Watercolor pencils are some of my favourite art tools, second only to graphics tablets. They are such a versatile, accurate and easy to use watercolor paint medium that are an absolute pleasure to work with. Did you know that they are not a modern artists tool? – They have been in existence for centuries and […]
For a long time a pencil was a pencil. That was, until I got down to the nitty-gritty of the two pencil systems HB and F. Here is the simple explaination of the differences and grading systems: Graphite pencils are used for a wide range of artistic and writing purposes. They are available in a […]
I hated it when people asked me to create caricatures. Catching the likeness could be quick or a protracted nightmare that would see me staring down at the deadline with dread!. 80th Birthday caricature commissioned by the Harborough brass band (UK) for Mark Stamp Freehand caricatures can be a nightmare! I can’t do a quick […]
With plenty of cheap options online to have gift wrapping paper printed at a reasonable price, the temptation was irresistable. I have a brass band cartoon web site nezzyonbrass.com with a cartoon marching band motif – six cartoon Bandsfolk. I decided to create a repeat pattern using the motif which is easy to do on […]
Creating cartoon designs for a new web site is great fun but frought with dangerous challenges. The client wanted a mole surfacing in a garden wearing a world war two pilot’s helmet and goggles. And it had to be studying a paper map of the garden! Easy right?… Wrong! I discussed the ‘look and feel’ […]
Artists Leather Satchel – The best gift I had in years! What do you want for Christmas? My wife asked me what I wanted for Christmas, but nothing really sprang to mind apart from the usual socks, book, pens, pencils, which I already have in abundance. She kept chipping away at me during early December, […]
Getting a permanent cartoon spot in a magazine in a genre which is your also your hobby is a dream come true. That happened to me back in 2002 when I sent a letter to the editor of Brass Band World Magazine with a cartoon to spice it up. He published the letter with the […]
Procartoon was approached by XP-Pen to ‘road test’ and review their range of three Deco Fun graphics tablets. For the review, we were sent the Deco Fun L in apple green. The Deco Fun range comes in three sizes – XS, S AND L Deco Fun XS: 182.4×134.7×10.5mm with an active area of 4.8＂× 3＂ […]
Those of us who love to draw are always looking for the best drawing tablets with screens to spark our creativity. But are drawing tablets with screens better than those without? Graphics tablets with screens provide a more traditional way of drawing, similar to paper and pen. Tablets without screens require you to […]
In this review I look at the best A4 size light pad light box you can buy on the market. A light box is one of the handiest tools you will ever use for drawing and sketching. They are relatively cheap, highly portable, particularly in the A4 size. To be honest they are much of a muchness with […]
Rob Slatus is a humorous and caricature artist who is self-taught, living in Brooklyn, New York. In between his art projects, Rob drives a large school bus in the tri-state area (parts of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut). He is married to Donna, his wife of 27 years, and has a 20-year-old son who […]
I love ‘The Gruffalo’ and ‘Winnie the Witch’ picture books, probably even more than my children who we bought them for. Stories with great visual images really resonate with children (and me!!!) and a couple of years ago I had an idea for a story that I could illustrate. In a nutshell… The story is […]
In this episode of the podcast, I talk to professional cartoonist Perry Taylor. Perry originally, from Oxford, England has lived in Gascony France since 2004 and unlike many ex-pats has absolutely immersed himself into the quirks of French life. His fame has grown to such an extent, that the tourist board have thanked him […]
In this episode of the procartoon podcast, I interview Todd Schowalter from St. Louis in Missouri, a professional cartoonist, animator, and film producer who has many more talents besides. Todd talks about a brand new development, he is currently working on called ToonScreen, which allows cartoonists and cartoon animators to display their work globally and […]
In this Episode of the Procartoon Podcast…I talk to Richard Houlden from Tidewater which is located on the coast just over 60 miles northeast of the Virginia state capital of Richmond. I had first been contacted by Richard a couple of years ago, asking a question about Photoshop which I featured in episode 2 of […]
In this Episode of the Procartoon Podcast…Making the creative best of COVID -19. How to make the most out of this terrible situation with the possibility of more lockdowns until a vaccine is found. Short cut to creating caricatures. I envy those talented with a gift for capturing a likeness quickly. I used to struggle […]
I was recently asked on the procartoon.com Podcast Edition 4 if it would be better to pencil rough a cartoon first then ink over, or to dive in and just use ink. When I first started cartooning I always thought that the top cartoonists could draw a perfect cartoon without roughing it out with a […]
With the awful Covid-19 Pandemic causing lockdown globally it is easy to get swept along with the gloom and doom that surrounds it and not be creative. But…and this is a big but! You will never get a better chance to be creative if you look at this as an opportunity. Normal life is full […]
Which cartoon pens measure up? I have tried out many different pens ranging from cheap dip pens (pens dipped into ink) to very expensive high tech drawing pens. Every cartoonist has their own preference and I am sure that in time you will find the right pen for you. However, till you find […]
Drawing cartoons in one thing but creating really good caricatures can be one of the most difficult aspects of a cartoonists skills to master. I have avoided caricatures like the plague until recently as I didn’t know how to draw caricatures efficiently until I discovered a short cut. I decided to face my fear and […]
What is perspective in art? It’s a method of creating the illusion of depth and space on a flat surface and there are several types of perspective in art that can be used. Sounds easy, right? Maybe. For some of us, we need a bit more detail. A simple explanation of the perspective drawing definition […]
As an artist, you need to know best place to sell art online that will promote your artwork and products without eating into your profits. The term “starving artist” was coined because it’s sometimes harder to sell your art than it is to create it. You could starve waiting for someone to buy it. It […]
Photoshop and Photoshop Elements Layers take the pain out of line thickness! When you have been using photoshop and Photoshop Elements layers for years you often go on autopilot and don’t even think how you just made some adjustment or created something weird using a filter. I read the Jester this morning which is […]
Great ways I discovered to teach me how to draw cartoons without having to think too hard! For the professional cartoonist finding fun things to draw is easy if you just want to copy a cartoon or use some other cartoonists ideas. Getting ideas for great original cartoons and fun things to draw can have you pulling […]
Overview of the XP – Pen Artist 15.6 Graphics Tablet: PROS Thin 12mm profile but is very strong and highly portable. Looks sleek but with the bonding of the casing and screen, the tablet feels really robust which for me is great as I do use it ‘on the hoof’ and tend to be less […]
