Some artists are very particular about their art materials. I’d call myself mildly particular. In my experience, your paper, paint, ink, brush, pen, etc. can work for or against you. At best, they can feel less like lifeless tools and more like collaborators that make you better.
I remember working on my graphic novel Whatever Happened to the World of Tomorrow when I seriously wondered if I’d forgotten how to draw. Nothing came out of my brush or pen right. It all looked like garbage.
Trying to diagnose how I’d completely lost my mojo, I realized that the trouble began when I switched from one brand of art paper to another. I don’t know if it was smoother, rougher, or more or less absorbent, but when I switched back to the old stuff I immediately fell back in the groove.
More recently, I painted a watercolor for my wife, Karen, for which I’d bought a sheet of premium 300-pound cold-press paper. It was literally the finest paper I’ve ever worked with. Laying down paint felt like gliding a knife through velvet butter.
I swear that paper could read my mind. We communed. It was beautiful.
You’ll notice I haven’t offered a shopping list of my ideal art supplies. That’s because mine wouldn’t necessarily be yours, and vice versa. I know professional cartoonists having very nice careers using printer paper and ballpoint pens (or digital devices). Try everything once and see what speaks to you. The right tools might be telepathic.
***
No comments:
Post a Comment