Couple of weeks ago I talked about trying different kinds of paper with my shiny brand new Copic Sketch markers.

The contenders for this part of the experiment are two types from the Deleter line of manga papers. I love Deleter paper for its smooth surface that lends itself well to pencils and inks. I wanted to see how well it would work with Copics.

Variations on a theme in sepia, Op. 1 No. 2

First sketch is done on the Deleter comic book premium paper, plain, 110kg. (≈75lb) The second is on Deleter comic manuscript “memory” paper, 135kg. Right away it was clear to me that these papers are not conducive to blending. Maybe just barely. The first layer comes out super streaked. I was able to build up some smooth tones in subsequent layers of the same color, but mixing the colors just did not work out well.

So there ya go, cozins. I have issues with trusting labels, but in case of paper they are very accurate. :) I still love Deleter paper for use with inks, but for Copics, let’s look elsewhere!

Last month I got to contribute album design for Child’s Play CD 2008, a collection of “nerdy” music benefiting the Child’s Play charity. :) This project was so much fun to do—working off the established brand to create something new and lively. I’m proud of how it came out, and I daresay, cozins, this is one of my best work to date. :D

100% of the proceeds go directly to Child’s Play charity, so if you or a friend enjoy nerdy music, check it out! Good fun for a good cause. The music itself is 100% awesome—you can sample all of the tracks at the OneUps website. The album is available through the Penny Arcade store.

A couple of months ago I was introduced to the awesomeness that is Copic Sketch markers. Now, I’ve heard about them plenty before – people are willing to swear upon their unborn children how great these things are. But all that fell upon my deaf ears because I’ve never had an opportunity to observe them in action– until now.

Wow. It’s true what they say, cousins! These are not your regular markers. They blend, cousins. And they layer. And different colors merge together so nicely without the marker tips picking up stray color. I ain’t never seen a marker that can do that. ^_^

The only downside to these lil’ wonders is the price tag. Therefore I limited myself to 4 colors in the E (earth) range for now. It allows me to get a feel for the markers and do really nice sepia tone sketches.

I’ve had a lot of fun playing with these. The marker tip behaves like a brush, and it satisfies my desire to create in the traditional medium. It also gives an organic feel to the artwork, which is something I’ve been craving lately. (Does Copic count as traditional media?)

Variations on a theme in sepia, Op. 1 No. 1

I also played with several paper choices to see which kind is best for the markers. The first one I tried was my moleskine plain notebook. Not sure of the paper weight, but the page is pretty thin and the marker bleeds through. I could get some layers but the colors didn’t blend well at all. I’d use this paper for rough sketches only.

The other paper I tried was the fancy Copic bleedproof marker pad, 70gsm. I was surprised how thin this paper is! But it lives up to the promise—the markers didn’t bleed through, they blended very well and I got the best results with a blender than on any other paper. (Perhaps no so evident in the sketch on the right. :D) This paper was also a dream to draw on—I use light to medium pencil pressure and the paper was very responsive. I was even able to erase any stray lines without leaving grooves in the surface.

Next is a comparison of Deleter comic paper.