What's your approach to using pencils?

[jeffnevins]

Col Erase, mechanical pencil, or something else?

I've been roughing BG/prop/character designs for games with my B/2B mechanical pencil for a few years now.

Since the housemate has a baby in the house, and another young child, I can't risk waking them with the electric sharpener duning a nap or at night.

The drawing may be a bit stiffer, but I've probably saved myself a lot of extra noise as well.

Maybe there are really quiet sharpeneers out there, though.

Side note: the one pencil I have is the one I used when working at Wild Brain 12 years ago & have used to this day. Pentel .5 from a Japan w/a cushion grip. A month ago, I was shocked when it snapped in half. Then realized I'd thrown it in anger a while back, and left it in the sun for years.

Taped it back together & am still using it. I might get another eventually... or switch back to Col Erase & move to where I can use it at will.
Someday.

[SNAKEBITE]

Been using Col Erase blue for 17 years...although I've been doing a lot of live art demos at shows and jump into a lot of mediums for spontaneous expression...but when I draw on paper I tend to default to col...although, sometimes I feel like the mechanical pencils give me the proper edge and control at all times...mmmmmmm, maybe its time to hybrid the two!

[SNAKEBITE]

Here's a sample of my pencils with Col Erase...I'm kinda chunky. I draw like a sculpture...throw down mass scribbles of line, erase more then draw..lol..and then fine tune.

This one I scanned into photoshop and added some effects. back ground texture, half tones, cut out FX etc..

People still appreciate pencils. you don't always need to make it clean.

[jeffnevins]

Cool- thanks for the reply.

[Charles]

Great artwork bro. Here's something I did recently in both Col-erase blue and graphite pencils along with black line pen. Contrary to Jeff's situation I have the luxury of using an electric sharpener. I use soft leads like 2B and 4B to get a tone that can be blended with a tissue paper along with blending the blue. I used line where it's needed on top of the tone. One of many ways to use a variety of pencil techniques in art.