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Dia Happened — Description
Me in 2005: "This character needs more detail and accessories!"

Me now:

So. I recently bought a Bienfang Young Artists Drawing Pad because it was super cheap, and I had a very sudden and powerful urge to test it out with my Prismacolor markers. "I know, I'll draw Dia real quick!" <- Hahahaha nope. She's really fun to draw, just very time-consuming.

I tried some new things with her proportions, shortening her legs to be about the same length as her arms for a more animal look. Which I thought worked - But then I added Dia's usual knee-length skirt and now she has more of a dwarf look. XD I also re-learned the importance of using a non-local shadow color, as evidenced by how flat her fur looks compared to her clothes. Oh well, good practice to get back in the swing of markering!

My verdict on Bienfang Young Artists Drawing paper ? Overall, I'd rate it excellent for being very cheap and very functional. It reminds me a lot of Strathmore 300 Series Sketch paper . The marker bleed level is fantastic, enabling good painterly blending and soft line edges without being uncontrollable. The paper is so thin that it takes very little ink and you can make a crazy sketch on scrap paper, then set this paper on top and neatly trace to transfer. In spite of being very thin and prone to folding, this paper is CRAZY STRONG when it comes to erasing! I erased that one foot that I never did get right actually like 12 times and the paper was unaffected. Very impressive.

The main con with this paper is that it makes ink, especially black ink, look kinda shiny which makes the art look weird at certain angles and in certain lights, as well as harder to photograph than the papers I usually use. It also suffers from ink lift when you try to erase pencil lines out from under your line art (definitely go for the tracing method since it's so thin!). Tiny bit of ink smearing where I globbed it on and then rubbed over with the marker tip. I hugely recommend this paper for learning and fun, but maybe not for pieces with loftier intentions like selling art. As for me, I am pleased with this inexpensive purchase and I hope to use this paper more soon.

Prismacolor inking pens, Prismacolor markers, Kuretake Gansai Tambi (highlights), Bienfang Young Artists Drawing paper (approx. 5 x 7 inches).
Dia © me, Peachfuzz .