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Very subjective watercolour paper tests.
13 min read
Watercolour paper test (Arches, Cezanne, Montval, Fabriano)
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31.05.2020:
Saunders Waterford, hot pressed, 300g/m2, high white
St Cuthberts Mill, 100% Cotton watercolour paper.
Fun to sketch in pencil - 5/5
Fun to paint on: - 2/5 (Very similar to the previous hot pressed paper it just doesn't work for me. The texture was pleasant to the touch though.)
Keeping the paint within the lines: - 1/5 (Only if I was using very little water did it stay in the lines.)
Fun to lineart: - 4/5 (The only drawback is that it dried for a longer time, so I had to wait, or the lines got blurry.)
Scanning results: - 5/5The texture looks nice and if I was painting with layers instead of all at once - it could work. But hot pressed papers are generally not my thing.
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24.05.2020:
Daler Rowney Aguafine smooth hot pressed 300g/m2.
Fun to sketch in pencil - 5/5
Fun to paint on: - 2/5 (First I was going to give it a 1, since painting with my normal technique was not possible on this paper. But later I realised it's quite similar to my old S&D sketcbook, and decided it's decent enough to get a 3. It turned out it's possible to mix colours by making layers on it instead of mixing them immediately before the paint dries. But this paper is generally very tiring to use, because you have to always take care to make your edges look good. So I wouldn't recommend this to the beginners. In the end, since this should be a proper watercolour paper, and not the one from a sketchbook, I decided to go with the mark between the two. It's not as bad as a poster board. but it's not really a good watercolour paper. Besides the S&D it also reminds me a little of Canson Imagine Mix Media - but I feel Canson has a slightly better texture.)
Keeping the paint within the lines: - 5/5
Fun to lineart: - 5/5
Scanning results: - 4/5+++
10.05.2020:
Fabriano Artistico Creme:
Fun to sketch in pencil - 4/5
Fun to paint on: - 3/5
Keeping the paint within the lines: - 4/5
Fun to lineart: - 2/5 (It's just slightly less painful than Arches, even though the texture seems smoother.)
Scanning results: - 3/5I didn't like the texture of this paper and it didn't blend the colours enough. The drying time was super fast too, so I couldn't make corrections over time - and if I could, they were very limited. The colours look kind of nice on it, I think? Linearting was pretty painful though. Not as much as Arches, but painful nonetheless.
I think some people might like it, if they're okay with this type of texture. It's probably closer to the high quality papers like Arches from what I could tell. And I can't tell much, since it's just not my thing.
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27.04.2020:
Today I've tested Canson Montval Torchon Snowy surface and Canson Montval Aquarelle Cold pressed.
Review: It's horrible, don't buy it. (Unless they make more of it.)
Real review: Aquarelle Cold pressed has slightly more profound texture.
and 
My evaluation:
Fun to sketch in pencil:
Torchon - 5/5
Cold pressed - 5/5 Fun to paint on: (Taking in the water/paint + blending while the paint should still be slightly wet.)
Torchon - 5/5
Cold pressed - 5/5
Keeping the paint within the lines:
Torchon - 5/5
Cold pressed - 5/5
Fun to lineart:
Torchon - 5/5
Cold pressed - 5/5
Torchon - 5/5
Cold pressed - 4/5(I was literally crying tears of happiness when painting on the snowy surface, so I can't call this a normal test anymore - it's too subjective. Sorry. TvT 
)
)+++
25.04.2020 Update: Canson Montval Torchon has arrived, so tomorrow I will be streaming more watercolour paper testing! : D
26.04.2020 Update: Sorry, after all no stream today. I will try to stream tomorrow instead. o/
+++
25.04.2020:
Arches vs Cezanne
Hi, guys~!
Recently I had the pleasure of testing the legendary Arches watercolour paper, as well as Hahnemühle's Cézanne watercolour paper.
