Ink

For anybody out there who still uses ink to draw with, here's a little tip. Several years ago I ran across Mont Blanc ink. It's fountain pen ink, and no good for inking comics, but the bottle is very handy. It's virtually unspillable.

It is designed with an ink reservoir in the front of the bottle, so with a little tilt you can keep the ink level exactly where you want it. No more accidentally dipping the pen in too far, or having to plumb the depths for the last drops. I just poured out the Montblanc ink and keep it filled it with my favorite India ink. The bottle is translucent glass so you can monitor the ink level easily.

Watercolor paper

I noticed some new watercolor blocks at the art supply store the other day and decided to buy a couple of them.
I made the decision to buy them entirely on the size of the paper, which is roughly 9.5" x 4" ... a panoramic size.
I'm in love with this size for sketching and doing small watercolors while stretched out on the living room floor watching tv.

The paper is called Papier Aquarelle made by Sennelier. It's wonderful.
The watercolor above was done on a hot pressed block.
I also bought a cold pressed block.
Like Wes, I'm pretty undecided about paper choices.
I'm not sold on working on one particular paper...some days I like the feel of cold pressed paper, some days, I like hot pressed.
I hardly ever stray from using a watercolor block, but during my latest shopping spree at the art supply store, I bought some sheets of paper to experiment on.

Note to self: watercolor paper can be expensive.

-stacy.