art process: testing pens

Every illustrator has their favourite medium, and mine is pen and ink. I love the fluid colours of digital art and the temperamental, surprising whims of watercolour, but my heart belongs to the simple beauty of the ink line. 

"The Dot and the Line: A Romance in

Lower Mathematics", Chuck Jones, 1965

My favourite tools are the Kuretake and Pentel brush pen, two workhorses of the comic book world. I have used them both for years in my own comics, as well as various sketchbooks.

The brush pens are meant to imitate traditional Chinese and Japanese calligraphy brushes. Prolific artist and illustrator Yuko Shimizu uses a Japanese brush with Japanese sumi exclusively. This ink is made by burning pine soot and mixing with a glue binder, and is also often used in tattoos.

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I was inspired and wanted to try some new tools. Jackson's Art here in the UK has an amazing range of drawing and painting tools, and their Asian art section especially is surprisingly well stocked with calligraphy materials. So I not only was able to find brushes for sumi ink, I found a whole new range of brush pens.

From left to right: Kuretake No. 85, No. 7, No. 90; Akashiya "Koto" pen with washi paper wrapping; Akashiya "Sharaku" medium No. 6 synthetic brush; Akashiya "Fit Grip" Thin No. 8; Kuretake "Kumatori" medium wash brush and Akashiya Dai-Setsumu natural hair calligraphy brush. I couldn't wait to try them out.

For the inking test, I had the idea to use an intricate stamp in a pale colour and stamp it several times for consistent results. Since I had eight different tools, I stamped this pair of wings four times and inked each wing.

Here are the brush pens with the top row of fully inked wings. I thought all the pens made a beautiful line, but my favourite is the first one, the No. 85.

Kuretake "Mannen Mouhitsu Shakyo-yo" No. 85

It has a richly variegated line that ranges from a thick black to a delicate hairline, giving the work a three-dimensional, tactile quality. It comes with two cartridges of pigmented ink, which is waterproof after being left overnight.

Kuretake "Hoso-Taku" No. 7

The Kuretake No. 7 is a pen with a small, firm tip, giving a more consistent fine line. It's good for drawing backgrounds and architectural details. It's also a nice sage green colour that's easy to pick out in your pen case. The ink in this pen is water-soluble and has a little bit of sheen that reflects the light.

Kuretake Shakyo Fude Pen "Kabura" No. 90

The Kuretake No. 90 is a disposable pen, not a refillable cartridge version like the previous two. It's flexible and soft like the No. 85 although not as easy to control, and its ink is completely waterproof.

The Akashiya Koto Brush Pen is also disposable, with a beautiful washi paper wrapping around the body. It's as delicate and nice to use as the Kuretake No. 85, although the ink is water-soluble, not waterproof.

When seen together the difference in the line drawings is subtle but noticeable. They all have slightly different effects. Some might like the consistency of the No. 85 or the waterproof nature of the No. 90. I like the expressiveness and range between black and white of the Akashiya and especially the No. 85.

In the end, I only tried out the brush pens. The brushes are a brand new tool and will take some practice before I can draw in the same detail. Watch out for the posts, we will reveal the results soon!