Both are very high quality papers (also expensive), cold pressed, and made 100% out of cotton. These types of papers tend to take water in well and are best suited for the wet on wet technique. I heard many artists say that Arches was their favourite watercolour paper, so I really wanted to test it out for myself once.
Disclaimer: That being said, what I was testing them for was not wet on wet; but how well I can draw a manga painting on them, mostly with the dry on dry technique (with a mix of others), focusing on the details, and adding a ball-pen lineart.
Here is a little glimpse of how I usually paint:
If I was to describe it - I use watercolours like alcohol markers (which I couldn't afford at the time xD). After putting one colour on another I hope to be able to blend it a little with the one below by stroking that place with the slightly wet brush. I want my watercolour paper to be able to store enough water that it doesn't wrinkle, because I want to add depth to the colours with a few layers, that I blend. And I want my paint to not go out of the line (I try to take care of that while it dries). Finally, I want it to scan nicely to have no visible texture that disturbs the details of the painting.
versus 
To put it bluntly - I'm sure these are very nice papers, but I'm never using them again. xD They're both very badly suited for my style and I don't like either of them.
Arches has the advantage of better taking in water. I like how I can blend the colours with it. But it's still not as much as what I can do with some other papers. Nothing extremely amazing here. But it is good. Cezanne on the other hand acts like some cheap paper and it was a real pain to even get the paint to blend into another layer nicely. But what I liked about it is that it had this nice blend into the paper itself. So if I wasn't using a lineart - it might have been nice for some wet on wet techniques.
The grain on both papers is extremely big and it is visible on the scan, which I don't like. Arches especially has a very rough surface. Drawing the lineart was especially painful - it felt as if I had to carve it in stone. The ups and downs of the paper made the pen uneven and turned the proces of linearting into a torture. Cezanne's surface is much smoother and was actually okay to lineart on. The texture doesn't show too much on the scan either. But what's the point, if I can't even add another layer of paint, since it dries immediately and doesn't let me make a correction even after 2-5 seconds. That's too fast even for a cold press.
Another aspect is that I had really big difficulties in keeping the paint within the lines for Arches. While drying it was spilling outside. It took a lot of effort to make it look normal. I rarely see cold pressed papers do that, so I was surprised. Cezanne didn't have such problems more than what usually happens to watercolour papers.
My evaluation:
Fun to sketch in pencil:
Arches - 2/5 - I felt like I couldn't even use eraser afterwards + super bumpy surface made it hard to draw on
Cezanne - 5/5 - no problemsFun to paint on: (Taking in the water/paint + blending while the paint should still be slightly wet.)
Arches - 4/5
Cezanne - 2/5
Keeping the paint within the lines:
Arches - 2/5
Cezanne - 4/5
Fun to lineart:
Arches - 1/5
Cezanne - 3/5
Scanning results:
Arches - 2/5
Cezanne - 4/5This is actually way below the avarage for me. My favourite paper gets fives in all categories.
It was an interesting experiment, but I'm never touching these papers again. xD' I'm so sorry to everyone who loves them. I'm sure they have their own advantages. But for my painting style they're just a below-the-average watercolour papers, which I have a dozen of and never use. My opinion might have been influenced by how high my expectations were, and how high the price of those papers was. I have a friend who is a big fan of Arches, so I might just give her the rest of those papers, since she would probably be much happier with them than me. xD' Thank you for reading, and I hope it was interesting? Take care! 
PS. Now I'm kind of wondering if I should have checked the hot pressed Arches...? But I usually like cold pressed (although those with the smoother surface) papers more.
PPS. Here's the video, if you're interested: www.twitch.tv/videos/596442039
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(EDIT 7.09.2019: "The Artemis Fowl Zine is officially open for preorders.
In a Fowl Mood: an Artemis Fowl Fanzine is a charity zine full of new art and fanfiction, made out of passion and love for our little awkward evil genius.
