Messages

Thanks PJ:)

Yeah, ebay looks to have the best deals on zebra pens, thanks for that:)

Could you direct me to any examples of your art work where you predominantly used zebra pens?

Hey all,

Recently PJ Holden, on a podcast, recommended Zebra brush pens. Holden was apparently put on to them by RM Guera. I wanted to know if anyone here has any experience with them. The only brush pen I am experienced with is a pentel, which has a very flexible brush and seems good for very bold lines. I'm curious as to how the zebra compares, is it more controlled?

Thanks again Smudge. I'll be sure to experiment with both brands. I never realized that different inks work better for different implements.

Hey all,

I recently decided to experiment with calligraphy/dip pens and I'm having trouble. The ink will flow from the nibs just fine, but only if I use very slow strokes. Whenever I try faster more decisive strokes, the ink stops flowing. Is this something to do with the oil that new nibs are coated in? I've read that before using new nibs it's a good idea to remove the oil coating. Some people suggest washing the nib with a light detergent. Others say burn the oil off with a light flame (though I've not tried this, I heard it risks damaging the nib). Others say drop the nib in boiling water.

Any advice on how to get those fast strokes of the pen to work would be great:)

Always give the nib a wash first - I use hot water, soap and a tooth brush - taking care not to damage the nib point.

Your 'fast line' problem is almost certainly more to do with your choice of ink than the nibs. Assuming that the nib you are using is not damaged. Daler Rowney Acrylic or Manuscript Acrylic is pretty good for pen work- a little water to dilute helps if you want to go really fast - don't dilute too much or the ink stops flowing - it's a tricky balance! Some calligraphy inks are great but the downside is often that they take longer to dry. I use different ink for brush and pen work as I want fast flowing stuff for pen and good covering thicker stuff for brush.

I was beginning to suspect as much after a friend made the same suggestion and then I conducted a few experiments with different inks. Initially I was using Stephens black drawing ink. Stephens seems to be of a good quality, thick, rich, doesn't fade or bleed, but I couldn't get fast lines with it. Then I tried some Parker quink, I was able to immediately get fast lines, no problem. However, Parker quink fades and bleeds pretty badly.

The two inks you recommended, were you referring to these?:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Manuscript-Purpose-Artists-Acrylic-Bottle/dp/B00836AIXC/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1396780885&sr=8-2&keywords=manuscript+acrylic+black+ink

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Daler-Rowney-Graduate-Acrylic-500ml-Bottle/dp/B008ZBQPWI/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1396782222&sr=8-2-fkmr0&keywords=daley+rowney+acrylic+black+ink

Thanks for your help Smudge, I appreciate it:)

Thanks again Jim, I'll give that method a shot. By the way, what method would you recommend for the cleaning of nibs after use?

I just wiped any remaining ink off on a paper towel and repeated the immerse-in-boiling-water procedure if they started to look a bit crusty!

Cheers

Jim

Cool, thanks again:)

Thanks Jim. For how long should I leave the nib in boiling water?

Not long — I haven't bought new nibs in a couple of years, but I used to put some just-boiled water from a kettle into a shallow bowl, drop the nibs in, leave for 5-10 minutes, fish them out and dry on a paper kitchen towel.

Cheers

Jim

Thanks again Jim, I'll give that method a shot. By the way, what method would you recommend for the cleaning of nibs after use?

Others say drop the nib in boiling water.

I've always done this and never damaged a nib. I don't recall having the problem you describe, either, so it's probably worth a go...!

Cheers

Jim

Thanks Jim. For how long should I leave the nib in boiling water?

Hey all,

I recently decided to experiment with calligraphy/dip pens and I'm having trouble. The ink will flow from the nibs just fine, but only if I use very slow strokes. Whenever I try faster more decisive strokes, the ink stops flowing. Is this something to do with the oil that new nibs are coated in? I've read that before using new nibs it's a good idea to remove the oil coating. Some people suggest washing the nib with a light detergent. Others say burn the oil off with a light flame (though I've not tried this, I heard it risks damaging the nib). Others say drop the nib in boiling water.

Any advice on how to get those fast strokes of the pen to work would be great:)

Wow, never saw that Tripods work before.  That seems to be an original story too, I don't recognise the scenes from either the (excellent) books or the (equally excellent) TV series.  Love to read that!

Here is the blog entry where you can find some more of Burns' Tripods pages (I only posted 2 out of about 6):

http://bearalley.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/john-burnss-tripods.html

Apparently it originally appeared in something called BEEB, in the mid 80s. It was apparently a Look in style publication featuring comic book adaptations of TV shows.

http://2000ad.org/?zone=prog&page=megprofiles&choice=224

"John Burns - Veteran"

There are a few on eBay here

http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_trksid=p2050601.m570.l1313.TR10.TRC0.A0.Xdon%27t+dare+to+forget&_nkw=megazine+224&_sacat=0&_from=R40

Yep, grabbed a copy, looking forward to reading that interview, thanks for your help guys:)

The panel under the two Raider ones is Steve Dillon.

Yeah you're right, I forgot to point that out in my post. Is it possible to edit one's posts?

Does anyone have any information or insight into John M Burns' working method that they could share with me?

What I had in mind specifically is how does he go about producing work like this:

http://abraham100.blogspot.co.uk/2008/01/john-m-burns.html

and this:



It's all from an early 90's Dredd story (Raider). If I had to guess I would say that the colours were achieved with a combination of coloured ink and acrylic paint (sometimes separate, sometimes combined) and the line work with black ink. What I want to know is, would he apply the coloured ink and/or paint first followed by the black line work or vice versa?

Also this work:





From an adaptation of the Tripods television series, if I had to guess (and I'm usually not a good judge of these things) I would say maybe coloured ink (or maybe paint) and then black ink for the line work, but again, which would come first?

I've tried looking for information on Burns' working method online but can't find anything. The only interviews with him that I know of are not available online and I've not yet been able to track down the print copies.

Any help would be awesome.

Hey guys:)

Thanks for all the feedback, I appreciate it, it's given me a lot to think about for my next project.

Oh and the script is called 'Gun Runner', I found it here:

http://www.2000ad.org/?zone=droid&page=scripts&choice=gunrunner

Thanks again everyone:)

Hello there, everyone:)

I've decided to post my recent attempt at a Judge Dredd sample script ('Gun Runner'). It is my first ever attempt at a Dredd script.

Just wanted to show it around and get as many different POVs/crits on it as I can:














I look forward to any feedback:)

Thank you very much, Tombo

That was an impressively quick response, I appreciate the help.

Out of curiosity, do you know where I could find any other John M Burns interviews, I've already searched myself and have failed to find any online