My current custom alcohol marker palette

 It's difficult to compete with the infinite colour selection available on clipstudio, but I tried to get close (while avoiding Copics, because I strongly disagree with the ridiculous prices they charge, & Ohuhu is following suit after being their main alternative for years).

It's also difficult to arrange them in consecutive or strictly linear gradients because you have to consider not only hue, but also vibrancy & even practical use. I grouped together what I imagine I'll be using for skin, & had to compromise where a colour might be a better gradient gap filler vs where it should go based on what hue dominates it's tint.

I bought a set of 80 Annlov markers, 36 JHFArt skin tone set, 36 Chotune skin tone set, 36 Chotune grey tone set, & a 120 CaliArt set.

I also bought a 180 slot desktop organizer. I wanted to have a generous selection, but I needed to stay realistic about what colours would actually be useful &/or indispensable. I wound up coming in at 174 choices & don't really feel like I left out any I really wanted. I'm keeping all the rest as spares in a closet. It seems like Chotune may be going out of business soon because their listings & customer service is very spotty & glitchy, & approx half of their markers have issues with saturation levels, being either too dark or completely colourless. I hope they don't & I reached out in hopes of helping them refine their marker sets, but no response.

In fact I reached out to all of these smaller manufacturers in similar spirit, & was equally ignored. They just don't give a fuck about doing an oz of legwork or R&D or hearing from actual artists about what we need, (ie: not including 5 hot pink markers & 6 practically black markers in their sets) among other problems.

It's crucial to have a single sheet swatch diagram, so I of course had to make one from scratch. As I was filling it in I was already seeing some colours I could have arranged differently, but simultaneously was conflicted because I would feel the same if they were in their alternative location. It comes down to being able to mindfully reference the swatches while colouring & remembering where those outliers are that can "play multiple positions".

For posterity, I'll list all the markers here, though the brand will be just as notable as the colour names, since I've seen several markers of the same name actually appear to be very different colours. So obviously there is no uniform colour bank that these marker companies are collectively choosing from, they are definitively capitalistic in that they each operate independently & ignorantly of their peers, instead of cooperating to create cohesive, comprehensive marker sets for artists. 

Anyway, here are my choices from top to bottom & right to left in that order.

Y000 dim green CaliArt 

G902 anise CaliArt

Y1 jasmine flower Annlov

Y13 champagne Annlov

Y102 barium yellow CaliArt

Y15 pastel yellow Annlov

Y107 lightning yellow CaliArt

Y204 pastel yellow CaliArt

Y2 lemon yellow Annlov

Y314 yellow CaliArt

Y3 melon yellow Annlov

YR35 cadmium yellow Annlov

Y17 deep yellow Annlov

Y325 dark yellow CaliArt

Y423 yellow orche CaliArt (lol obviously meant to be yellow ochre)

CG268 cool gray no.2 Chotune

BG01 blue grey 1 CaliArt 

CG269 cool gray no.3 Chotune

CG270 cool gray no.4 Chotune

CG1 cool grey 1 Annlov

CG271 cool gray no.5 Chotune

CG3 cool grey 3 Annlov

BG05 blue grey 5 CaliArt

CG272 cool gray no.7 Chotune

R923 dutch blue CaliArt

CG5 cool grey 5 Annlov

CG7 cool grey 7 Annlov

CG461 cool gray no.8 Chotune

E55 heron Annlov

CG273 cool gray no.9 Chotune

TG252 toner gray no.2 Chotune

TG253 toner gray no.3 Chotune

GG01 green grey 1 CaliArt

TG254 toner gray no.4 Chotune

TG255 toner gray no.5 Chotune

GG03 green grey 3 CaliArt

TG459 toner gray no.6 Chotune

GG05 green grey 5 CaliArt

TG256 toner gray no.7 Chotune

TG257 toner gray no.8 Chotune

BG1 shallow green color Annlov

G401 spectrum green CaliArt

G702 sugarcane CaliArt

YG11 lime green Annlov

YG13 vert nile Annlov

Y025 mid golden yellow CaliArt 

YG15 petite pois Annlov

G735 bronze green CaliArt

Y225 olive yellow CaliArt

B714 turquoise green light CaliArt

B815 mint green light CaliArt

B723 teal CaliArt

B635 forest green CaliArt

G15 pine tree green Annlov

G11 dark green leaf Annlov

G303 glass green CaliArt

G012 horizon green CaliArt

G13 pine lea Annlov (probably meant to be pine leaf?)