All proceeds outside of production costs will go to Make-A-Wish to benefit children with cancer.
You can buy the zine in physical or pdf form here:
Once 25 PHYSICAL copies are sold, the extra loot bundle (charms, stickers, and bookmarks) will be unlocked. Preorders are open until OCTOBER 7TH (with the extra loot closing a week after), so order soon."
^ I'm a part of an Artemis Fowl zine. Please check it out if you're interested. It has some fanfics and fanarts in it. Thak you. )
)(EDIT 5.07.2019: I'm on hiatus everywhere until I'm back from vacation - till 14th July.)
(EDIT 2.07.2019: Livestream online picarto.tv/MeganUosiu inking comic pages~! Offline, thank you for watching.
)(EDIT 1.07.2019 (2): I've scanned the Patreon rewards. \o/ And also the would-be rewards / random sketches from the previous months. I might make an additional 16 pages of sketches for DeviantArt to be available for free to everyone to show you what kind of rewards I offer each month. In total I have 38 pages. Whoops, that's too much. ;;; 
Also. Tomorrow, I just might livestream. If it's not too hot.)
Also. Tomorrow, I just might livestream. If it's not too hot.)
(EDIT 1.07.2019: Commercial project done. And I've finally sent out the artbooks. Next is the comic, Patreon rewards for May and commissions. Also, I will be away from home 5-14 July, so there won't be any updates during that time.
Tapastic -> Sorry for the sudden mini hiatus, the comic will be back next Friday. I had to catch up a little with the pages I have ready before I could continue. a@'' Thank you for reading.)
Tapastic -> Sorry for the sudden mini hiatus, the comic will be back next Friday. I had to catch up a little with the pages I have ready before I could continue. a@'' Thank you for reading.
)(EDIT: 24.06.2019: I went to Cracow to meet with my friends this weekend and while there, I saw "Boku no Hero Academia: The Musical" by 
, 
and many many others. IT. WAS. SO. AMAZING. OMG. It's going to be out on YouTube in about a month, probably, so I hope you all check it out when it's out! It's so funny, beautiful and entertaining. The music is perfect. The plot was rewritten completely to fit into the format of a musical and now it's a mix between "Boku no Hero Academia" and "High School Musical". But most of all - it was so adorable and funny. It's still an unprofessional level, but of the highest tier. I think you're going to love it as much as I did.
, and many many others. IT. WAS. SO. AMAZING. OMG. It's going to be out on YouTube in about a month, probably, so I hope you all check it out when it's out! It's so funny, beautiful and entertaining. The music is perfect. The plot was rewritten completely to fit into the format of a musical and now it's a mix between "Boku no Hero Academia" and "High School Musical". But most of all - it was so adorable and funny. It's still an unprofessional level, but of the highest tier. I think you're going to love it as much as I did. And by the way, if you haven't yet, while waiting for it to come out you can check out the previous musical by the same group, which was also breathtaking:
Go watch ittt~! 
)
)(EDIT: 13.06.2019: Okay, I think I'm better now. At least my nose is not leaking all the time anymore. xD It will take me some time to catch up, probably, but I'm starting with the commercial projects, then the comic, artbook sending, commissions and Patreon stuff when I have the time. I'm so sorry for the delays and thank you so much for being patient with me. <333' )
)(EDIT 10.06.2019: I'm back from Dokomi! Thank you so much for stopping by, it was awesome~! I met so many amazing people~! *u* I got some nice unexpected loot too. And I came home even more sick than I originally was, but at least during the convention my medicine was working wonders with my cold. xD' Thank you, guysss~! < D )
)(EDIT: 4.06.2019: BTW, I', home. Sorry for not being active yet. I got sick again. ;;; And Dokomi is this weekend. Hold your thumbs that I will be alive by Friday to get there. Q_Q' )
(EDIT 26.05.2019: Hey. Sorry, I got sick last week and I will be away from home during the next one. I will be back on Friday. Sorry for all the delays and thank you so much for your patience. TvT )
(EDIT 17.04.2019: I'm going to Polymanga~! Woohoo~! See you in Montreux, Switzerland, this weekend. : DDD)
)(EDIT 17.04.2019: I'm going to Polymanga~! Woohoo~! See you in Montreux, Switzerland, this weekend. : DDD
)
And here's a little sneak peak of Usada's cosplay(!!!)
