Winner of the Madison Art Shop $30 Gift Certificate

The winner of the Madison Art Shop $30 Gift Certificate is comment #4, "Aisazia". The number was randomly selected using Random.org.

Congratulations Aisazia, you have one week to email me at dmp1234@yahoo.com to claim your gift certificate.

A big thank you to Madison Art Shop for sponsoring this giveaway!


Check back soon for upcoming Cartoonist Surveys with Mike Reagan, David DeGrand and more.

Madison Art Shop $30 Gift Certificate Giveaway

If you are anything like me, you love looking through and picking out art supplies. It’s even more fun when someone else is paying for them.

Madison Art Shop is giving one lucky reader of David Wasting Paper a $30.00 gift certificate to their website. Whether it is pencils, paper, paint or furniture, Madison Art Shop carries it all.

So head over to Madison Art Shop and look around, then leave a comment on this post and let me know what you would buy.

Official Entry Rules:

Click the link to visit Madison Art Shop. Have a look around and pick out something that you would like to get if you were the winner of the $30 gift certificate. Next, leave a comment on this post letting me know what you would choose if you are selected as the winner, anytime between now and Thursday, January 31, 2013 prior to midnight Eastern Time. Only one entry per person.

Please note that in order to avoid spam, I need to approve all comments. Because of this, your comment will not show up immediately. I will approve comments a few times throughout the day.

This giveaway is limited to US residents only. I will choose one winner randomly from all of the comments using Random.org.

The contest winner's name will be posted on Friday, February 1, 2013 and the winner will have one week to email me at dmp1234@yahoo.com.

Announcing the David Wasting Paper 2013 Young Cartoonist Contest

Announcing the David Wasting Paper 

2013 Young Cartoonist Contest 

The David Wasting Paper Young Cartoonist Contest was created to pique the interest of junior artists who aspire to one day make their career in the captivating world that is cartooning. Although not a professional cartoonist by trade, I have always had a passion for all things creative. This contest was established in 2012 to honor the memory of my mother, Patricia Petrone, who passed away suddenly in May. My mother had a sincere appreciation for artistic talent…even the novice talents of her son…and would be very pleased that her memory lives on through this inspiring event.

The contest is open to artists between the ages of 13 and 16 who have an interest in cartooning and/or animation. The contest runs from November 1, 2012 to January 31, 2013. The Winner will be awarded an impressive cartooning starter kit which includes several great books by renowned artists, drawing supplies from leading art vendors and a Wacom Drawing Tablet! (See below for complete details). One Honorable Mention winner will also be chosen. To enter the contest, please follow the checklist below:

Entry Checklist

1) Comic essay: A two to four page comic story, starring yourself, that explains why you would like to pursue a career in cartooning or animation. Comic must be original and legible.

2) 3 additional work examples: May include character designs/studies, comic strips or single panel cartoons.

3) Brief biography: A short, one paragraph biography of the applicant.

4) Consent to participate: All applicants must have parental/guardian consent to participate. Submissions must include a note from parent/guardian 1) confirming participant’s date of birth, 2) certifying that entry is the original and unassisted artwork of the participant and 3) providing their consent for the child to participate in the contest. This note must be signed and include the parent/guardian’s address and phone number. Winner’s parent/guardian will be notified by phone and prizes will be shipped to address provided.

DEADLINE: All required materials must be received no later than 11:59 pm (EST) on January 31, 2013.

SEND ALL REQUIRED MATERIALS TO:

David Wasting Paper * C/O David Paccia * P.O. Box 579 * Raynham CTR, MA 02768

SEND ANY QUESTIONS TO: David Paccia c/o dmp1234@yahoo.com

Restrictions: This contest is restricted to US residents only, between the ages of 13 to 16. Only one submission per child will be accepted. Material submitted will not be returned, and by participating you authorize David Wasting Paper to reprint your submission for promotional purposes. Failure to include all required material will result in disqualification. All decisions are final.

PRIZES TO BE AWARDED:

A subscription to Stay Tooned! Magazine subscription generously provided by the publisher of the magazine, John Read.

The Mad Art of Caricature!: A Serious Guide to Drawing Funny Faces by Tom Richmond (Paperback) generously donated by author and president of the National Cartoonists Society, Tom Richmond.

Art supplies including pens, mechanical pencil and storage, generously donated by Jetpens.com

Sketchbooks generously donated by Karen Doherty at Exaclair Inc.  (6 Exacompta sketchbooks which contain heavyweight 100 gr. cream-colored paper made by the Schut Paper Mill in the Netherlands which was founded all the way back in 1617.

Bristol paper pads generously donated by Strathmore Artists Papers - 3 pads: WindPower Bristol Smooth, 11x14 7 pads: WindPower Bristol Smooth, 9x12 5 pads 300 Series Bristol Smooth 9x12 5 pads 300 Series Sequential Art, Bristol Vellum, 12x12 7 pads 300 Series Bristol Smooth 11x14.