G804 yellow green CaliArt

YG1 reseda Annlov

G503 pale green CaliArt

YG2 bud green Annlov 

G715 absinthe CaliArt

YG3 grass green Annlov

G21 seacrest Annlov

YG5 palm green Annlov

G23 green ash Annlov

G53 spearmint Annlov

G434 deep olive green CaliArt

B502 turquoise blue CaliArt

B1 aqua blue Annlov

B203 pastel blue CaliArt

BG3 pale sky Annlov

B313 cloud blue CaliArt

B522 dolphin blue CaliArt

BG41 pebble blue Annlov

B21 alice blue Annlov

B13 pale blue light Annlov

B003 sky blue CaliArt

B23 light blue Annlov

B15 pthalo blue Annlov

B3 baby blue Annlov

B205 cerulean blue CaliArt

B5 indian blue Annlov

R604 pale purple CaliArt

V1 light peach Annlov

V33 pale lilac Annlov

R703 pastel violet CaliArt

R702 mauve shadow CaliArt

R614 jakaranda CaliArt

R823 lavender CaliArt

V37 violace grise Annlov

R437 wine red CaliArt

BV1 pale lavender Annlov

BV2 dark violet light Annlov (soooo...just violet?)

BV5 aster tartaricus Annlov

B234 marine blue CaliArt

BG93 petroleum blue Annlov

B77 eggplant Annlov

R30 pinky white Annlov

322 pink flamingo JHFArt

310 blush JHFArt

R20 plum flower powder Annlov

R502 medium pink CaliArt

313 rose salmon JHFArt

311 peach JHFArt

R304 pastel rose CaliArt

302 lipstick natural JHFArt

R105 coral pink CaliArt

R107 vermillion CaliArt

R207 coral red CaliArt

R35 sunset glow Annlov

R26 deep red Annlov

R37 geranium Annlov

Y903 light orange CaliArt

Y701 salmon pink CaliArt

309 tea rose JHFArt

YR12 flesh Annlov

Y503 quince CaliArt

YR13 minimum Annlov

319 light orange JHFArt

Y812 rose beige CaliArt

Y512 eggshell CaliArt

Y713 salmon CaliArt

Y505 apricot CaliArt

YR47 pumpkin Annlov

Y608 orange CaliArt

Y906 rouge orange CaliArt

Y826 terra cotta CaliArt

WG464 warm gray no.2 Chotune

WG465 warm gray no.3 Chotune

WG1 warm grey 1 Annlov

WG467 warm gray no.5 Chotune

WG03 warm grey 3 CaliArt

WG468 warm gray no.6 Chotune

WG469 warm gray no.8 Chotune 

WG470 warm gray no. 9 Chotune

332 raw silk JHFArt

333 light camel JHFArt

301 chamois JHFArt

303 camel brown JHFArt

328 africano JHFArt

E03 flax Annlov 

E53 elderberry Annlov

E02 papayawhip Annlov (should be x2 words; papaya whip)

326 baby skin pink JHFArt

Y411 cream CaliArt

E04 light color chrysanthemum Annlov

306 dark suntan JHFArt

308 dusky rose JHFArt

307 reddish brass JHFArt

E13 thin persimmon Annlov

327 caribe cocoa JHFArt

Y623 potato brown CaliArt

334 light walnut JHFArt

Y934 brun CaliArt

Y543 raw umber CaliArt

E15 mahogany Annlov

YR05 brick red Annlov

0 colorless blender (brand doesn't matter)

WG3 warm grey 3 Annlov

SG476 simple gray no.5 Chotune

SG478 simple gray no.8 Chotune

SG479 simple gray no.9 Chotune

330 eggshell JHFArt

321 pale fruit pink JHFArt 

314 silk JHFArt 

YR02 silk Annlov

304 barley beige JHFArt

YR03 skin white Annlov

305 light suntan JHFArt

R12 pear color Annlov

R13 blush Annlov

323 fruit pink JHFArt

There you have it. If anyone else has had as much time to waste compiling their palettes like this I would be very interested to take a peek. 

& If by some crazy fluke, you happen to work for an alcohol marker company, get in touch, I want to help you design an end all perfect set! 

Silas Mot from Kent Holloway's Grim Days Mystery series; Nipponji & Alcohol Markers

 

Saji vs Nipponji nibs; what's really the difference?

 I've always thought there were x3 nibs, the big spoon looking Saji nib, the mid sized school-g nib, & the skinny little maru mapping nib.

I was recently watching a Naoki Urasawa video on YouTube where he mentioned discovering the Nipponji nibs after using a Gnib for a long time 

I looked it up & found that the key hole cutout from the Saji differed from the cutout on the Nipponji, which closer resembles the Gnib cutout. I also found that where the Saji has a perfectly curved bowl shape, the Nipponji seems to have very specific bends, namely down the center line to the tip, & on the sides similar to a paper airplane.

