December 8, 2006

Katie Skelly



Comics: Discomaxx, Sourpuss, Worrywort
Website: http://www.calicocomics.com and drawing journal at http://pandahex.blogspot.com
Making comics since year of: 2003
Art education/schools attended: Moore College of Art + Design, Syracuse University

Tools

Pencils: I like Bic mechanical pencils, preferably 0.7

Inks: India ink, but rarely used

Brushes: I do some gouaches from time to time but usually just take whatever I can get here!

Pens: My favorite pen is the Papermate Flair pen, in any color, but usually black. It gives a really smooth line that is just thick enough. Even though they aren't meant for drawing, they have never bled on me. They are very fun to draw with, and your drawings will look instantly finished and very graphic. I also use Sharpies when I think something needs a little extra kick, but rarely.

Paper: Nothing fancy, but I do like Strathmore watercolor paper when I do gouaches.

Lettering: By hand with my trusty Papermate flair.

Color: Photoshop and occasionally gouache.

Layout / Composition: I draw composition ideas on computer paper and often like them so much that I ink them immediately. In terms of influence, I will reference the drawings of George Grosz.

Tool timeline, starting from when you began drawing in any serious way until the present, and what spurred the changes: I started using Microns a lot because they were recommended to me when I first started doing comics. I could never find the right thickness and couldn't understand how to apply the appropriate amount of pressure with those. They are a little too delicate for me. Then I tried brush pens, but those were another dud. Then one day I saw my friend drawing with Papermate Flairs and loved what he was doing, so I tried them out and I've stuck with them ever since.

What tools you'd never use, and why: Brush pens. They just aren't my style because they allow for a lot of line variance. I like to keep my lines very narrow.

And lastly, any advice you'd like to give: You may think you have to spend a lot of cash money, but in the end you should just use what best suits you. The sooner you find what suits you, the more money you will save. You don't need the fanciest stuff to do your best work. Don't look back!

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