Cartooning the Head and Figure by Jack Hamm (Paperback)

Big Book of Cartooning by Bruce Blitz (Paperback)

Drawing in 3-D by Mark Kistler (Paperback)

How To Draw Comics The Marvel Way by Stan Lee (Paperback)

Comics and Sequential Art: Principles and Practices from the Legendary Cartoonist (Will Eisner Instructional Books) by Will Eisner (Paperback)

Making Comics: Storytelling Secrets of Comics, Manga and Graphic Novels by Scott McCloud (Paperback)

Drawing Words and Writing Pictures: Making Comics: Manga, Graphic Novels, and Beyond by Jessica Abel (Paperback)

Cartoon Animation (The Collector's Series) by Preston Blair (Paperback)

Drawn to Life: 20 Golden Years of Disney Master Classes: Volume 1: The Walt Stanchfield Lectures by Walt Stanchfield (Paperback)

Drawn to Life: 20 Golden Years of Disney Master Classes: Volume 2: The Walt Stanchfield Lectures by Walt Stanchfield (Paperback)

The Simpsons Handbook: Secret Tips from the Pros by Matt Groening (Hardcover)

Character Mentor: Learn by Example to Use Expressions, Poses, and Staging to Bring Your Characters to Life by Tom Bancroft (Paperback)

Wacom Bamboo Splash Pen Tablet – includes Autodesk Sketchbook Express and ArtRage software.

In the event any of the books listed are no longer available, David Wasting Paper reserves the right to substitute titles. Total value of prizes to be awarded is over $600.

A heartfelt thank you goes out to the following for their generous donations:

Tom Richmond
John Read
Jetpens.com
Strathmore Artist Papers
Karen Doherty at Exaclair

I would also like to thank the following for their assistance and feedback:

Tom Gammill
Mike Rhode
Mike Lynch
Chris Gash
Stephanie Piro
John Klossner
Bill White

Finally, a huge thank you to my wife Patti who’s love and encouragement has been instrumental in getting this contest off the ground.

Latest Studio Photos

Here are some recent photos of my studio...

Faber-Castell PITT Artists Brush Pens Review - Set of 12 Colors

In between surveys, I’m trying to complete reviews on all the amazing complimentary art supplies that I have received from various vendors. This review is part two in the series on Faber-Castell PITT products sent to me by Lisa Brophy. You can read the first review here.

(As always, click any of the pictures for a larger view.)

This is the 12-color set of Faber-Castell PITT Artist Brush Pens. These brush pens are filled with odorless, waterproof, permanent and lightfast India ink. They have durable nibs that give you the ability to get different thickness lines.

They come packaged in a sturdy case. The 12-color set includes; Middle Purple Pink, Pink Carmine, Orange Glaze, Cadmium Yellow, Dark Phthalo Green, Leaf Green, Phthalo Blue, Indanthrene Blue, Purple Violet, Cold Grey, Caput Mortuum and Black. There are a total of 48 colors in the PITT Artist Brush Pen line.

The caps go on with a satisfying click, so they won’t dry out quickly.

A sample of the colors.

Here’s a Marvel character totem pole I drew to color with the brush pens.

As you can see the colors are very vibrant. I usually do my non-digital coloring with either watercolor or colored pencils, but I really like these brush pens and see myself using them a lot. My only complaint and it’s more of a “want to have”, is that this set does not come with a peach or flesh colored pen. I ended up using a colored pencil for a couple of the faces above.

Overall, I feel that the Faber-Castell PITT Artist Brush Pens would make a great addition to anyone’s art supply arsenal. They are fairly priced, easy to use, comfortable in the hand and lay down a lot of color.

Thanks again to Lisa Brody at Faber-Castell for sending me these fine Faber-Castell products to review. Click here to see the entire line of Faber-Castell art and graphic products.

Watch this demonstration on tips and techniques for using the Faber-Castell PITT Artist Brush Pens.

And, check out this video of Chicago artist, Don Colley as he draws from life using Faber-Castell PITT Pens.

Thanks again Lisa for sending out the pens to review!

I also highly recommend the two books I used in the backgrounds for a couple of the above photos. First is Tom Richmond's "The Mad Art of CARICATURE!" It is simply one of the best books I've ever read on caricaturing. You can order your very own signed copy by going to Tom's Deadline Demon Publishing website.

The second book is "Mail Order Mysteries" by Kirk Demarais. Filled with great photos and write-ups about those novelties that were sold in vintage comic book ads. 

Check back soon for more Cartoonist Surveys and art supply reviews including Sakura, Strathmore Artist papers and Pilot.

Faber-Castell Pitt Artist Pens Review

Lisa Brody at Faber-Castell was nice enough to send me a package filled with various PITT Artist Pens to review. I will be breaking down the different sets of the Pitt Pens she sent me into multiple posts.

This first review is of Faber-Castell's set of four Black Fineliner PITT Artist Pens. The set comes with four different sized nibs, X-superfine, Superfine, Fine and Medium. The ink in the PITT Artist Pen line is great for everything from sketching to finished inking and because they are waterproof they also work great with watercolor paint. The reusable pouch they come in makes this a great little set to have for home use or travel.

