Tools of the Trade

The selection of tools I use to draw Mike and the Ninja is perpetually evolving. What used to just be one black fountain pen, a Sharpie, and a sheet of copy paper has expanded to a much larger and more versatile arsenal. Here's what it looks like these days:

1) Blue painter's tape--this allows me to tape my work down without damaging it too much when I pull the tape up.
2) Erasers--one kneaded, one plastic. I usually use the kneaded eraser while I'm drawing so I can make it whatever shape I need to get the job done. I use the plastic eraser to erase all my pencil marks just before scanning.
3) Staedtler mechanical pencil (.05mm lead, I believe). I've used all sorts of pencils, but this one delivers both comfort and a good-looking line. I'm probably going to end up sticking with this one until it snaps from overuse.
4) Pigma Micron pens of varying sizes. The Micron pens do the majority of my inking--I normally like them a lot, but it's hard for me to get a really smooth, clean line.
5) Faber-Castell PITT brush pen. I'm using this in my inking more and more often. It delivers a smoother line than the Micron pens, but like a paintbrush, it can be difficult to control. I would like to eventually start using an actual brush and a cro-quill pen for my inking, but I definitely am going to need to practice with those before I start using them for the strip.

1) C-Thru metal ruler. I use this to line the panels of each strip, and it seems to give me the most accurate measurements of any of my rulers. But why is it called C-Thru when you can't see through it? Ah, the mysteries of life....
2) C-Thru ruler that actually is see-through. This one comes in handy thanks to the grid printed on the surface, which allows easy drawing of parallel or perpendicular lines without having to do a bunch of math and measurements.
3) Strathmore 9" by 12" smooth bristol board. I draw the comic strips and other important artwork on these. Bristol board takes ink much better than the copy paper or card stock I previously used to draw my comics, so I switched to this in 2004, I believe.

Not pictured, but also used frequently: 30-60-90 triangle (my most often used straight edge, actually), stencil for drawing various sizes of circle, cover sheet, eraser shield, and mp3 player for listening to funky beats while I work (or whatever it is the kids call them these days).

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