Drawing from Line to Life » equipment

Are my leads GRAPHITE or CARBON?

Mike Sibley — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 14:16:37 +0000

"You present drawings and drawing instruction in graphite. But the tools you use - particularly the Staedtler clutch pencils and leads are actually carbon, at least here in the US they are."
,br> This a Staedtler "problem" I'm often asked about - particularly when an artist has ordered Lumograph "graphite" but received a pack of "carbon" leads. I have in my possession elderly packs of 2mm "graphite" leads and the more recent "carbon" leads...

Choosing a Graphics Projector

Mike Sibley — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 21:21:18 +0000

A Graphics Projector is definitely a great time saver - but to be used with caution.

The best, in my opinion, is the Artograph DB300 or the more powerful DB400. Unfortunately, neither are still in production but if you find one on eBay or a similar site, seriously consider purchasing it. It's a huge and heavy beast, so you need permanent space for it, and a strong table or worktop to clamp it on to....

PROBLEM:
Some Graphics Projectors have front-silvered mirrors and others are more conventionally rear-silvered. Which do I choose?
SOLUTION:
Always choose a....

Colour Shapers

Mike Sibley — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 23:09:30 +0000

Kevin emailed to ask "I read in your book (Line to Life) that you use colour shapers sometimes for blending. I would like to buy a set but I was not aware that they came in different sizes. Could you please advise me?"

When I see a tool, however far removed from drawing, and it looks useful I just have to try it :)

Colour Shapers are intended for painters but I find then ideal for blending in tight spots. Unlike tortillons or stumps, they don't absorb much graphite...

Mounted or Unmounted paper?

Mike Sibley — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 19:22:33 +0000

I don't ever mount my drawing paper mainly because I detest any "bounce" in the paper as I'm drawing. A smooth and hard surface beneath my Mellotex means that the mark I make is the mark as I intended it - not one that sinks into a soft surface that interferes with my control. If your paper is lightweight, change to a heavier weight...

What paper do you use? Mellotex!

Mike Sibley — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 21:56:24 +0000

An artist wrote to me yesterday asking "What paper do you use". Well, I've been using Mellotex (formerly Ivorex) for almost all of my thirty professional years. Mellotex can stand an enormous amount of punishment and hardly ever suffers from raised fibres. It's smooth enough to take graduated tone with 6H and has just enough tooth to accept 6B (which I hardly ever use - I prefer 2B as my softest grade). The surface is virtually texture-free...

Drawing Boards – advice and tips

Mike Sibley — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 15:08:11 +0000

When I first began I was in the same situation that you - working on the dining room table at that time! From there I progressed to building my own drawing boards and have used Melamine-faced chipboard satisfactorily. My current draughtsman's drawing board is simply made of that too. MDF (Medium Density Fibreboard) on its own would be fine. However, for best results...

Drawing Papers and Drawing Sizes

Mike Sibley — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 22:18:57 +0000

PAPERS AND PAPER MATTERS Earlier today I was contacted by an artist who has signed up to my 10-week correspondence course – the first one I’m running at DrawSpace.com. She had a query about the Mellotex paper she had just purchased from my website’s shop. She asked: I ordered both the Super White and the [...]

Epson Counter-attack Successful!

Mike Sibley — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 23:08:24 +0000

My office workhorse Epson C66 decided to die yesterday. Annoyingly it was due to built-in obsolescence! I found a great little utility that not only solved the problem (reset the protection counter) but has opened up all sorts of money-saving goodies and improvements to the printer's use.