An Art Supply Review: The Pen (Is Mightier Than The Sword)

Hi there dear readers! SO today I thought that I would try something new... A review of sorts. I use a lot of art supplies in my practice as an artist in the making, and one of my favourite tools of the trade is my trusty fineliner. But there are many different types of fine liners and they all have their advantages and annoyances. So here I will present to you my first Art Supply Review:

An Art Supply Review

The Pen (Is Mightier Than The Sword)

By Talia Naicker

So this is a small test page I have drawn up for this blog post to show the various kinds of pens I have tried out over the years. 

As you can see, I have tried out several different brands, and each has their own unique makeup, so it's important to try as many as you can so that you can see what actually works for the style of art you are interested in making.

FABER-CASTELL PITT ARTISTS PENS

So these are the Pitt Artist Pens, made by the trusted Faber-Castell. As you can see, I have only used the Script Size Pen, and so my experience with this particular pen is quite limited. From what I can tell, it leaves a crisp clean line and has a beautiful opaque black ink. My only downside with this particular range of pens is the limited nib sizes, as compared to other brands. These are also fairly pricey though they are a great all-round use pen for artists.

SAKURA MICROPERM

These are the Sakura Microperm Pens. I will admit I bought these pens online as they were not available from the stores in my area. These are definitely not my favourite pens for drawing or writing use, as I find they have an annoying tendency to bleed through papers I could easily use with other pens. They also leave a blurred line as opposed to the crisp lines I am looking for in my drawings. There are also only 3 sizes, which I find quite limiting. Although this pen might not suit my needs, I could easily see the benefit for a more sketchy and fluid drawing style.

STAEDTLER PIGMENT LINER

These are the Staedtler Pigment Liners. I have only tried the smallest size available, the 0.05mm, as this was the size that was particularly difficult to come across in most art stores in my local area. Judging by the use of the 0.05mm, I quite like the look and feel of this pen. I have always been a fan of the Staedtler Products for fine art use and these pens are definitely a winner. I will make a point of giving the other sizes a go at some point.

UNIPIN FINE LINERS

These are my absolute favourite pens to work with for both sketching, writing and drawing. I love these pens and have been using them for years now. I find the range of sizes just perfect to work with for just about any subject matter, especially for the type of typographic drawings I like to work with. I have a set of these in my art kit, in my handbag, in my varsity bag and a bunch of extras. I find that these are quite budget friendly compared to other pens on the market, and last for an incredibly long time even if used frequently. The 0.05mm tip is also a bit more durable than other tips and can be handled with more ease than other pens I have used.

PIGMA MICRON LINERS

I have only recently invested in these pens, but from the experimenting I've done, they seem to have as much to offer as the unipin pens. There is also the added Graphic Range and each size is available in a Sepia colour as well as a black. I think that these are a slightly more expensive alternative to the unipins but an all-rounder nonetheless

COPIC MULTILINER SET B2

These are the non-aluminium cased multiliners made by Copic. These pens are absolutely stunning and have an amazingly tiny 0.03mm tip, which is a size I have not seen offered by another brand. They are sturdy and the plastic cased ones are significantly cheaper than their aluminium counterparts. However, I found that after a month of not using them, they dried up a little bit, but quickly flowed when scribbled with gently. These pens are made for constant use.

So dear readers, I hope you will find some aspect of this review useful in some way. I know that for now, Unipins are definitely my go to art supply for drawing in ink!

Until we meet again

Talia

A Work In Progress : Reflections

So today I thought that I would share some of my work in progress of a small drawing that I started on Monday. It was just a drawing started on a whim and because I had finished my commissioned drawing a few days prior to that. So I will upload the final drawing soon, but here is a glimpse at how it was made:

So dear readers, I am off for now. I will upload a picture of the drawing as soon as it is complete. Enjoy what is left of your weekend.

Until we meet again

Talia

Sweet '16

Wow.

2015 has come and gone in the blink of an eye and here we are, fresh (well a little bit stale now) in 2016. A few days ago, I felt a feeling within me that I don't think I have quite experienced before. I could best describe it as a feeling of ambling along, you know, letting life just happen to you instead of making things happen in your life.

I guess you could say I've been feeling like this since last year, when my passion for art wasn't take as much of a part in my life as I would have liked. A lot of emotional and personal issues also made it more difficult to feel stable in my own life and a lot went downhill for me. But I remember reading a saying recently, something along the lines of when your life seems to be falling apart, in reality its all the pieces falling into place.

