WO2016009216A1

WO2016009216A1 - Artist's implement

Info

Publication number: WO2016009216A1
Application number: PCT/GB2015/052063
Authority: WO
Inventors: Sheika Fatima AL THANI
Original assignee: Way Group Llc; HART, Deborah Mary
Priority date: 2014-07-16
Filing date: 2015-07-16
Publication date: 2016-01-21
Also published as: GB2529615A; GB201412638D0

Abstract

The present invention relates to an artist's implement, especially a pencil or a brush. The implement can be used to help gauge the relative size of different parts of a scene.

Description

Artist's Implement

Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an artist's implement, especially a pencil or a brush. The implement can be used to help gauge the relative size of different parts of a scene.

Description of the Prior Art

An issue that artists confront when painting or drawing a picture from a real life scene is to gauge the relative sizes of different parts of the scene so that they can be accurately depicted in the picture. It is a well-known artistic technique, in order to gauge the size of an item in a scene, for the artist to hold their pencil or paintbrush at arm's length and to line up one end of it with one end of an item and to place a finger or thumb at the location along with the length of the pencil/brush that lines up with the other end of the item. The depiction of an item in the picture can then have the same length as the distance between the end of the pencil/brush and the artist's finger or thumb. In this way, the items are all depicted in the picture to the same scale as the real life original.

One problem with the above technique is that the moving of the implement from alignment with the real life original to alignment with the picture can cause a movement in the finger or thumb, especially taking into account parallax, that is to say the different angles at which the finger or thumb is viewed when measuring the real life original and when aligning the resulting length of the pencil/ brush handle with the picture. This problem with parallax is caused at least in part by the thickness of the finger or thumb. GB2323818 describes an artist's scale measuring aid which includes two pairs of sliding gauges for measuring the dimension of distant objects when held at arm's length. This device requires the use to two hands in order to hold the aid in the correct place and move the gauges. It is cumbersome to use.

US2012/0285029 describes a tool for drawing which is designed to help the user sight a representation object, as it helps to maintain the tool in a perpendicular direction. The tool can be placed on a pencil or drawing implement and measurements of the item being drawn can be taken using the inbuilt gauge. There is no way of recording the measurements on the device. The artist has to remember the relevant measurement or use the prior art method described above using their thumb. This does not solve the problem caused by the parallax.

It is an object of the present invention to overcome, at least in part, the problems outlined above in connection with the prior art. The device of the present application can be used to take accurate measurements of the dimensions of an item to be represented, using only the hand holding the device, and avoiding the parallax problem.

The present application provides an artist's drawing or painting implement comprising an elongated handle and an indicator comprising an elongated section extending at least partly along the length of the handle that is capable of holding a mark made by the artist at a chosen location along the length of the handle, said mark being temporary and being capable of being removed or moved, and wherein said indicator is flush with the elongated handle. The present application further provides a sheath adapted to receive a drawing or painting implement, said sheath comprising a hollow cylinder having two ends and an exterior surface extending between said ends; one end adapted to be capable of securely holding a painting or drawing implement, said exterior surface having an indicator extending at least partially along the length of the cylinder, said indicator capable of holding a mark made by the artist at a chosen location; said mark being temporary and capable of being removed or moved, and wherein said indicator is flush with the exterior surface.

The present application also provides a method of drawing or painting a picture of a number of items, which method comprises: a. taking a scaled-down measurement of an item using an elongated implement comprising an indicator comprising an elongated section extending at least partly along the length of the handle that is capable of holding a mark made by the artist, said mark being temporary and being capable of being removed by the artist, said indicator being flush with the handle, wherein the measurement is taken by aligning the implement with the item at a distance from the artist's eye such that one extremity of the item is aligned with a preset part of the implement and making a mark in the indicator corresponding to the location of a second extremity of the item, b. drawing or painting the item in the picture having a dimension corresponding to the distance between the pre-set part of the implement and the mark, and if necessary removing the mark, and c. repeating steps a and b on successive items.

Disclosure of the Invention

The present invention is designed to overcome the above problem by providing an artist's drawing or painting implement, that is to say a pencil, pen or a brush, having a handle that is grasped by the artist and an arrangement for making a temporary mark on the handle corresponding to one end of the item in the original real life, thereby avoiding using the finger or thumb of the artist to perform the same task (it is intended that the "handle" of a implement is the part of the implement that is grasped by the artist, which is sometimes called the "shaft"). This provides a more accurate means for transferring the measurement of the length of the item to the picture since the mark, once made, will remain for a period of time in the same place. Furthermore, because the indicator can have a thickness considerably smaller than that of the artist's finger or thumb, the errors due to parallax may be reduced.

