Paper Chase

 I'd mentioned previously that it was time to put aside my worries about wasting expensive paper in the pursuit of improving my drawing skills and just use it.

The universe works in mysterious ways since my first foray into heavier stock was to be in the Moleskine Folio series of journal and it turned out to be an extremely illuminating if frustrating experience.

Imagine my shock to discover that erasing pencil lines from the ivory coloured paper also erased the ivory colour of the paper. I was stunned. Never in my life have I seen this happen. Flipping to a fresh page I tested the eraser on a spot without any pencil lines, and the eraser granules that were shed had a curious yellow hue to them (graphite being erased turns them shades of grey).  Days later I am still stunned. 

This is only the half of it. It's one thing for paper to be of dubious colour while stating it's archival qualities, it's entirely another thing to coat it in a substance that continuously clogs up a pen nib. Anyone who uses nibs will attest to the fact that residue from the paper will inevitably muck up the end so you need to clean it regularly. Imagine if you also have a strange colouring agent now also being scratched off the surface of the paper you are working on to deal with. I was not a happy illustrator.

I had read the almost universal disappointment by journal affectionatos that the manufacture of their beloved Moleskine books had been moved offshore to China, but had ignored any concerns as the lightweight floppy journals I used did not seem to be affected ....at least to my eye. They did the job I required of them very well, thank-you.  I can't say the same about the Folio series of books. 

These journals command a fairly hefty price and rely upon a long, positive history of the company to sell the product. It is stunning to discover that a company that is so highly regarded would allow such a poor quality item to be marketed under it's banner. I can not emphasize enough how disappointed I am in this journal and warn illustrators to not waste their money on Moleskine. 

The flip side to the story is that I had already ordered a variety of sketchbooks from the American company Stillman & Birn.  The arrival of the Alpha, Gamma and Epsilon journals was a watershed moment for me as for the first time my extra fine desk fountain pens were the exact same width as the Sakura Micron 005. Up until this point the paper created feathering/bleeding with the inks that rendered them all different widths and the lack of consistency was aggravating. Now I can delegate the disposable Micron pens back to my pencil case and travel duties, focusing on nib pens at my desk.

The surface of the Epsilon journal is particularly accepting of the extreme fine lines of my drawing style and medium of choice, having been designed for ink.  The Alpha & Gamma books have a rougher surface than the Epsilon, the only difference between them is the latter is ivory in colour. The first thing I did was take an eraser to the Gamma paper and am happy to announce that the colour remained on the page. Those books are designed for wet work and while I will use permanent inks in them I will probably experiment more with watercolour pencils and other mediums that use a brush as the grain of the paper is almost too course for the tiny tip of my pen to work extensively on. This is not a criticism. The paper is intended for thicker nibs and brushes and will be a pleasure to work in,  but for the extra fine work I will continue to use the Epsilon paper and look forward to the other ink intended series, the Zeta line, being released in a few weeks.

 The irony of course is that the Stillman & Birn jounrals of the same size are of a MUCH HIGHER QUALITY than the Moleskine but cheaper AND made in the USA. 

I could pontificate about corporate practices of outsourcing production offshore to maximize profits of the bottom line to the detriment of the products reputation, but I won't bother. It's a fact of life these days and comes down to the customer to speak with their wallet. If we allow ourselves to think that the culture of cheap is a good thing while lamenting that the only jobs left are the poorly paying ones then we have no one to blame but our collective selves. Quantity does not trump quality. 20 cheap, ill-fitting, poor material shirts stuffed into ones' closet are not better than 2 well made ones that will last you years, in particular if you start to do the math of how many times you wear them.

Before you drop your dollar on a product do your research. Name brands are just are just expensive words if they are manufactured based on cost cutting. The flip side to this coin is that cheap is exactly what it says. You don't need a dozen of something to be happy if one good thing works well. Buy less but buy the best you can, and if you like it spread the word.

