Brush pen control
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Are you using a brush pen with the flexible middle area where the ink well is held? Something I didn't realize when I first started was squeezing that area to quickly refill the tip.
So for super clean and thin lines you're using a lot of tip control but you're going to need to keep it pretty saturated for the consistency, so squeezing that more often will keep it from breaking the lines. When you don't get that line you're looking for, the reaction is to press harder which then makes it worse
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Yeah what @NessIllustration said, turn the paper or change hand positions or both.
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@danielerossi If you want a less sensitive brush in your arsenal this Tombow set is really nice. I primarily use the Pentels, but these are great when you're looking for something more solid.
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@JerrySketchyArt Thanks for the recommendation! I’ll write that down and keep it in mind if I end up failing to take the Pentel
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And now tonight, suddenly, my brush pen is flowing too much ink. No matter how lightly I go, no matter how I turn the paper, I’m getting more ink coming out than previously. A Google search only brought up advice for less ink flow. Not the other way around.
I’m getting little pools of ink. Did I break my brush pen? I swear I didn’t press too hard or hard at all!
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@danielerossi Which type do you have? Left or right?
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@JerrySketchyArt Right
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@danielerossi I've had this issue with both types of pentel pen in the photo that @JerrySketchyArt posted
I usually have just defaulted to keeping a scrap paper or tissue to wipe away excess ink on the brush and it also keeps me checking that the brush tip is still good shape
Following in case there's a better solution!
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@danielerossi Okay, that one does not have any special way to control the ink flow amount. (The one on the left can control it by squeezing.) My guess is that it just wasn't flowing steady on your first couple of goes and is now working as intended. I store mine tip up, and it still flows like mad from the moment I start.
The pocket brush is crazy sensitive as previously mentioned. You can do what Vivian mentioned and just wipe away excess, or do what I do and embrace the fact that lines will come out on their own terms. "Happy little accidents!" That brush is a bit like watercolor, in that it adds variety whether you like it, or not. I've recently started playing with using short, animator type lines, to give it even more unpredictable life!
Here's an example of one of my favorite pieces from a recent sketchbook full of elephants using this technique (prompt was "tired"):
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As a comparison, here is one with the easy-peasy-to-control Tombow (and a gel pen, prompt "frail"):
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@JerrySketchyArt said in Brush pen control:
My guess is that it just wasn't flowing steady on your first couple of goes and is now working as intended. I store mine tip up, and it still flows like mad from the moment I start.
I have to admit, I’m laughing now. Here I am thinking I broke my brush pen but it turns out it’s acting the way it should be! But I got used to it’s less steady, fresh out of the package flow
Thanks for clearing that up for me, Jerry. I was about to give up on the brush pen. Now to get used to the gusher.I really like learning this new medium. It’s a whole new laws of physics.
The pocket brush is crazy sensitive as previously mentioned. You can do what Vivian mentioned and just wipe away excess,
@VivianTong I tried that last night. I used a paper towel (probably not the best thing to use) but the heavy flow continued. Which, as Jerry taught me, is supposed to happen
That brush is a bit like watercolor, in that it adds variety whether you like it, or not.
That is so true. There I was thinking to myself “ I don’t want my circle to look that thick! Thinner! Thinner!”. I’m going to give the short, animator type lines a try.
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So today I was doing one of my favourite pastimes — reading Calvin and Hobbes. And all I could think of was “I wonder if Watterson used a brush pen?”
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@danielerossi I read somewhere that he was using a regular brush. Think it was from Winsor and Newton.
Does anyone have tips for drawing (small) circles using a brush pen. It’s the thing I still struggle the most with.
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I get good small circles holding my pen as vertical as possible and drawing the circle in 2 or more strokes.
Usually 2 half circles will do the trick kinda like doing open and close parenthesis
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@sailorriceball adding that for getting them in a single stroke, it takes much more delicate movements, but gradually and gently lifting the pen in the last 1/3 part of the circle helps with getting a nice consistent line too!
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@VivianTong half circles are pretty clever. Thank you for the tip. I will try it out.
