Learning to draw, need a fineliner

[Duggo]

For an official review of your drawing assignments, you have to learn how to use a fineliner. I wouldn't think it'd be that hard, seeing as how I shave with a DE. But I think I've damaged one side of nib of the Faber-Castell "F" 0.5 fineliner that I bought. I would have bought the Copic Multiliner SP, not cheap, but they sell / or they used to sell replacement nibs for it. So, hearing the latter, I bought the former.

My question is, (so I don't partially damage another nib)...

How do I hold it? and Are there any pointers you can give me to relieve the pressure from the nib? Being a $4 or $5 pen, and plastic at that, you can imagine, how much less something like that weighs relative to say my Merkur HD.

Hope you can help me out,

 

[Duggo]

Was it something I said?

If something needs clarification, let me know.

 

[Rocket 1]

Fineliners are generally meant to be used nearly perpendicular from the drawing surface. That can be challenging depending on your hold and there is a tendency to lean the pen at an angle. I would suggest using your shoulder and elbow to guide the pen and try to keep your fingers almost still, as an imaginary fixed pen holder, while orienting the fine liner nearly straight up and down from drawing surface. (saying this in the context that you are drawing and not writing text). I appreciate that Copic allows purchase of replacement components but I found it wasn't effective. I tend to prefer Uni Pin, Zig Mangaka, and Sakura.

Having said all of that. If you are learning to draw, it might be worth looking into a pencil, which allows alternative holds that encourages using larger muscles and not your fingers.

 

[Duggo]

A belated "Welcome to B&B!" Enjoy your stay.

Thanks for your reply. If I had my druthers, I would use a pencil. I have the Steadtler Mars 780 (5 of them, no less) clutch pencils, filled with different grades of leads. But...The class I'm looking into, Drawabox, to learn the fundamentals, at this point, requires the use of a fineliner. for lessons 2 - 5 or 6 or 7.

Apparently, the guys here said, just because I can shave with a light touch, does not mean, learning to use a fineliner will be any easier. (just because I know how to shave with a light touch.)

The three that you listed, they are fineliners?

 

[Rocket 1]

I see. There is nothing wrong with Drawabox and the price is right But I feel it is more oriented to illustration. While you may be seeking a low cost/free solution I have found that paid courses tend to offer a faster start. If you are interested in an online course that provides a solid foundation in drawing (with pencil work ), I would recommend considering Vitruvian Studio's online drawing basics course. It is not the cheapest, but well worth it IMHO. The Proko series is another low to free cost alternative but it didn't resonate with my style of learning.

Not sure what your goals are (illustration, traditional painting, digital, etc?) But if you are considering life drawing I would also highly recommend Watts Atelier online life drawing course series. Also not cheap, but you get real grading and feedback. You could go with Watts right out of the gate, but I feel that acquiring basic drawing skills through other training is more affordable. New Master Academy's anatomy and perspective courses are also excellent. The combination of those courses can take you far in the journey. Also, there is no substitute for a skilled artist or instructor providing feedback/critiques on your work. Worth every penny depending on your goals.

Regarding the brands listed, they all offer fine liners. JetPens and Blicks I believe offer all three but I haven't ordered any in a while. If you are just doing this for drawabox then it is less critical which brand. The one nice thing about fine liners and ink is that it does teach confidence in strokes, since there is no erase.

 

[m949]

I also do like the Sakura Pigma Micron fine liners. They come in different tip sizes (0.15 mm to 0.7 mm). Various color options are also available. They use archival ink which is pretty permanent but that also means that they won't bleed or fade on paper if water colors are applied over them.

Sakura offers various options under the Pigma sub-brand including Micron (needle points), Micron PN (for writing), Graphic (felt tips), Calligrapher, Sensei Drawing (lighter for longer drawing sessions), Brush pens, and Professional Brush Pens. Pigma aluminium pen holders provide more heft for more comfort. For drawing purposes, the Pigma Micron, the Pigma Sensei Drawing and the brush pens are the most suitable.

They are consistently recommended by drawing artists and receive good reviews. They are available at major stationary vendors such as JetPens.