If you can't buy local at least buy smart.

#108 of 365 Daily Drawings

Inspiration: Discovering the style exists outside of the Metaverse

Result: Cyber goth

Materials: Pentel 0.3 HB, Sailor Desk Fountain pen Extra fine in a Moleskine Folio journal ( 21 cm 30 cm / 8 1/4" x 11 1/4")

Paperous pontification

 I had an epiphany at some point in December, when I had attempted to draw with the OHTO graphic liners ~ all papers do not react similarly to different inks.

As mentioned previously, I have become a little too reliant upon Sakura Micron pens. In particular the 005 which produces a brilliantly fine line ...at least for a little while.

In hindsight the Faber Castell SX is not on par with the this pen, at least in the journal I use for this sketching/daily doodling project. While it IS does produce a fine line on 32lb paper that I sampled it upon, it did not work as well with the Moleskine paper, which although smooth, is probably 19 lb stock and immediately renders the ink in the FBSX the equivalent of 02. EEP!

The same happened with the OHTO graphic liners, the paper draws too much ink causing feathering of the lines to a thickness that works against my style of drawing. The Platinum Carbon Desk fountain pen & Sailor Desk Fountain pen Extra fine, work very well but suffer a similar fate, bleeding to be more of a 01 rather than a 005 in this journal.... so I have found myself at a point where I need to start exploring other surfaces.

For this particular project I may or may not continue with the Moleskine cashier journal for consistency and convenience (sucking it up and chewing through 005 Microns)...however I have begun the process of sourcing other papers, and ironically the best way to start is to read internet calligraphy forums. If there is one thing I have learned about online culture, it is that people with common passions just can't not share their experiences and opinions upon a subject with tremendous enthusiasm. It really is one of the most brilliant things about the www. Not only do they make recommendations, but often times will display images of various inks and nibs samples scratched across a particular papers in order to demonstrate their reviews. My gratitude to fountain pen geeks knows no bounds. Their analysis is not less valuable to an artist than it would be to a scribe :)

At issue now will be tackling my lifetime of not wasting really good materials on scriblings. All these daily drawings I am doing are not polished pieces of work. They are elaborate doodles at the best of times...but if I am going to learn to work in this medium I need to allow myself to neuter the habit of hording the pricier materials for that mythical day in the future when I will be good enough to use them. I have to allow myself to make mistakes on good paper. I'm not perfect. I will never be perfect. I am not aiming for perfection and I certainly can't take the perfect paper with me when I die so what the Hell am I not using it for?

Have I mentioned that I harbor a lot of idiocy with myself or did you just come to that conclusion on your own?

It's just as well that I am having my hand forced in this matter because my intentions in 2013 are to not just do a doodle a day, but work toward actual proper finished pieces, on a larger scale than the Moleskine journal affords ...as well as explore working with fountain pens (both cartridge and dip).

I will start with the Moleskine Folio book I have at hand as I'm waiting upon the delivery of  the  Stillman & Birn notebooks (Alpha, Gamma and Epsilon series respectively)  and eyeballing the lovely pads of Japanese Holbein KENT pads that I purchased from the North American distributor showing at NYCC in October. I haven't used those as they were just trying them out at the show and the paper is NOT available anywhere outside of Japan on a regular basis ...yet. While my inner horder screams 'NO, don't do it!'...my new, improved, sense of creativity says, 'If you love the product then pick up the phone, call the distributor and place an private order'.

I will report any successes and general headbanging at a later date...

Above: #85 of 365 Daily Drawings

Inspiration: 12 Days of Christmas

Result: 6 Ducks a Laying

Materials: Pentel 0.3 HB, Sakura Micron 005 & 02 pens, in a Moleskine plain journal

Note: I did NOT want to draw the same old boring waterfowl sitting on eggs. So I present to you these hard working girls who I guarantee know all about laying.. Welcome to Chateau Canard, the original duck brothel!