This is a sample of the line width of the X-superfine nib.

Here is the Superfine nib.

The Fine nib.

The Medium nib.

I used the Superfine sized nib to sketch out these mash-ups of Peanuts characters with superheroes.

I finished inking them using the Medium, Fine and X-superfine nibs. I then colored them with colored pencils.

This is Charlie Brown as Captain America.

Here is Lucy as Wonder Woman.

Pig-Pen as The Thing.

Linus as Batman.

Woodstock as Robin.

Sally as the Invisible Woman (Sue Storm).

And finally Snoopy as the Green Lantern.

The group inked and colored.

Overall I find the Faber-Castell PITT Black Fineliner Artist Pens to be workhorses that I use everyday. Whether it's just sitting around watching TV and sketching or working on a finished piece the PITT Artist Pens are always my first choice. The ink quality is consistent, they are reasonably priced and they last quite awhile.

Thanks again to Lisa Brody at Faber-Castell for sending me these fine products to review. Be sure to check back for future reviews of Faber-Castell products as well as more product reviews of Pilot Pens and Strathmore Artist Papers. Of course there will also be more Cartoonist Surveys. Both of the next two upcoming Cartoonist Survey participants have received awards from the National Cartoonists Society, FoxTrot's Bill Amend and illustrator Mark Brewer.

Strathmore Bristol Visual Journals Review

I received a package from Jeanette at Strathmore Artist Papers filled with all kinds of paper to review. There were quite a few types included so I will break them down into a couple of posts.

This first review is of the Strathmore Bristol Visual Journals. So what exactly is a Visual Journal? Quoting from the Strathmore website, "...it's whatever you imagine it to be. It’s an inviting canvas. An open and comfortable place where pens meet paintbrushes, colored pencils meet glued photos, markers meet magazine clippings, and found objects find a home." The Visual Journals come in three sizes, 3.5" x 5", 5.5" x 8" and 9" x 12". They also come in six types of paper; Bristol – Smooth and Vellum, Drawing, Mixed Media and 90lb and 140lb Watercolor.

(As always, click on any of the pictures for a larger view.)

For this review Frankie volunteered to help out.

The 9" x 12" Vellum Bristol.

The 5.5" x 8" Smooth Bristol.

This shows the thickness of the Bristol Visual Journals. The Vellum Bristol one has 24 sheets and the Smooth Bristol has 28 sheets.

All of the Strathmore Visual Journals have wire binding that allows the journal to lie flat and open up 360 degrees.

There is a nice looking hard cover under the paper one.

An inviting blank sheet of paper...

...waiting for ink.

This shows the line weight from different writing/drawing instruments on the Vellum Bristol.

Here is the same as above but on the Smooth Bristol.

This was done on a single sheet of the Vellum Bristol while still in the Visual Journal. I drew it up, inked it and quickly colored it with colored pencils. I then used an X-Acto knife to cut around the drawings and folded them up to make a scene from one of my favorite seasonal cartoons, "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown".

Halloween is only a couple of months away so I also did some quick monster drawings. These were drawn in the Smooth Bristol Visual Journal and inked with a Faber-Castell Pitt Artist Pen size F.

The Strathmore Bristol Visual Journals have great quality paper, are very sturdy and look like they would hold up well under any creative endeavor. The 9" x 12" Vellum Bristol lists for $14.99 and the 5.5" x 8" Smooth Bristol lists for $8.59, but if you head over to Dick Blick you can purchase all of the Strathmore Visual Journals for 49% or more off the list price.

I want to thank Jeanette at Strathmore Artist Papers again for allowing me to try these out.

Check back for additional reviews of the remaining Strathmore Artist Papers, Faber - Castell Pitt Artist Pens/Brushes and of course more Cartoonist Surveys.

Pilot Art Supplies Review - Part Two

I'm still working my way through the box of Pilot art supplies that Amy and Robin at Pilot Pens sent. I figured I would combine the following three mechanical pencils in the review since they all use the same size lead (.05mm HB).

(As always click on any of the pictures for a larger view.)

The first in the bunch is the Pilot REXGRIP .05mm mechanical pencil.

Second is the Pilot G2 .05mm mechanical pencil.

The last one is the Pilot H-325 mechanical pencil.

Here is the Pilot ENO .05mm HB lead refill.

I also received this box of replacement Pilot mechanical pencil erasers and needles.

The three pens and the lead refill.

A closer view.

Sketchbook drawings using the Pilot mechanical pencils.

Closeup of the Pilot .05mm HB lead line.

All three mechanical pencils worked well. The .05mm HB lead didn't even break once while using the pencils, which is unusual because I don't have a light hand while drawing. The REXGRIP was my favorite, followed closely by the G-2 and then the H-325. Any of the three would be a great pencil to bring along for sketching. However, because the erasers are on the small side, either don't make any mistakes or be sure to carry along some refills.

Thanks again to Amy and Robin for sending these out. Click here to see the entire line of Pilot products.

Check back for additional reviews on the remaining Pilot products, plus Strathmore paper and Faber-Castell Pitt products.