I've been hearing how great the Kuretake brush pen is for artists who want the versatility of inking with brush combined with the ease of using a dip pen. I couldn't get my hands on one but picked up the poor man's version: The Pentel Brush Pen. My first few tries with it are displayed. So far I like it. Not as precise as my speedball nibs but definitely fun. Incidentally, these sketches feature new characters from my long-gestating graphic novel, Journeymen. See how I cleverly plugged a project under the guise of a harmless post?
Jeffro said...
ReplyDeleteThe Kuretake Brush Pen James was speaking of can be found here:
http://www.dickblick.com/products/kuretake-brush-pen/
The Pentel Pocket Brush Pen can be found here:
http://www.pentel.com/catalog_product.php?id=3982
I am the proud owner of both of these brush pens. They're great because of the refillable cartridges, and they allow a wide range of line weight. To me, they are especially helpful when drawing outside the sudio, so I don't have to break out brushes and ink bottles and worry about washing the brushes, etc.
My friend Celia Bullwinkle (of Meathaus) recommended the Kuretake, as it was a legendary tool of syndicated comic strip artists for years.It's got the sturdy ceramic casing, and the vinyl brush point allows for a HUGE variation between your thick and thin lines.
The Pentel Pocket brush Pen doesn't have the sturdy casing. And the brush point in my opinion doesn't have the versatility of durability of the Kuretake. However, I have to step up and defend it for two reasons: It costs about $10 (where the Kuretake runs between $30 and $40). Also, the Pentel ink is permanent, where the Kuretake uses water-based Sumi ink. So you can't use any wet or water-based paint or color over the Kuretake inks