Behind the Comics XI - Julie Delporte

'Behind the Comics' continues with š! #12 contributor Julie Delporte. She gives us a very colorful insight on what pencils she uses for her comics!

Julie Delporte // *1983, France. Julie lives in Montreal, where she publishes books and zines with the collective Colosse. She was a fellow at the Center for Cartoon Studies during the year 2011/2012. She has just finished a children’s book about a little girl who turns into a raccoon. Soon a compilation of her journal comics will be published by Koyama Press. Color pencils and dogs with long ears are her favorite antidepressants.

Visit her website juliedelporte.com and follow her tumblr juliedelporte.tumblr.com

So here is her report:

 

This is my desk. I used to work in a studio, now I do quite everything from my room.
I draw mostly in color pencils now, I just love them. 

I spent some periods of time abroad this last year, and I was not able to find the same brands from one town to another, so I had the occasion of trying a few different ones.

I thought I could make a short review of the color pencils I use and know, in case you would like to try this wonderful medium.  

 Design by BRUYNZEEL-SAKURA
They have very bright and cool colors that I can't find elsewhere.
The led is very soft and textured but quite fragile. Sometimes, the led is decomposed at the end of the pencil, but I keep buying some of them because I like them so much.
They are not easy to find on the web (at least with very reasonable price for shipping to Canada) neither in shops.

LYRA Rembrandt-Polycolor
These Lyra have also really nice colors (less bright, thought), and a lot of different ones. For instance, there is an amazing range of greys.
The led is good, soft and less fragile than the Bruynzeel.
They are not easy to find in shops, but they are on the web, and there is some 24 pencils set for a reasonable price.
The only real default I see is that when your pencil is finished, you don't see anymore the number of the color, so if you don't remember which one it was, it's hard to order the same color again.

Color-Giant LYRA
I drew the pages for KUŠ! with them.
They are stubby and nice to handle, funny to draw with. You feel like a kid.
There is some really great bright colors, and some fluorescant color that you can't scan...  but it's still cool for originals.
I found them in a shop in Brussels, but nowhere else, not even on the web.
As they are bigger, you can have a different style with them. Some rougher lines.

Polychromos FABER CASTELL
They are very solid, the led does not broke easily. Even if they are really good quality pencils, I think the led is a little to dry/hard for me.
The color are really nice too, but I don't know why i feel like they are more traditional colors than the Lyra or the Bruynzeel.
They are easy to find in Canada ! And quite easy elsewhere too, I think.
The shape is a little too thick to go in my electric pencil sharpener, too bad.

PRISMACOLOR
They are cheaper than the other ones, and they are easy to find.
I don't really like the new ones because the led makes some waxy texture i can't stand. I'm not a fan neither of the colors.
But the old ones, Berol, Canadiana or I don't know what is written on it depending on the years and the country, are sometimes great !  You'll probably have some around, or some friend could give you the ones he doesn't use anymore. I started with them, then I discovered better ones.

DERWENT Artists
 I bought a few of them in Belgium and didn't really like them. I think the led is too dry... They also are very ugly.

Previous 'Behind the Comics' entries you can read by clicking this label and to see the story she made for š! #12 'future 2.0' - you should get a copy of it, for example from our website www.komikss.lv.