It's a Wash (Redux)

Previously on Ink & Snow I've covered the evolving application of water-soluble pencils/watercolor wash onto pen + ink originals, and touched on the process and technique. I'm still at it... the materials (via Dick Blick) are expanding if not the ability: recently treated myself to a deluxe set of Derwent "Inktense" water-soluble pencils, and replaced a set of Derwent "Graphitint" ones that went MIA last year (presumably walked of with a student). The painstaking process of creating new palettes is extremely useful as one can immediately see the contrasting aesthetics between the two lines. I use the color keys as a useful template by sticking them both under the sheet of plexiglass that covers the drafting table.

And posted below is the seldom-used set of "Aquatone" pencils which are a solid stick of medium, as opposed to the usual sheath of wood with most pencils, and it results in a particularly fragile tool, as evidenced by the continually breakage. This is no doubt due to a large degree with my heavy-handed approach, which also influences my choices of dip-pen to the more heavier gauge nibs.

Here's a sample of my brutal hack approach as used on a previously posted panel "Sheeple." After scanning the original pen + ink piece for digital shading and/or coloring, it gets the ol' artsy-fartsy treatment so as to be presentable for sale when I peddle my wares at the next gig. Like, for example, the upcoming annual retrospective (see 2016, 2017 and 2018).

I'll frequently go on a coloring binge and spend a few successive days moving into production overdrive: the drawing table gets leveled so as to facilitate mugs of water (I usually hold the bottle if India ink in my opposite hand when inking), and at least a dozen panels will be in various stages of completion scattered about the studio.

Oh and by the way, it finally dawned on me after all these years exactly how truly bad "Artist's Loft" brand materials are. This is the generic-level quality label that Michael's craft stores use, and I can't NOT recommend their stuff enough. In fact, I can't think of a better way to effectively crush the budding hopes and dreams of any aspiring talent than to expect them to create anything of quality using these materials. Speaking specifically here on two main items: their pencils (crappy lead that always breaks sheathed in some sort of fake wood product) and their exceptionally weak watercolor wash pencils (which you will destroy the paper well before you are able to elicit anything stronger than a bad stain from these supposedly soluble colors). This was demonstrated with brutal effectiveness in front of a few intermediate students during a class session where we had the opportunity to test-run a few different brands in a comparison/contrast. Fail.

Also, speaking of coloring comics, I had recently become aware of someone's admirable, if not amateur efforts at colorizing my work as it appeared in the newspaper. Despite recalling the many years I spent ranting about ripping off artists - not to mention the semesterly lectures to art students about intellectual property rights and the concept of copyright - I for once didn't go scorched-earth but patiently explained that, ahh, no, this ain't okay. I mean, it was actually rather touching to see someone invest so much time + effort on their side-project, and definitely they will get the first signed edition of my new coloring book whenever that comes out. Still, that's a real big no-no, especially when posted on a social media site, which, after a couple warnings, removed the work. There's a school of thought that it's better to ask for forgiveness than it is to ask for permission, but that doesn't hold up legally.