Pens
For those starting out with their sketching, pens are a good way to
getb etter faster. Using a pen makes you commit to the lines you are
throwing down. To become a great athlete it requires practice and
training…don’t fool yourself, its the same thing here. There is no such
thing as a “magic pen,” there is only the designer who has worked it out
so much that he/she produces their own magic.
Here are some pens that have proven to be great for a variety of different styles and lineweights.
Before you read on, know that this is by no means a comprehensive
list. Infact, we believe in always looking for and trying out new pens.
If you’re interested in trying out some new pens, check out Jetpens.com
Basic Ballpoint Pen
They all feel different, so you’re
going to have to dig in, buy a few, and see what you like. Fortunately,
most ballpoint pens are super cheap, so buying a few may be like buying
one of the more expensive pens on this page. I recommend Bic Ballpoint
Pens, because they’re cheap, and low commitment. You can get them at Amazon pretty cheap, or at any decent office supply store.
Ballpoint pens are the one pen in this
group with the flexibility to be applied with a varied line weight all
with the same pen. With changes in pressure while sketching, you can
sketch light guidelines and later heavier outlines all with the same
pen.
Ballpoint pens tend to bleed with most
alcohol based markers. there may be exceptions but I haven’t found any
yet. Chartpak markers (or AD Markers), however, do not bleed when
applied over or with ballpoint markers.
If you’re hell bent on using ball point
pens, try sketching lightly with the ballpoint pen, then applying the
marker. Let the marker dry and then add line weight with the ballpoint
over the markered areas.
Felt Pens/Permanent Ink Pens
Felt tipped pens, unlike their ball-pointed cousins, typically come
with a fixed line weight or tip width. This means that to achieve varied
line weight, multiple pens are required to do so.
For Beginners, this is the kind of pen we typically recommend. Why?
Well there are no mess ups with these pens. There are ways to work with
your mistakes, but a certain level of commitment and confidence is
required and generated by sketching with these pens. Just try it, and
you’ll see what I mean.
The Triplus Fineliner by Staedler used
to be one of my favorites. The tip hardly ever if at all dries out,
which I like, and they come in a variety of colors. You can get them at Amazon
Sharpies
tend to bleed with marker as well, though the bleeding I have found to
be dependent on a variety of factors. You’ll just have to test that out
for yourself. These are good for outlines and heavier line weights. They
come in a variety of lineweights and colors, so it’s up to you to
experiment and see what looks and feels good.
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I used to like these
Pilot Razor Points alot more, but now, I prefer the
Fineliner.
They are about the same, but the fineliner tens to be juicier with a
darker line. The Razorpoints don’t bleed with marker (which is always a
plus) but the fineliners do with certain brands. Again – experiment and
figure out what works best for you. My favorite paper for these is good
old
tracing paper. it’s cheap and somehow I find they look better on tracing paper.
Gel Ink Pens
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Ah, the holy grail of pens. They are expensive, but I really like
these. Of all the gel pens I have tried, these are the ones I like best.
They don’t bleed with any markers and they have a nice feel to them.
Plus, they are refillable. The downside is they are a japanese pen. If
you are lucky, you can find them in higher end or specialty book or pen
stores, but I get mine online.
Jetpens.com is a good place to start looking for these gems.
When all is said and done, it’s up to you to find what works best.
Bottom line is, find something you like and be the best at using it.
Then, if you feel comfortable, feel free to try something else. It’s
better to master one before you move on to another.
Pencils
Prismacolor brand is by far the most widely used type of pencil in id
sketching. There are two main types that you can play with. The
Prismacolor Verithin is a harder lead that allows you to do light line
work. The thicker regular Prismacolor pencils are nice to get that thick
line weight and contrast. There are a variety of colors available so
experiment with what works for you. Really, the brand isn’t critical nor
it the color, it’s all about how you use the tool to create a visually
captivating and interesting sketch or presentation.
Verithin Pencils
Verithins
are a subset of the prismacolor brand of pencil that feature a harder
core than their softer counterparts. They hold their tip fairly well and
allow you to get nice crisp lines when sharpened properly. It’s always
good practice to have a few of these on hand for adding details to your
sketches. I try to keep 3-4 sharpened and on hand for those times I need
to use them. Try them and see what you think.
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The indigo blue tend to be the de-facto standard with car designers
(correct me if I am wrong). Again, color isn’t critical, but there’s
something special about this tone.
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Brown! Yes! Again, play with the colors and see what you like. I’ve
even used violet and red pencils for sketching before. Sometimes it’s
helpful to switch tools or colors when sketching and you find yourself
in a creative rut. I find that it helps the ideas flow when some
variable changes.
Regular (Thick) Prismacolor Pencils
Prismacolor Pencils have softer lead than the
Verithin
pencils and personally I prefer them. With the regular prismacolor
pencils, you can get high contrast with lower effort. What I mean is,
you can press on the paper less than you would with the Verithin pencils
and achieve thicker and richer line weights. The softer lead also
allows for different shading techniques.
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Typically again, I limit my choices in color to
black and
indigo blue,
but feel free to experiment and find something you like. There are
several colors to choose from, but these may be the hardest to find at
times, as they are a favorite of many a designer.
Mechanical Pencils
Mechanical pencils
give you the advantage of being able to sketch with pencils on the go. I
personally hate manual sharpeners and always exclusively go for a nice
electric auto stop sharpener. They may cost more, but they are worht
every penny.
Most mechanical pencils come with standard lead refills, but with a
little bit of effort, you can find colored lead-like refills for your
mechanical pencil. Personally, I find that anything under 0.9mm in
thickness is insufficient due to incessant breaking when a little
pressure is applied. The 0.9mm leads hold up well and travel well.