I. CAN'T. WAIT. 
(EDIT 12.04.2019: If I'm going to be inactive from now on, please assume I'm busy with the convention. I feel like I will lose the touch with reality soon. @_@'' )
The art of Megan Uosiu - artbook preorders
As promised, I'm working on my first ever artbook, "The art of Megan Uosiu". I've decided to start a crowdfunding campaign to gather the money to print it.
Specifications:
- A5 size
- about 40 pages, fullcolour, at least 120g paper
- paperback, fullcolour cover, gloss lamination
I would really appreciate it, if you'd share this with your friends and followers.
Thank you for your help and support!
As for the early birds' offer -> Thank you so much for your orders! I've sent you an e-mail about the payment and other details!
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Commissions closed 2019
6 min read
Hello.
Sorry for making you wait. I'm done with my projects for now, so I'm opening commissions.
Rules:
- It's for your personal use only.
- I don't draw: NSFW, cigarettes, alcohol, drugs.
- I'll start drawing after receiving the money.
How to order:
- Please send me a note with the reference pictures and the description of the character(s) you want me to draw. (It can also be an e-mail to: "megan.uosiu@gmail.com".)
- You can choose the composition (fullbody, halfbody, portrait), the pose (dynamic or static - choose something specific if you want to!) and the style (manga, semi-realism / with or without lineart). If you don't specify it, I will draw whatever I see fit based on the reference I receive.
- You can choose your budget beforehand - the amount you pay me will directly influence the time I spend on your commission, so if you want something simple, you can say so beforehand and set the price lower. The same way, if you want me to add some extra details to the work, it will cost a bit more, but you can adjust the price before placing your order.
- I'm usually sending a sketch before starting the work on the commission to see if you will like the pose, composition, etc. (It's usually quite rough though.)
- After I'm done I will send you a 100% size, 300 dpi finished picture.
- Payment methods: PayPal.
Instead of USD, you can pay me the equivalent (by that day's exchange rate) in EUR, GBP or JPY, if it would be easier or cheaper for you.
Commission types:
30 USD - Black and white drawing (ink) of a character without a background (A5 size). Additional character +15 USD.
40-60 USD (depending on the level of complexity) - CG art of a character without a background (A5 size). Additional character +30 USD.
80-100 USD (depending on the level of complexity) - CG art with a background (A5 size), one character. Additional character +20 USD.
150-200 USD (depending on the level of complexity) - CG art with a background (A4 size), one character. Additional character +50 USD.
Other:
- I also take commissions for commercial use - I set the prices for them individually, depending on the type of copyrights you want to buy (rights for publishing it on your own website, printing it in more than one copies, alternating the design, using it in a project, etc).
Thank you so much. <3
Rules:- It's for your personal use only.
- I don't draw: NSFW, cigarettes, alcohol, drugs.
- I'll start drawing after receiving the money.
How to order:- Please send me a note with the reference pictures and the description of the character(s) you want me to draw. (It can also be an e-mail to: "megan.uosiu@gmail.com".)
- You can choose the composition (fullbody, halfbody, portrait), the pose (dynamic or static - choose something specific if you want to!) and the style (manga, semi-realism / with or without lineart). If you don't specify it, I will draw whatever I see fit based on the reference I receive.
- You can choose your budget beforehand - the amount you pay me will directly influence the time I spend on your commission, so if you want something simple, you can say so beforehand and set the price lower. The same way, if you want me to add some extra details to the work, it will cost a bit more, but you can adjust the price before placing your order.
