Harvey's Helpful Hints
January 2008

It was a long time coming, but it finally got here. Hope everyone is over the “New Year's” festivities and ready to start inking and drawing again!

The three major keys in layout and design are still:

•  Visual Balance

•  Contrast of elements

•  Dominance of one element (allowing the eye a place to enter the design)

Be sure to keep a folder with all the pertinent information for every job and every client. You never know when a client will come back to you wanting the same job repeated. If you're like me you can forget tomorrow what you did today. With all the information for each job you can refer back to all your notes and you won't have to guess...nibs, paper, ink, size of job, and any unnecessary problems encountered. This should be a MUST!

Use dental floss to clean the slits in Coit and Automatic Pens. And place a small sponge inside these pens for a reservoir.

In your tool travel case before going to workshops and meetings where you will be doing some ink work be sure to include a 10-pack of baby wipes (with alcohol) to keep hands and finger clean and uninked.

To protect yourself from an exposed Exacto blade attach a #2 Bulldog clip over the blade. Keeps the tool from rolling off your work area, keeps the blade away from your hands and provides a handy hanging hole for the tool.

Another way to sharpen your broad edge nibs: insert the nib into a penstaff as usual, hold the nib on the edge of your work table, place the Arkansas stone on the nib at 20o and sharpen both sides of the nib. Also make sure the tines are square and even with each other by checking both procedures often with a 10x magnifier.

Did you know that rice paper is not made from rice (misnomer). It would be proper to call it oriental paper.

Try using bamboo placemats with elastic threads at intervals for brush carriers. Tie or attach a ribbon or string to keep this carrier closed. It will also allow air in to dry your brushes.

If you outline your design in black it tends to look flat. Instead outline with gold and surround with color to give depth.