Sharpeners
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To help keep your pencils sharp, choosing the right
sharpener
is key. The cost a bit more than your average manual sharpener, but
something like this (I’ve had it for 3 years now) will last a long time
and get those prismas nice and sharp and ready for the next stroke. They
are extremely useful when sharpening multiple pencils as well to have
at the ready when sketching.
Paper
Like most everything we suggest here, paper is a topic you want to
feel out for yourself. Here are a few thoughts and suggestions to get
you started… First off, let us make this claim…PAPER MATTERS! You will
quickly notice that different papers can give you different results
(even when using the same pens or pencils). The reason for this is
mainly because of the “tooth” of the paper. Some papers have more
texture or tooth while others have finer surfaces. Some pens are
absorbed better with more tooth, some are fine without much.
“Sketch Pad”
Don’t be fooled by “sketching papers” or pads. Most of the time pads
with paper that are made or labeled for sketching are actually made for
artists doing pencil, chalk, or conte crayon sketches. While these types
of pads can work great for an id sketch/idea book, they are most likely
not what you want for a presentation type sketch.
Tracing Paper
Remember back in elementary school when you would draw an airplane,
car, robot, etc, and someone would say, “WOW…did you trace that?” That
was THE question by which all kids were subjected to for judgement of
artistic ability. Now however, you have earned the ability to pull out
your
tracing paper and use it for quick overlays of ideas and sketches…we promise.
Newsprint – Paper that can save you paper!
Sometimes you want to sketch out a lot of ideas without having to
burn through lots of money of expensive paper. This is especially true
for those
students out there. One good way to have your paper go a long
way is to get some newsprint.
Newsprint
is really affordable and can often be purchased by
the roll or in large
pads. This paper is a little rough, but can allow you to workstuff out
before you go to the good stuff.
Try Smooth paper
As a suggestion, try out papers that are smooth. Usually they are
little more
expensive but very much worth it. There are a couple of
reasons why you might
want to go with a smoother paper, such as
color laser paper
or marker paper.
One reason is obvious…the smoother the paper the
smoother you will be able to
throw down lines. The second reason is for
scanning. Eventually you will probably
want to scan your sketches in to
archive them digitally. Having them on a smooth,
bright white paper will
make them much better for the scanner to read.
Analog to Digital
In our digital world it has become increasingly easier and more
feasible to do without paper. The same is becoming true with industrial
design sketching, and sketching in general. If you have the means to
sketch digitally you can save yourself a lot on pens, paper, and be a
little more efficient (control z). That being said we still appreciate a
nice sketch done the old-fashioned way!
Markers
Ah…. Choosing the right markers. I once counted how many I had and
had over 200. I promise I have less now and didn’t pay for them all. I
was obsessed for a while with markers in all their varieties. All brands
are all different, but one thing is for sure – picking the right colors
can be tough and sometimes downright intimidating.
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Let’s start with a simple black and white scale. We’ll move on to
color later on. . . (spectral purists need not read on) hehe. My
Disclaimer – I am no expert on color theory, but I have tried out alot
of markers and have learned a few tips in my tinkering.
Basic Grayscale:
Gray markers are a good starting point for playing with value, and getting used to using markers.
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This scale runs from a deep black 100% to a 10% gray to the right.
Chances are your monitor may either pick up all the subtleties of the
scale or not. Either way, think of this is as a scale of grays or values
in 10% increments. Now, you really don’t need to go buy a set of 12
grays. Here’s why – When using markers, if you let them dry a little
after applying them, then reapply some more marker, you can get a darker
value with the same marker. Works on most papers but especially marker
paper.
Really, all you need for a decent range of values is three markers,
with each marker 20% away from each other. What I mean is for example,
10%, 30%, and 50% grays or 30% 50% and 70% gray markers. Why?
Well, take a look at this sketch or any decent sketch as a matter of
fact. Now, squint your eyes and take a look at it. You should be able to
see an area of highlight where the light is the most intense (in this
case, the top of the box), a mid-tone (the left side of the cube) and a
shadow tone (the dark right side of the cube).
The shadow could be considered an even deeper value, but in this case, I have used a 70% grey marker.
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Ahhhhh that’s more like it. Pick 3 values from the grays – warm or
cool depending on your preference (personally I prefer cool grays for
most product sketches and warm grays for some special applications) Nice
and simple right? Just follow the 20% apart scheme and you should be
fine with picking the grays. The scale below represents a 70% gray, 50%
gray, and a 30% gray value scale with each 20% away from the next in
value.
Colored Markers:
With colors, you’ll need to stay within the same hue before messing
with value. By hue, I mean REDS, ORANGES, or BLUES for example. You
could also think of it as color temperature. (again, this may not be
100% correct, but it’s how I think it works)
Again, try to pick three markers that are each 20% apart in value and
represent a highlight value, midtone value, and a shadow value. You can
get a basic set of markers at
Amazon.com, and expand from there.
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So if you’re picking red markers for example, you may want to stay close to something as shown below.
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Shadow, Midtone, and Highlight values. I have a deep red, a midtone red, and a lighter pink for the highlight color.3
Depending on the brand of marker you choose, these values may differ.
I highly recommend testing the colors with markers in an art store for
example before committing to buying them online. That way, you can find
colors that are similar enough in hue and different enough in value that
all work together.
Confused? Just remember, if you’re not sure what to do:
- Squint your eyes
- Check the values
- Make sure that the markers are within the same range in hue (For colors)
- Test test test before you buy them.
So, if you’re on a budget and not planning to amass a collection of
200+ markers like I have, stick to three for each color range and
experiment. Find what works for you and use these tips to help simplify
your choice in markers.