Cofix Event Tonight!

Just a reminder to comics fans in and around Thessaloniki that I'll be doing a talk followed by a signing and sketching session at the Cofix Bar from 8pm tonight. The event accompanies my exhibition at CoFix. All prints from the exhibition are available for sale.

CoFix Bar, Lori Margariti 11 Thessaloniki

Tel: 2310 250011

Pentel Brush Pens

The Pentel Brush Pen - looks like a fountain pen, but really it's a Chinese brush

I've had several enquiries about the Pentel Brush Pens I was using for sketching at Bristol. They're effectively fountain pens with a Chinese brush tip instead of a nib; they're refillable, using Pentel's own proprietary cartridges.

They're much easier to control than ordinary brushes, but still give you a lovely flexible line. The nylon tip is very hard wearing too; my oldest one is fifteen years old, and still going strong. The ink is permanent and reasonably waterproof (it takes Tipp-Ex well and will resist the odd water drop but a full-scale coffee spill might be a problem). The only thing I found is that heavy erasing will lift the ink from most paper; if you're drawing for reproduction, pencil in pale blue pencil* - scanners and copiers can ignore this colour, so you don't have to erase the pencil lines.

* If you buy coloured pencils, look for "Sky Blue" or ask an assistant to find you "non-repro blue" , otherwise Pentel do blue leads for mechanical pencils which is what I use. They're reasonably rare, so you might have to order them. They're a bit more crumbly than the graphite ones, so get 0.7 or 0.9 width; the 0.5's snap all the time.

I buy my brush pens from the London Graphics Centre, who had them in stock last time I looked (December 2006) but who don't list them on their website; I've also found a couple of websites that list them:

• London Graphics Centre - 16 Shelton St, London, WC2H 9JL (nearest tube Covent Garden), Telephone 020 77594500 - if you' re phoning, make sure to specify Pentel brush pens, as they sell several kinds by different manufacturers).
  
• www.cultpens.com sell the pens and cartridges
• www.artifolk.co.uk sell the pens and cartridges

I've never used either of the above websites, but they list the pens and cartridges at a good price. These things change quickly, so it's worth Googling "Pentel brush pens" to see if you can get a better deal.
You get a pack of four ink cartridges with each pen, but you'll probably want to get more if you use the pens a lot.

Tips:

• The ink cartridges are pretty expensive; it's a good idea to use something else to fill in big chunks of black. I've used black marker pens (Pentel's own "N" series are pretty good) but if you don't like the stink, try a cotton bud dipped in Indian ink for fast cover.
• You can get lovely texture effects on rough paper when the brush pens start to run out of ink; if you like texture effects, it's worth getting two pens, one to keep full and one to use empty for textures. When the empty pen runs out, you refill it and by then the full one should be running out.

Thanks to Stephen Morse for inspiring this post.

Bristol Expo 2007

Scarlet Traces poster for Bristol Comics Expo 2007 - the idea of mixing up the colours of superhero costumes was borrowed from Brendan McCarthy's cover for the last issue of the comics magazine Arkensword.

Comics Expo 2007
12th - 13th May 2007
at the British Empire & Commonwealth
Exhibition Hall and The Ramada Plaza Hotel, Bristol

Sat 12th May - 10.00am - 6.00pm
Sun 13th May - 10.30am - 5.00pm

Bristol Comics Expo is soon upon us - this weekend coming in fact - and I’ve been busy making preparations, including doing a Scarlet Traces-themed poster for the event, which Dark Horse are paying for, and which will be given out free as a promotion for the new editions.

Appeal
I know the Comics Expo guys have sent out copies of this image as part of their press pack - if you're a Bristol local and you spot this picture in a local paper, could you save me a copy?

Signing & Sketching

This year Ian and I will have our own table in the main hall, and as usual I'll be signing and sketching for most of the weekend. I arrive on Friday, so lunch hours excepted, I'll be working all day Saturday and up to 4pm on Sunday (though I'll be doing short stints at other tables, depending on what events I'm down for).

Guidelines for getting sketches:

• Yes, I do basic sketches for free (see below).
  
• Yes, I'll have a go at drawing your favourite character (but bring reference, I might not know what he/she looks like).
• Yes, I like drawing daft or weird ideas.
• I do get tired, so the drawings will get simpler (and possibly a bit wibbly) towards the end of the day.
  

For the past few years, I've tended to do very finished sketches at conventions (some of them almost to the level of finished artwork), and I'm finding this is starting to take a toll on my hands (when I sketch at conventions, I tend to work without a break for long periods in a way that I never do when actually drawing comics). To help manage demand a bit, I'm going to divide sketches into two bands:

• Basic Sketches - quick drawings, no solid blacks, you gets 'em for free
• Finished Drawings - fully-rendered, finished artwork-stylee, but I'll charge for 'em
  

I'll do Basic Sketches all day, but if I know I'm tired and not up to it, I may decide not to take on Finished Drawings at the end of the day.

Books for Sale

Ian has managed to secure copies of the new edition of Scarlet Traces for Bristol, but frustratingly, the hardback of The Great Game comes out just too late for us to get stock. We will be doing a special deal which includes War Of The Worlds, Scarlet Traces and a set of issues of The Great Game comic, plus bookplates for all three, so you'll at least be able to read the entire trilogy and have a complete set of bookplates.

We'll also be stocking all our old favourites including Kingdom Of The Wicked, Leviathan and the original edition of Scarlet Traces. I should also be doing an XTNCT signing with Paul Cornell at some point in the weekend.

Draw The World Together

Sketches of Sandman & Judge Dredd for the Draw The World Together charity event.

Draw The World Together are doing a charity sketching event over the weekend, which I'm down for, and I've already done a couple of sketches in advance for them (see above). I'll be signing at their table at some point during the weekend.

So, if you're coming along to Bristol, don't forget to come over and say hello!