As used herein "artist's implement" refers to a mark making tool used by an artist including but not limited to a paintbrush, pen, pencil, crayon, or stylus used for a touch screen device.

The device of the present invention may be an artist's implement, such as a brush or a pencil, having an elongated handle or shaft, and an indicator capable of holding a mark made by the artist at the chosen location along the length of the handle or shaft. Alternatively, the device of the present application can be a hollow sheath into which a drawing implement can be inserted. The sheath can then form the handle of the drawing or painting implement. The sheath has an indicator capable of holding a mark made by the artist at a chosen location along the length of the sheath, which forms the handle. The indicator may comprise an electrical circuit, so that the mark is made electronically. Alternatively the indicator may comprise a malleable or mouldable material. As used herein the term "device" refers both to the artist's implement and the sheath of the invention.

The mark is made at a 'chosen location' . As used herein, a 'chosen location' is a point on the device selected by the artist which corresponds to the dimension of the object being drawn. If the object being drawn is made up of several components, multiple marks at different locations can be made so that all of the relevant measurements and dimensions of the object can be transferred at the same time.

The chosen location is equivalent to the position of the artist's thumb in the prior art method. The indicator comprises an elongated section which extends at least partly along the length of the handle. 'At least partly' means that the elongated section extends along at least 40%, 50%, 60%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%m 90% or 95% of the length of the handle or device.

It is important to the present invention that the mark is not permanently fixed but rather is only temporary in nature and can be removed when no longer needed or can be moved to a different position for taking a further measurement. There are several ways of producing the mark, and the ways may be mechanical or electrical in nature. For example, at its simplest, the mark can be made by a slide that is moved up and down the length of the handle of the implement to provide the mark. Alternatively, a groove can be made along the length of the handle along which a slide can be pushed to provide the mark. The indicator may comprise an electrical circuit, so that the mark is made electronically. A further possibility is to provide a mouldable material along an elongated section of the handle, in which the artist can make an indentation, for example with a thumb nail, to provide the mark; the material can be later smoothed over to remove the mark. A 'mouldable' or malleable material is one that will hold a mark made by the user, but can be removed later e.g. by smoothing over with a digit, such as a mouldable plastic or putty. The mouldable material must remain pliable and moveable at ambient temperatures e.g. 0-50%, and not cure or harden over the expected life span of the device e.g. 1-20 years,

The device of the invention may also comprise a combination of the two or more indicators, as discussed herein. Preferably at least one indicator comprises an electrical circuit so that multiple objects can be measured, and the marks made transferred together.

The elongated section of the indicator may cover part or substantially the whole of the handle or shaft of the implement. For example the indication may cover, at least 50% of the handle or shaft, more preferably 60%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 90%, 95%, 99% or 100% of the handle or shaft. The indicator is preferably flush with the surface of the device i.e. it does not comprise any part that protrudes to the side of the device, i.e. beyond the external dimensions of the elongated handle. In particular the indicator does not comprise one or more slidable gauges.

The mark can be made electronically, for example by providing an elongated section of the handle with a linear array of switches, e.g. microswitches, each aligned with a corresponding light emitter so that when the artist presses the array at a specific location, the corresponding light emitter can provide the mark. The light emitter can then be switched off when it is no longer needed or it can be switched off

automatically after a pre-set time. A similar effect can be produced using small elongated touch-sensitive or capacitance-sensitive light emitting screens, similar to touch sensitive screens used in mobile telephones and tablets. The screen can then be illuminated at the location of the finger or thumb or indeed an area of the screen can be lit that extends up to the position of the finger or thumb. Similarly, an elongated screen which is a liquid crystal display (LCD) controlled by one or more switches operated by the user can be used. An area of the LCD can be illuminated that extends up to the position of the thumb or finger. A combination of one or more screens can be used, such as multiple LCDs or one or more LCDs in combination with a touch sensitive screen.

A further possibility is to provide heat or pressure sensitive material along the length of the implement handle that can detect the artist's finger or thumb and change colour (or other visual effect) accordingly. Such material may be temperature-or

pressure-sensitive liquid crystals.

The distance between the indicator capable of holding a mark when a mark is made and the tip of the implement can optionally be transferred to an electronic device, such as a computer/tablet/mobile phone so that the distance can be stored digitally and an image created digitally. The present invention also provides a method of measuring the proportions of items depicted in a picture drawn or painted from an original, which may be real life, by aligning an implement with the corresponding item in the original and providing a temporary mark on and indicator strip which extends along the elongated handle or shaft of the implement corresponding to one extremity of the item in the original, which provides a scaled-down dimension for the original item that can be used in the drawing. The extremity of an item can be one of the outer dimensions of the item, or individual part thereof. In the method, the implement is preferably a drawing or painting implement but can be merely a tool to measure the proportions. For example the sheath of the invention can be used alone, without the implement being inserted. Preferably the implement is one as described herein.

The term "item" used in the present specification is intended to denote not only inanimate objects but also animate objects, including plants, people and animals and individual parts thereof.

Brief Description of the Drawings

The invention will now be described in further detail, by way of example only, by reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a schematic illustration of technique for measuring proportions of items in an original environment

Figure 2 is a schematic illustration of the transferring of the measurement taken as described in Figure 1 and to a picture of the original;

Figure 3 shows a pencil in accordance with the present invention; and Figure 4 shows a prior art embodiment of the pencil, wherein the indication comprises a track for a sliding gauge to be moved along.

Figure 5 shows a pencil in accordance with the invention utilising a liquid crystal display.

Figure 6 shows a pencil in accordance with the invention showing a possible switch arrangement for controlling the display.

Figure 7 shows a paintbrush in accordance with the invention utilising a liquid crystal display.

Figure 8 shows a paintbrush in accordance with the invention showing a possible switch arrangement for controlling the display.

Detailed Description of the Invention

Referring initially to Figure 1, which illustrates the prior art technique mentioned above for measuring the relative dimensions of items to be depicted in a drawing or painting. In Figure 1, these items include a tree 10 that is located at some distance from the artist; in Figure 1, for ease of illustration, only the artist's eye 12 is shown.

In order to measure the proportions of the height of the tree 10 relative to the other items that will be included in a picture, or relative to the width of the tree, the artist holds her pencil 14 at arm's length and aligns the top of the pencil with the top of the tree 10. She then aligns her thumb 16 with the bottom of the tree and this provides a scaled down measurement of the height of the tree from the artist's viewpoint.

Turning now to Figure 2, which shows the picture that is being drawn. The tree 10' is drawn with a height given by the distance between the top of the pencil 14 and the location on the pencil of the artist's thumb 16. A similar process can be undertaken for other items within the field of view of the artist that she wants to include in the drawing and in this way the items in the drawing will all be in proportion.

Unfortunately, the process of transferring of the dimension of the tree can lead to errors in measurement due to a shift in the position of the thumb while moving from the arm's length position shown in Figure 1 to placing the pencil on the paper 18 shown in Figure 2. Further errors occur because the alignment of the thumb in the original (Figure 1) can be different from the alignment of the thumb when the pencil 14 is placed on the drawing 18 (the parallax effect mentioned above).

The present invention is intended to address these problems and provide an easier way of measuring the proportions of items depicted in a drawing.

The device of the present application may be a drawing implement such as pen or pencil, or a paintbrush comprising an elongated handle (also referred to as the 'shaft' herein). The shaft or handle of the implement contains an indicator capable of holding a mark made by the artist at a chosen location along the length of handle. Alternatively, the device is a hollow sheath into which a drawing implement or brush can be inserted. The sheath is elongated and comprises an indicator capable of holding a mark made by the artist at a chosen location along the length of the sheath. The sheath is a cylinder which is preferably closed at one end. The sheath may be adapted to allow for the installation of a variety of a different brushes or drawing implements. In this way brushes or other drawing implements from any manufacturer can be adapted to fit the device of the present application. A brush can be adapted for use with the device. For example, the handle of the brush can be cut off or shortened. An adapter, preferably a plastic adapter can then be placed on the remaining brush handle. The adapter can then be inserted into the sheath and held or locked securely in place. Preferably one open end of the sheath may be internally threaded. The adapter may be threaded on one end distal to the brush, so that the adapter can be screwed into the sheath, and held in place by the mating with the internal thread of the sheath. Other mechanisms of locking the adapter into the sheath may also be used. The cylinder/sheath can be made of a plastic. One of the end of the cylinder may contain a malleable or elastic material to ensure that the drawing implement, such as a pen or pencil when inserted is maintained securely in place. The exterior of the sheath may be contoured or shaped to improve the comfort and ease of use of the artist.

Figure 3 shows the shaft or handle of a pencil 14 of hexagonal cross section. One or more of the sides of the pencil may include a section 20 for measuring the proportions of items in the manner that has already been described in connection with Figure 1 except that the artist's thumb is not used to measure the length of the pencil corresponding to the length or height of the item to be depicted. Instead, the section 20 is capable of holding the mark temporarily for a sufficient period of time to allow the artist to transfer the corresponding dimension to the picture, as depicted in Figure 2. Although the section 20 is shown starting below the level of the top 22 of the pencil 14, it can of course be aligned with the top of the pencil or it might be spaced slightly below it, in which case a line 24 may be included on the pencil 14 to provide alignment of the top of the section 20 with one end of the item being measured. In one embodiment, the section 20 may be composed of a pliable or malleable material that can be moulded, for example a putty-like polymer. In this way, the artist can press her thumb at the desired location to leave a mark in the mouldable material in the form of an imprint of her thumb or thumb nail. In the case of the tree described in connection with Figure 1, this mark would be left at a location corresponding to the base of the tree 10. In order to provide a more accurate location for the mark, the artist could press her thumbnail against the material in section 20 to leave a line mark rather than an indent of the thumb.

After the dimension has been transferred to the picture 18 (as described in connection with Figure 2 above), the artist can smooth over the mark made in the section 20 so that the mark is no longer visible. In this way, a series of marks can be taken to give the relative proportions of a number of items to be depicted in a drawing. In a development of this concept, the mouldable material used to form the section 20 can be such that it slowly returns to its original shape without having to smooth the material out to remove the mark so that the mark would automatically be removed over a short period of time, which is sufficient to allow the artist to transfer the dimension to the picture 18 as described above. For example, a "memory foam" may be used in a similar way. A 'short period of time' may be 30s-5 minutes preferably 1, 2, 3 or 4 minutes. In a different embodiment shown in Figure 4, the section 20 is a track along which a slide 21 can be moved. A mark 23 is provided on the slide for alignment with an item to be depicted, as discussed above. Such devices frequently require the use of both hand to align the slide or gauge with the item being drawn. This can lead to inaccuracies and difficulty in taking the correct measurements.

In a further different embodiment, the section 20 may be formed of a liquid crystal material that is visually responsive to pressure and/or temperature, whereby the artist can make a mark in the section 20 by pressing her thumb in the required location. Liquid crystal are well known that change colour in response to pressure or changes of temperature, in which case the liquid crystal would respond to the pressure applied by the artist or the change of temperature as a result of pressing the artist's thumb against the section 20. Alternatively, the liquid crystal may change from being opaque to being translucent (or vice versa) or provide an alternative visual difference indicating where the thumb had been located.

In the above arrangements, a specific section 20 has been described. As will be appreciated, it is feasible in some embodiments to make the section 20 cover the whole of the exterior surface of the handle of the pencil 14, although this may in some cases be undesirable if such an arrangement is uncomfortable for the artist to use. In the embodiments described immediately above, no power is required to provide the mark. However, in other embodiments, the mark can be made using an electronic arrangement, in which case the section 20 comprises an electrical circuit, which needs to be powered, for example by a small battery (not shown) that can be included within the artist's implement or sheath with appropriate leads provided for supplying power to the section 20.

In one such electrically powered embodiment, the section 20 may be a touch screen, for example of the type provided in mobile telephones, that can respond to touch or changes in capacitance by the proximity of the artist's thumb to leave a mark on the screen corresponding to the location of the thumb, which in turn provides the measurement of the dimension of the real-life item being depicted in the drawing using the technique described in connection with Figure 1. As an alternative, the section 20 may be composed of a linear array of microswitches and associated lights, e.g. light emitting diodes, that may be activated by the artist pressing against them, in which case lights would be activated in a position corresponding to the location of the thumb.

