Tipp from the Sketchnote Journal »
For starters, it doesn't matter what pens or paper you use.
You don't need any professional materials. Take whatever you have on hand and try everything: fine-tip or felt-tip pens, pencils, pens, printer paper, sales slips, notebooks... – you will find your favorite materials eventually. At the back of the book, there are also a few BLANK PAGES for trying things out.
In general, good paper-pencil combinations are:
NOTeBOOK AND ...
- waterproof, black fine-tip pen (e.g., STAEDTLER pigment liner)
- Pen in a contrasting color that stands out well against black (e.g., Tombow ABT Dual Brushpen 055 in yellow)
- grey pen for shadows (e.g., Tombow ABT Dual Brushpen N75)
STiCKY NOTeS AND ...
- Thicker felt-tip pen so your illustration can be seen from a distance, on photos, or through a webcam.
FLiP CHART AND ...
- Specific, thick flip chart markers so your illustration can be seen at a distance and on photos.
- This book is printed on 120 g/m2 paper. I recommend that you start off with a waterproof fine-tip pen. That way, the drawings do not smudge when you color them later.
WATeR OR ALCOHOL?
To get in the mood, grab a glass of your favorite... Just kidding! Now we'll be talking about what type of pens to use.
Because whether your writing utensil contains water or alcohol also makes a difference:
The ink of alcohol-based pens containing solvents is only suitable for very thick paper from 250 g/m2. You'll be able to create excellent large-scale illustrations with strokes that are even, broad, and will not streak – as long as you don't mind the smell of alcohol.
Water-based pens are best suited for regular paper and notebooks since their ink does not seep through to the other side of the page.
Do you want more? You can find these and other tips, tricks, instructions, and space to practice in our Sketchnote Journal, which we published together with Leuchtturm1917!
