Category Archives: Technique

The Frugal Review • The Pen+Gear Sketch Diary

Posted on September 23, 2025 by Joe_Williams

When my wife and co-host of this fabulous site, Tina, calls about a cheap sketchbook she’s found at a big box store, I’ve learned not to question her. I just say, “Buy it!” She’s got a knack for spotting art … Continue reading →

Posted in Doodle Tuesday, Illustration, It Came From the Sketchbook, News, Pixels Versus Pigment, Sketch, Stuff Joe Likes, Technique | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Cheapskate Strikes Back!

Posted on September 18, 2025 by Joe_Williams

I was in an art supply store recently to pick up some gift items for a friend, and I thought I would pick up a smallish, mixed media, sketchbook for myself. I was thinking a 7-inch by 10-inch sketchbook would … Continue reading →

Posted in Curious Clutter, Illustration, It Came From the Sketchbook, Sketch, Stuff Joe Likes, Technique | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Scratching a Scratchboard Itch

Posted on June 18, 2024 by Joe_Williams

The recent closure of The University of the Arts has set me careening down memory lane like a runaway train crashing into memories of my days at The Philadelphia College of Art. The Philadelphia College of Art mutated into the … Continue reading →

Posted in Illustration, News, Philadelphia, Pixels Versus Pigment, Technique | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Sci Fi Textures

Posted on February 22, 2024 by Joe

When the blank page or screen is staring at me waiting for me to fill it with something illustrative and I don’t really have a solid idea, I doodle digital science fiction textures. I play around with colors and shapes … Continue reading →

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My sweet irreproducible you

Posted on February 23, 2023 by Joe

Non-Photo Blue pencils are a particular shade of blue that could not be detected by a  graphic arts camera like a photostat camera. I ran stat cameras in the era when graphic design was an analog pursuit involving rubber cement, … Continue reading →

Posted in Curious Clutter, It Came From the Sketchbook, Sketch, Stuff Joe Likes, Technique | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Get to the Point!

Posted on February 15, 2023 by Joe

A search through some old art bins in the studio set me tumbling down a rabbit hole of wooden pencils, pencil sharpeners and crafting the perfect point.

Posted in It Came From the Sketchbook, Stuff Joe Likes, Technique | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

It’s Pixels Versus Pigments, Again

Posted on October 12, 2022 by Joe

The late, great Dan Love was a good friend and a technological guru who pushed me kicking and screaming into new computers and gadgets I never realized I needed until I started to use them. He was passionate about computers … Continue reading →

Posted in Illustration, Pixels Versus Pigment, Technique | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments