That's a fun DVD, btw. The only thing I was bummed about is that the producer didn't plan it so that we got to see the finished art for the project George Perez was working on.

JB, I, too, used to draw directly with a pen when I was a youngster. Also, on my homemade comics, I used to "ink" directly with my pencils. As I got older, I started to sketch out the art before I would ink it, or the like. I did notice that this slowed me down, though it did improve the overall look of the art.

I used to use my eraser quite a bit for effects even as a young teen. I would draw those lines that respresented streaks of light in glass, for instance, and erase streaks into those in the opposite direction to give a more reflective appearance to the glass. I also used the eraser for explosions, and whatever else I could think to apply the technique to.

JB

1. Do you keep a sheet under the heel of your hand to prevent any skin moisture from getting into the page? 

2. Further to what others have asked above, in a standard 22 page issue, about how many panels strike you as really being "perfect", versus "sufficient for deadline"?

3. What, if anything, do you find hardest to draw?

Basically --- if you labor over a piece, you will most likely end up with a piece that looks (drumroll) labored. Better to let the evolution happen when it wants to.

*** Quadrupeds!!

"My friend uses something like this (an elctric eraser) to achieve the
effects he want with pencils like this. "

When my friend found out they make electric erasers, he wondered if the next big thing would be electric paper.

That was years ago and still makes me laugh.