself. I decided it was time to get back to the pen and paper doodles that inspired me in the first place.
Luckily I had already created a short list of pens that I was interested in trying. I wanted a set each of Staedtler fine liners and Uni Ball fine liners. I planned to use the Staedtler pens as my primary set and the Uni Ball as my travel pens to keep in my bag. In the end I only managed to grab a set of Uni Ball fine liners because I wasn’t able to find the Staedtler set locally and I wasn’t willing to wait for Amazon to deliver them.
Turns out I don’t need the Staedtler pens at all, because the Uni Balls are amazing. I love these pens. My favorite thing about them is that the caps have these little windows on the side that allow you to see the size of the nib without uncapping them. How cool is that?
Hard bound sketchbook
As I move deeper into learning art and creating it, I’ve had a strong desire to have a primary sketchbook to shape ideas and keep notes. Yes, I have my mini sketchbook that I carry everywhere, but I use it primarily for practice doodles. As a former writer, I’m used to collecting my thoughts in one place so I can refer back to them later. And lately I’ve been getting lots of ideas for original characters, along with important observations I’ve learned during my art journey.
Enter my new sketchbook from Michaels. It’s around 200 pages of sketch paper that I use as both a sketchbook and notebook. Now, whenever I get an idea for a character or learn something important, it can all go in the same place. I have even taped post-it notes of random drawings in its pages. I love it. I think it will one day become one of my most important art tools.
I love Kawaii Book
So I regularly like to look for other artists doing kawaii artwork. It’s a great way for me to learn how to improve my own kawaii art and also to enjoy the work of other kawaii artists. Somehow in my research I stumbled upon the book I Love Kawaii by the artist Charuca and was able to get a glimpse of some of its pages thanks to a YouTube video. I knew I had to have it and I can confidently say it was worth the buy. The book doesn’t teach you how to draw kawaii art, which is often (disappointingly) the only books i can find related to kawaii art. Instead this book showcases the art of some of the best kawaii artists from around the world, including the author herself. Having a collection of kawaii art that I can enjoy and study anytime I want without having to open some folder on a digital device is so nice. I hope I can find more books like this in the future!
Molotow One4All Acrylic Pens
In a previous post I talked about how I have started to use my Posca pens again after previously saying I wouldn’t use them anymore. While researching other acrylic paint pen brands I learned about the brand Molotow. I decided to buy a few to try them out. Unfortunately I regret getting them. It’s not that there’s anything wrong with them. They work great and function just like Posca. It’s just that I don’t think they will get much use. I think it would have been better if I waited a little longer before deciding to buy them. But, they’re here now and I’ve stored them away in the meantime until I can find a use for them.
And if you haven’t guessed, I used some of my new supplies to create the featured sketch in this post (see below!) The Uni Ball pens were used for the line art, along with a touch of acrylic paint for the character dressed in pink. I think it turned out great, much closer to the kawaii doodles I was inspired to make at the beginning of my art journey.
Aikoi.
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