- I'm usually sending a sketch before starting the work on the commission to see if you will like the pose, composition, etc. (It's usually quite rough though.)
- After I'm done I will send you a 100% size, 300 dpi finished picture.
- Payment methods: PayPal. Instead of USD, you can pay me the equivalent (by that day's exchange rate) in EUR, GBP or JPY, if it would be easier or cheaper for you.
Commission types:30 USD - Black and white drawing (ink) of a character without a background (A5 size). Additional character +15 USD.
40-60 USD (depending on the level of complexity) - CG art of a character without a background (A5 size). Additional character +30 USD.
80-100 USD (depending on the level of complexity) - CG art with a background (A5 size), one character. Additional character +20 USD.
150-200 USD (depending on the level of complexity) - CG art with a background (A4 size), one character. Additional character +50 USD.
Other:- I also take commissions for commercial use - I set the prices for them individually, depending on the type of copyrights you want to buy (rights for publishing it on your own website, printing it in more than one copies, alternating the design, using it in a project, etc).
Thank you so much.
<3
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Livestream offline / new Wacom tablet
6 min read
AF comments and hype: Artemis Fowl movie TRAILER IS OUT!!
18.02.2019: I'm back from this weekend's skis/snowboard in Białka Tatrzańska. o/ It was fun.
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Life (photos added)
*internal screaming*
I'm buying the most expensive thing I've ever bought in my entire life. Save me.
*some more internal screaming*
It's done. OMG.
*even more internal screaming and then some external screming too*
Edit: Do you guys want an unboxing video, or sth? XD; Or just a photo of when it's set up, since I don't have a too good camera? ;;; Gosh, I'm so scared and stressed. ;;;;;;;;
Edit: Do you guys want an unboxing video, or sth? XD; Or just a photo of when it's set up, since I don't have a too good camera? ;;; Gosh, I'm so scared and stressed.
;;;;;;;; Edit2, 17.12.2018: It has arrived! \o/ And it's HUGE. Let me get started with the video (edit: I did actually make an unboxing video out of it, but since I was struggling A LOT, I think it wouldn't be too entertaining to watch, unless as a comedy xD').
Here's the story: The delivery guy said over the phone this morning: "so I have this package for you, 60kg, and it won't be carried into your room". OKAY then. O_O;;; So I've brought a big big travel bag with me downstairs when it has arrived and... was stunned to find this whole wooden palette full of stuff waiting for me, literally like a box in a magazine. xD'''' And when the delivery guy said: "So, I will be going now. This is all for you." I really wanted to just start crying right there. Thank God there was someone else at home to help me, because it's not possible to carry that much as just one person.
At least it was light.
The tablet is about 7kg, the stand - about 20kg. More than 30kg must have been the palette they've brought it on. xD'''''' Edit3: 4 hours later and I've manage to assemble it, with much difficulty. My back is killing me and I'm super hungry, so I will take a break before connecting it to the computer. ;;; I hope this works. T T' (Because reassembling it again would be a HUGE pain. xD''' )
Edit4: The colours are nice (back to what they've looked like on my old-old monitor - and now they're hurting my eyes a bit with how vivid they are xD'''). I seem to have some kind of a noise filter on the whole display, visible especially on the white spaces (edit: This is the antireflect layer and is also present in the Mobile Studio. It's just how it's made. It's a bit annoying, maybe the biggest drawback of the whole tablet? It's more visible in poor lighting and less in a well lit room). It makes my computer super slow (this gets a bit better when other things are not open and I restart my computer?) (edit: This got fixed almost entirely after a few restarts. It just needs time to adjust - and the drivers to get fully updated). Also, I can't use Intuos 3 and Wacom Cintiq Pro at the same time. I have to reinstall the drivers to make either one of them work. But if I want to - I can use the Cintiq as the monitor and my old Intuos as the tablet (edit: I'm really happy that at least I can use the old Intuos with it and use the Cintiq as a very cool monitor). 4k works without any problems, but 2,5k is really enough for me xD; (edit: I LOVE the 4k/2k display! I didn't think I needed it until I've actually experienced it. You can have your picture open to 100% - work on all the little details - AND - be able to see the whole picture at the same time. It's simply amazing). The design is nice. It fits well on my desk and actually (somehow?? Miraculously??) doesn't take up more space than my previous monitor did. AND, I can put it down towards myself just like I've imagined I would to draw on without taking it off the wooden construction that I have over my Intuos. 6/10 as a whole, I guess? (Set up instructions are even worse with about 4/10. xP) (edit: After finally figuring out how to use it - this required a lot of work and asking people who already have it for advice - I'd give it a 9/10. Not
Wacom, you've outdone yourself yet again. Bravo.) I've written a haiku:
Sad is my empty wallet.