I had to know for myself what the deal was since there's absolutely no comparison information about these anywhere online.

What did i find? Well you just saw for yourself, there's pretty much no difference.

By feel alone, the Saji is stiffer, therefore fine lines come with slightly less effort. The Nikko Nipponji feels a breath stiffer than the Tachikawa Nipponji. 

The Saji seems to be capable of slightly thicker maximum line thickness, though it takes more pressure to reach the maximum vs both Nipponji. 

The Saji also seems to allow ink to run more freely, which has pros & cons. This may be ideal with thicker inks, but could be tragic with thinner inks.

If I had to pick one (I did actually, since I keep x3 nibs holders on my pen carousel, the maru, the g, & now the Nikko Nipponji) it would be the Nikko Nipponji for purely ethereal reasons. I'm keeping them all & will probably use them as spares if I run out of my faves & have to wait extra long for shipping new stock.

Try them for yourself & let me know if you discover a subtle difference I missed.

SOLVED: getting the "architect's angle" drawing surface for cheap.

I had a really nice cheap led board, just a thin led light table, & I was trying to think of a way to get it at the proper tilt because it was the perfect size; 13x18.

I got lazy & ordered a $60 desktop angle adjustable drawing table. It didn't work for me at all, the lowest setting was flat. The 2nd lowest was 70°, the 3rd was 80, & 4th was 90! & It was 16" tall, so 1" of your comic pages would hang over the edge.

I just need a casual 25° lift on that back end to ease proportion warp & eye strain, not to mention to avoid overkilling your wrist angle with the steeper grades.

I returned the desktop table & kept thinking, what could I use that's cheap, readily available, easy to assemble & use, easy to adjust, self-leveling, & disposable!?

Impossible ideal right? Well you already own it. Too good to be true? The answer was a roll of paper towels.

You probably keep a roll nearby for cleaning your nibs or brushes, all you need now is a thin sturdy surface you can lean on the towel roll on top of any flat table to make the perfect angled drawing surface.

I wanted my surface to meet the edge of the table, so I taped a flat wood stick to the edge. There's nicer ways to accomplish the same purpose, but Im happy with it, it's a great return for practically zero effort.

Theres products on Amazon going for $100s just to give you the "architects angle", lifting the top of your canvas 3" up. 

Just use a roll of towels✌️👍

Senku & Mayuri

 

SOLVED: Dry Pens & Markers? No Problem!

Artists need to be able to create the moment they're inspired & have their tools reliably last all the way through every session. 

Dry brush pens, acrylic pens, fountain pens, markers, (& even dip pens if you need to take a 15 sec break) are a show stopper.

They all come with a cap. This makes sense because without a cap, they'd mark up whatever they bumped into, the tip may get damaged, or someone could get severely poked. AND, they would dry out because those tips are basically like the opening on a bucket of paint. Leave that sitting with no lid & it'll dry just the same.

But in case you never checked, tons of those pen & marker caps have holes in them. Go ahead, blow into your favorite. Can you? Then you've got holes. Why do so many companies manufacture their caps with holes? The answer must be profound because I can't even fathom.

What's the fix? Bit of tape? Epoxy? Maybe to the 1st, & eh can't be bothered to buy & mix it to the 2nd. 

I decided to just stick an old dirty piece of Kneaded Eraser on the end, instant, perpetual, removable, relatively durable, airtight seal. 👍✌️

SOLVED: ruler ink smears & smudges.

 If you've ever tried to ink some gutter lines on a comic page or any straight line with a ruler, & wound up with infuriating feathered ink smudges when removing your ruler, this post is for YOU!

I found a work around to this problem. Yeah, some rulers have a bevel, & it is an option to just flip that ruler 'upside down', leaving the beveled side down & keeping a small gap between the paper & the ruler edge...but some rulers are only beveled on one side, or not at all.

Here's what you can do to any ruler to keep all your edges useable & evenly gapped off the drawing surface: buy a roll of double sided tape, cut a few small pieces & stick them to the corners of your ruler, on both sides. (DON'T remove the piece of plastic covering the other adhesive side of the tape.) Then place a few extra where you feel the ruler flex, this is usually halfway between the first pieces. 

Now you must keep in mind, standard ruler use allows you to swivel the body of your pen in all directions so long as the tip doesn't lift, BUT, with this modification, you must take special care to steady the angle of your pen while ruling a line. Any major deviation could allow the tip to wander under the gapped edge of the ruler.

50 practice lines & I'm sure you'll master this modified tool & never curse the gods for smearing your pristine pages with ink again!