I'll say that since last year I have learnt a lot about myself. Mostly negatives I had chosen to ignore, but also strengths that I didn't know I had. I've learnt to balance people in my life, and that a life filled with only yourself and work is indeed a lonely life. I've also learnt that without my passion for art to guide me, I am nothing. A nobody with nothing to show. SO this year is the year I WILL make the change for myself.

I am done taking orders from lecturers at art school telling me how my art should look.

I am done trying to be something I am not.

I am my own artist and I will damn well make the art I like and want to make. Maybe if I stop caring so much about what other people want me to make, then at least I will be proud of everything I have made. And hopefully make this year a far more fruitful and encouraging year than 2015.

Goodbye Awkward 2015.
Hello Sweet '16.

Until we meet again
Talia

P.S. I have uploaded a photo of my latest work onto the Art and Other Creative Items page.

Motivating the World, One Person at a Time

Well...

It certainly has been long enough hasn't it dear readers?

Well, shall we say that some turbulence in my life and general busyness and such has kept me away for far too long. But all is not lost, I have made some art in my time away and had a good reassessment of my life. The sun is still shining. The birds are still singing. And there is still plenty of art to be made! So here I am, with my first blog post since September.

So as cheesy and corny as it sounds to mention it, I turned 20 on Wednesday. No longer the teenager of the nineties but now a young adult. And since I have started working at my Christmas job, I realised something quite powerful.

Do you ever feel defeated by the world? By the people that are supposed to care about you? Have you ever wondered what you're doing with your life at the moment? Well, maybe if we all just started believing in one another's dreams a bit more, maybe the world would be a better place. On my birthday, I bumped into one of my old friends from High school. She didn't know it was my birthday but was an avid follower of the artwork I posted on Instagram. She told me that she thought I was really making something of my life and that I need to post so much more often. When I started my training for my new job, I had to do a quick sketch for a teamwork activity. My teammates and other trainees were so impressed that they started interrogating me as to why I don't draw more.

Why have I not been drawing more?

I stopped believing in my ability to create my own success.

But.

When people tell you out of the goodness of their hearts, that they think you are special, that you have something unique to bring to the world, it is probably one of the most inspiring forms of motivation I have yet to witness. Total strangers telling me they think I could change the world with my art, if that isn't good enough motivation, I don't know what is.

So dear readers, tell someone today, a stranger, a friend, your partner, tell them you believe in their dreams and their goals and watch the transformation.

Until we meet again
Talia

Growing Pains

It has been more than two weeks sans me posting, I must apologise dear readers. There has been so much going on lately that a blog post has been the last thing I've been able to accomplish. But anyhow... Here I am! I've just updated my Art & Other Creative Items Page to include some of the new paintings I've been making for class.

So today, dear readers, I am here to share some of my feelings on Growing Up. Yes. That huge scary term that seems to be tethered and loaded with responsibility... And that's because it really is. But growing up isn't a bad thing. It means... well it means more freedom. The thing about growing up is that it's not just about doing responsible things (like making your bed and doing the dishes), it's also about YOU. You can't grow up if you're not prepared to try.

Growing up and becoming a fully functional adult isn't exactly easy. It's about noticing all the little things you take for granted, about being able to fend for yourself rather than relying on someone else doing it for you. And most of the time you don't even realise how much you rely on other people. Whether it's booking a doctor's appointment, saving money, or knowing what to do in a medical emergency, these are all things we NEED to know how to do.

Thankfully we are now in an age were our family isn't the only source of information on how to grow up. There is a plethora of information online to give advice and guidance, but as the all knowing "They" say, "experience is the best teacher". The great thing is that no one says you can't have it both ways. You can use experience to put your skills to the test, but you can get advice and help first to make the process easier.

When I look back over the last few years, I can see how I've allowed myself to grow as an artist. It's about embracing change, not becoming stagnant in a comfort zone and being willing to push yourself. Now I see that everyday life is not all that different. If I am tired of something in my life, I have the power to change it. And so does every other person out there, Now that I've learnt the art of growing as an artist, it's time to adapt that skill to life. It will be difficult. But it will be worth it.