Wacom Cintiq Pro.
Let me rewrite my haiku:
Amazing colours,
Worth every penny I've paid -
Wacom Cintiq Pro.
And here are some photos:
Okay, so, actually, some places on the sides of the screen have this weird halo at some angles when the screen is black. 8/10. But still, I guess my other screen has those too? I don't know if it's worth fillling a complaint?
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Convention plans 2018
4 min read
EDIT4: (21.08.2018)
I will attend the International Festival of Comics and Games in Lodz this year. See you there. o/
I'm also considering some foreign conventions...
London Expo in October, anyone?
Or Leipzig Bookfair in 2019?
Please tell me if you're going, I'm really confused about the conventions at the moment. \o/
+++
EDIT3: (23.07.2018)
Hi~!
In the end I went to Animatsuri 2018, and it was great! : D I'm thinking of going to MFKiG in Łódź and Warsaw ComicCon (Autumn Edition), if possible. And next year I really want to try Leipzig Bookfair and go to Polymanga, maybe... if they will want me. xD And if I print the new comic volumes! >u</// Polymanga is the best convention in the world, by far.
From other things, I think I might finally have some time off work? I really enjoy working and actually having money, but I'm starting to feel bad about neglecting my comics too, and working for too many hours and in a lot of stress has had a really bad effect on my health lately, and I need to heal my body before I can do anything hardcore again, I think. So, in August, I will probably go back to my Patreon, and there will be more livestreams (thank you so much for joining me on those! <3 They are like my oasis and live-savers from the stress), more sketching and more finished works. Please look forward to it...? Or please don't, I don't want to stress about it too. I need to chill out. xD'
Cheers~! take care, guys~! <333
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EDIT2:
Hello~!
I was going to attend Pyrkon, but i won't be there after all. : x
I'm considering Magnificon EXPO 2018, NiuCon 2018 and ComicCon Fall Edition 2018. Which one would you like to see me on?
I should have said that in Polish instead.
Właściwie powinnam była to napisać po polsku.
Cześć~!
Miałam jechać na Pyrkon, ale jest drogo i znajomi nie jadą, więc nie. : x
Rozważam za to Magni, NiuCon i ComicCon jesienny. Czy ktoś z was jedzie na któryś z nich?
... Tęsknię za Balkonami.
+++
EDIT: Polymanga was amazing, thank you so much~!!! <333
+++
(28.03.2018)
POLYMANGA 2018
30.03-2.04.2018, Montreux, Switzerland.
This year again I will attend the Polymanga convention in Switzerland.
From Poland there will be 
, 
, 
and - for the first time - 
and 
. Please welcome them warmly too. Unfortuntely 
won't be there personally, but you can still buy her prints from the staff at her and Razuri's booth.
All the artists at Polymanga are great and very talented people, so - if you have time - please visit each and every one of them.
See you there!
+++(PS. I'm also planning to attend Pyrkon this year with Razuri and Ulvar. ' v ' )
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