Lately, I’ve been grooving on a very special marker from Chartpak, the Higgins India Ink Pump Marker. A lot of you out there are familiar with paint pens. You know, the kind that you gently push down on the nib to start it up and get the paint ready to flow. Well, in this case, we’re pushing down on the nib to get the ink ready to flow. The results are simply stunning.
I recommend that you go easy into your drawing and you’ll discover that, depending upon the pressure you apply, you actually can control the thickness of the line. This will take a bit of practice but it’s worth it.
Enjoy the moment and let the magic happen–the human magic. Unlike AI, you can make all kinds of human connections based on whatever you please. Feel free to really make this your own work in a way that only you can make. I had a lot of fun leading a workshop at the Cartoon Art Museum and got to enjoy working with the Higgins Ink Pump Marker. I look forward to doing more of these workshops and posting more videos using them on social media.
Creating Art Demo at Cartoon Art Museum
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Give your pen a few pumps: apply the pen point to a piece of paper and push down until you see that the white nib is now black with ink. You’re now ready to go.
CHOOSE A PLACE TO START
Maybe you will want to draw a face, a symbol or shape to get this party started. Don’t overthink it but also consider what your next few steps might look like. Do you want to place something in the middle? Or maybe off to a side.
GETTING INTO A ZONE
You’re getting into a zone. Let one drawing, or part of a drawing, help you get to the next step. Meditate while you draw. Relax. This is your Me Time. Let your dreams guide you. Let your surrounding guide you.
GOING GRAY
After a while, you’ll notice your lines are starting to go gray. This is when you push down again to get some more ink. While you have gray lines, you can experiment and use that tone in your artwork.
YOU’VE GOT SOMETHING!
Before you know it, you’ve got something! Let it rest and come back to it if you think it still needs more. Who knows, you might be done and it’s ready to tape or magnet to your refrigerator door, pin to your cubicle at work or even frame on a wall. Your mileage will vary. It’s all up to you! I hope this little tutorial helps and will inspire you to go out there and create something fun and engaging for yourself. And be sure to visit the Chartpak store for a truly impressive line of art supplies.
Interview: Keith Knight Talks About ‘The K Chronicles’ and the Cartoonist’s Life
Keith Knight is one very funny, and profound, cartoonist. What is the secret to his success? Consider this life lesson: It is all in the doing. It applies in art school, law school, med school, any kind of school. “I’ve been doing this for years,” said Keith to a question I put to him about his success. That comment says it all. It is a part of this interview that stays with me. Knight has created a wonderful life for himself that includes making a living as a cartoonist. He has done it with style and become a significant voice. And he is easy to find and to keep up with, especially with his special subscription service you can check out here.
In this interview, we talk about activism in comics as well as the nature of humor. We go over a long and rewarding career. And we look at some exciting things that lie ahead, like Keith’s first full-length graphic novel, “I Was A Teenage Michael Jackson Impersonator.” Keith has also branched out into live action videos which bring his comics to life. And there is a comedy show, based on Keith’s life as a struggling cartoonist, that is being pitched so we’ll see how things go.
Keith Knight has three comic strips he regularly creates, there are two weekly strips, “The K Chronicles” and “(Th)ink.” And there’s the daily, “The Knight Life.” He also has strips in Mad Magazine: “Father O’Flannity’s Hot Tub Confessions” and “Bully Baby.”
Also in this interview, Keith jokes about his focus being, “the fight for a more decent cartoonist’s wage.” Certainly, his concern is over the same stuff most folks worry about: healthcare, education, and “not being condemned if you’re poor or low-income.” When asked about his thoughts over his legacy, Keith’s mind turns to the 500-page collection of “The K Chronicles,” published by Dark Horse Comics and that you can take a look at here.
Just click below to listen to the interview:
If you’re in the San Francisco area, you can stop by and visit with Keith at the Alternative Press Expo on October 12 and 13.
And you can also listen to Keith on Totally Biased with W. Kamu Bell on FXX, broadcast live on Tuesday, October 22.
Keep up with Keith Knight at The K Chronicles site here and The Knight Life site here.
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Filed under Comedy, Comic Strips, Comics, Keith Knight, Political Cartoons, politics, Protest, Race, Race Relations, Social Commentary, Social Justice
Tagged as Activism, cartoonist, Comedy, Comic Strips, comics, Entertainment, Humor, Keith Knight, Political Cartoons, Politics, Pop Culture, Protest, Race