Until we meet again
Talia

Cutting Back the Clutter

And so dear readers, we are hurtling towards the end of the year at a rapid, ever-increasing pace! The last quarter of the year is upon as and for once I've actually achieved some of my New Year's resolutions! So today, seeing as I have no new work to share at the moment, I thought I would talk about something that has been inspiring me for the last few weeks...

I'm talking about minimalism!

Now I am in no way calling myself a minimalist because that would be an insult to minimalists everywhere! But I will say that I am really inspired by the minimalist movement. What is minimalism you ask? Well minimalism is essentially, living with less stuff.

GASP!

"How could I ever survive without my collection of *insert precious item here*?!". See that's the beauty of minimalism. It isn't about living with just one crappy shirt or whatever item you thought of first, minimalism is about having less stuff... but better stuff. So imagine, instead of having 20 shirts where you only really love 5 and wear them often and the other 15 don't fit properly, you only have those 5 that you love and make you feel good about yourself! Now take that principle and apply it to... well everything you own!

I think most of us can admit to being the victims of consumerism and having way too much stuff that we really don't need. I know one of the biggest (or smallest) tips from the minimalists is to move from paper to digital. I'll admit this is one area of minimalism I can't handle. I need to take hand written notes and have something to write on or everything will disappear from my brain! But you can choose to recycle paper you don't need and toss stuff that really doesn't make a difference to you, like those pesky flyers that get put under the windshield wiper of your car.

I think the challenge for me with minimalism is that, as an art student and hopefully a budding artist, I can't live with the bare minimum of art supplies... because everything gets more expensive the longer you don't buy the supplies you need. There are a couple of things I can't really minimise in my life... But I can make sure that I don't overboard with it. I've found that having less stuff really does make your life so much easier.

So to conclude my thoughts on minimalism so far, here are a few tips I can give you to use a little minimalist magic in your life without getting rid of a lot of stuff immediately:

1. Delete apps that you downloaded on your tablet/phone/PC that turned out to be a waste of time. Not only will you have less clutter on your phone, but you'll probably free up some space for that next Instagram photo or two!
2. Throw away trash as soon as you make it. So if you eat a packet of crisps, throw away the packet as soon as you're done with it. Don't let it accumulate into a makeshift bin. 
3. Don't just buy stuff because it's on sale. Figure out if you're just buying it because it's "such a BARGAIN!" or if you actually need it
4. Give old clothes you don't even like anymore to charity. Someone will put it to good use, and not only are you helping someone in need, but you're minimising your clutter too!
5. Keep your bed as a bed and not half a shelf. I have a bad habit of doing this with clothes, but keeping your bed clutter free looks so much better than having to look at that pile of stuff every time you go to bed or wake up.

And so dear readers, that's my bit on minimalism for now. Stay clutter free and focused this week.

Until we meet again

Talia

Pondering Some Silver Linings

"Research Break". 

So my dear readers, these last few months have probably been the WORST track record so far of keeping my blog up to date and I apologise to everyone who makes the effort of reading my blog post each time I post.

So this week, from the 5th of September to the 13th of September, varsity gives us what is known as the research break, which is essentially the midterm break that divides a semester into two pieces. Logically, a research break could be considered as a... well... a Break from research! But guess what (this goes out to all you high schoolers who can't wait to start varsity, and even more so if you want to study ART), the research break has been designed to...

Make you take a break from class to research more stuff.

For example, this first half of the semester has been absolutely exhausting. There have been deadlines almost every single week that involve lots of hours to produce a work that actually ends up being mediocre as opposed to great. But we push on and get it done, because what else are we supposed to do? Seems like more research crammed into one week is a good idea...

But I'm an optimist at heart and I always like to believe that there is a good side to this situation. SO let me share with you my silver linings of things I've learnt how to do (that are of course art and varsity related) this block:

1. How to use the Adobe Premier Suite (and edit in a professional way)
2. How to make a 'zine (mini book or publication)
3. How to make organized study notes without wasting time on the organizing bits
4. How to make and use silkscreens....

And most excitingly...

    5. How to make a stop motion animation (which you can check out here)

I'm afraid to say I'm still busy as ever, but at least I can spend some quality time with the people I care about this week as well as getting stuff done. And at last I have time to share with the people who I will create memories with that I will cherish. Remember that success is nothing if you have no one left there to share it with.

Until we meet again
Talia