Writhe and Shine

My pen broke in the middle of inking a comic. Fortunately nothing spilled onto the strip except for my disappointment.

It was a yellow Deleter brand pen holder that I somehow picked up at the bookstore in Uwajimaya Village. For those of you not from Seattle, it is an Asian grocery store in the International District and it’s pronounced Wah-ji-my-uh. I’m not exactly certain as to how I obtained said pen holder. It may have magically appeared in my bag or I could have bought it on a whim. In any case, it sat in my art supply drawer for quite some time and I had only recently been using it as I was frustrated with my other pen nibs and needed something different.

It was awkward at first. The handle was wide and it was such a bright yellow. I was used to the thin brown kind that go almost unnoticed in the art bin, usually camouflaging itself against other mightier tools. I was unfamiliar with the Deleter brand as they are usually used to draw Manga.

And I hate Manga.

I try not to get involved with anything that has to do with Manga. Never liked it and I know a few other artists that feel the exact same way about it.

But I decided I needed a break and wanted something new. Besides, maybe it would make my drawings better without me even trying! It was worth a shot!

All in all, I didn’t get anything special out of the pen holder of the nib that came with it. My lines ended up being the same and the paper got caught up in the nib just the same as with any nib. Eventually the nib became a little loose. I would place the nib against the paper and expect to draw a nice live but it needed a little extra pressure to come into full contact with the paper and there would end up being a little barb at the beginning of the line that wan’t supposed to be there. Seriously. Pain in the ass.

So I guess I count myself fortunate that the little post in the center of the holder busted the other day. If it hadn’t I would probably still be suffering through the barbed lines and the thick, obnoxious handle. Because I’m cheap like that. I’ll use something till it dies. And then use it more if I can slap some tape on it.

But there was no saving this piece of junk. It is now just sitting here next to my laptop as I type, waiting to be thrown in the trash.

Song/Video of the Day: Ashbury Heights – “Spiders [Remix by UnterArt]
Get the entire album here: Ashbury Heights – Morningstar In A Black Car