Whimsical Sketching PreClass

Welcome to class! In the video today I’ll be introducing myself – and talking a little about how class will work, and the supplies you may wish to have on hand.

Please remember – by no means do you need fancy supplies in order to draw! This class is meant to inspire you to just sit down with paper and pencil or pen and make art – no pressure, just enjoy the process and try something that might be very new to you! All the videos are in ‘real time’ – which means there’s plenty of time to just sit and draw along with me.

Before we start…a little housekeeping

I retain the copyright to the content you are learning in class. That means…

1. Do not sell or give away the concepts from my classes – you may not re-teach my instruction contained or created within these lessons.
2. Do not post a video tutorial or step by step photo tutorial of your own redraw of class content.
3. Do not repost any handouts you receive in class.

However…I love to see students making strides and taking this teaching and personalizing it with your own skills.

1. DO make your own designs and develop your own style! I love that!
2. DO gift your creations made with these techniques, of course!

At the bottom of each lesson you’ll see some ways to share your homework and ask questions, so that’ll be handy for you.

Preclass video:

Supplies

Link list is later in this post.

Papers: 

Test what you have on hand. Before starting class, I recommend trying out your papers and pens and see which feels “good” to your hand. The Copic sketchbook I am using, which seems to have since gone out of production, has a slightly “slicker” surface than the paper I use for coloring most of the time – it’s not slick like a glossy paper, but it is smooth enough for the pen to glide easily across the page. It’s about the “slickness” of color copier paper but a little thicker – and it can make sketching a little easier. So try what you have – and see what feels best to you.

Pens:

These as well can be ones you may already have. For some lessons in class I’ll use Copic Multiliners – they have nice sets of both refillable (SP) and disposable with different sized nibs. They both draw the same way – the SP has nibs that are replaceable and they can be refilled, and the disposable cannot. (But the disposable kind still last a LONG time.) I also have used Flair pens, and fine line Sharpie pens – some will go through the back on some papers, so test out your pen and paper combos so you don’t get surprised with marks on your table!

Since the creation of this class, I’ve started buying fountain pens – elegant! My affordable recommendation is the TWSBI Eco Fountain Pen, fine nib or medium.

Pencils:

Sometimes you’ll be sketching something lightly in pencil before starting the pen work. You can easily use a regular old No. 2 school pencil, usually. (Depends on your paper.) But if you’d like to invest in a more robust set of pencils, I use Staedtler pencils for affordability (Grafwood by Caran d’ache when I feel fliush!); they come in a variety of “hardness” ratings – so they’ll give you different effects from the soft “B” to the hard “H” pencils. You’re welcome to do your class lessons in pencil if you prefer, too!

Other tools

Sometimes some drawing aids can be helpful….in this class, some of the things we’ll draw can be aided by circle templates of some kind. If you’re a crafter, you might have circle punches or dies – cut out a variety of sizes, and keep both the positive and negative pieces to try out. If you don’t have tools to create the circles – you can grab a variety of round things in your home – glasses, small bowls, candles, etc. Trace around those – and they should work great.

For straight lines, a basic ruler is just fine. You’ll see me use a fancy special ruler that I got when I was a sailor. Yes, yo ho ho and a bottle of rum kind of sailing! The one I have is a Weems and Plath ruler and has angles and all sorts of things you might use – but it’s likely too fancy for most folks! There’s a much less expensive option in the supply list below – or just simply use a regular ruler and mark off some measurements.

Testing Tips

1. Make sure your pen, pencil, paper, and eraser work nicely together.
2. Test to see how fast the pen ‘dries’ on the paper – so you know if your hand will drag ink around.
3. If you want to draw out your pictures in pencil first, have typing paper handy – you can rest your hand on it to keep drawing without spreading pencil all over while you’re working.
4. Don’t overlook the inexpensive papers you have – a piece of color copier paper could be just as use-able as a fancy sketchbook!

Supplies list (summary)

• Paper or Sketchbook
• Black pens of choice
  • 0.5 SP Multiliner (refillable/replaceable nibs)
  • 0.5 Multiliner (disposable)
  • Copic Multiliner set, refillable
  • Copic Multiliners, disposable
  • Sharpie
  • TWSBI Eco
• Pencil – No. 2, or fancy Staedtler sketching pencils 
• Eraser – my favorite Prismacolor Eraser at DB  (and there’s a giant erasers category HERE)
• Circle templates in a variety of sizes – use favorite dies, or just trace round objects in your home!
• Rolling Ruler: Weems and Plath, or a basic Alvin rolling ruler