In one embodiment, as shown in Figures 5 and 7 the shaft of the device contains section 20 which is a long thin LCD display along the length of the shaft. In one embodiment there is a single column of small display segments. The segments of the LCD display can be turned on by a microcontroller under firmware control, to create a visual column on the display. The segments along the display will change colour. The number of segments of a different colour will increase along the length of the shaft. The number of segments which change colour can be controlled by the artist using a switch or switches. For example, the number of segments turned on can be controlled by one or more switches, preferably a rocker switch. The rocker switch has at least two positions; when the user presses one switch or section of the rocker switch the number of segments turned on is decreased thereby reducing the size of the "column". When the user presses a second switch or second section of the rocker switch the number of segments turned on will increase, thus increasing the length of the "column" on the display. For example the device may have two switches, one proximal to the mark making end of the device, and one distal to the mark making end. When the user presses the switch proximal to the drawing end of the pencil (nib) or brush, the number of segments turned on is decreased thereby reducing the size of the "column". When the user presses the switch distal to the nib or brush of the device the number of segments turned on will increase, thus increasing the length of the "column" on the display. Alternatively, the number of segments turned on can be controlled by two separate switches, for example as shown in Figures 6 and 8. Switches 30 and 26 can be used to control the length of the column by altering the number of segments turned on. Switch 30 can be used to decrease the length of the column, by turning off a number of segments, whilst switch 26 can be used to increase the length of the column by turning on segments. The switches may be placed at any suitable location on the device, preferably on the shaft. Alternatively a single switch can be used to control the display. The user may hold down the switch and the segments of the display turn on incrementally thereby gradually increasing the length of the column. One the correct length is reached the user releases the switch. Once all the segments are turned on, if the user continues to press the switch the number of segments will decrease incrementally, so the segments turn off one at a time in order, thus decreasing the length of the column. Alternatively, if the user continues to press the switch all of the segments will be turned off, and then incrementally turn on one at a time starting from the one end of the display, so that the column extends. This system could also operate in the reverse i.e. the number of segments turned on gradually decreases, and if the user continues to press the switch once all the segments have been turned off, all the segments are turned on again so that the full length of the display is turned on. The artist will use the switch(es) to change the display so that the position corresponding to the location of the thumb when using the traditional method, can be measured. If the display is controlled by a single switch, the switch may be located at any suitable place on the device. It may be placed on the shaft or at the end of the device distal to the nib or brush, on a surface perpendicular to the central axis of the shaft. When the user stops pressing the switch(es) the display will freeze in its current position. The display will be maintained until the user uses the switch(es) to change the display. Optionally, the device may also have a reset button 28. When the user presses the reset button 28 all of the segments on the display are turned off, or on.

A long thin circuit board is provided within the shaft of the device. The circuit includes a microcontroller to operate the display and one or more switches, preferably a rocker switch, to be used by the microcontroller firmware to control the operation of the display. The handle segment may also include a cavity for one or more batteries.

The device can have a single long thin LCD display with one column of display segments. Alternatively, the device may contain two or more columns of display segments. The second column will be adjacent to the first column and the first and second column are parallel and preferably of the same length. The second column can be used to store the end point for multiple measurements. When the artist has obtained the desired measurement on the first display a segment adjacent to the end of the first column will be activated in the second column. The first column can then be used to measure a second object. The second column can be used to record multiple measurements.

The LCD display can be backlit for example by using a small light emitting diodes (LED) at the end of the device distal to the nib or brush. The LED shines down a light pipe which allows light to escape down the shaft creating a lighted background for the dark column of the LCD display segments. This can make the column more visible in situations where there is little or no ambient lighting.

Alternatively, a backlight can be used as described above and the LCD display could block the backlight. The visible display would be created by using the LCD segments to block the escaping light. When the light is first turned on the LCD display would have all of the segments on, blocking the light along the entire length of the light pipe along the shaft. The artist would then use the one or more switches to turn off segments of the display, thus exposing the light pipe. The user would see a column of light increasing in length along the length of the shaft by pressing the switch to turn off segments of the LCD display.

The device may have single colour or multiple coloured LEDs to create different coloured segments. This would create different coloured columns and so multiple measurements can be taken, each measurement being taken by a different colour column. Only one colour column may be displayed at one time. The microcontroller firmware could be used to record and maintain the different measurements taken using the different colours. For example, the device could have two or three different coloured LEDs. The display could firstly be backlight with a red LED and a first measurement taken by the artist. A second, LED for example a blue, could be selected and a second measurement made by the artist. The firm of microcontroller firmware would remember the measurement taken with both the red and the blue LED. Thus, it would be possible to carry out multiple measurements at one time before transferring them to the picture.

The device may have a touch sensitive strip, optionally parallel to and optionally the same length as the LCD display. The artist can select the required measurement by touching the touch sensitive strip on the shaft next to the LCD display.

Optionally, when the artist makes a mark at the indicator it sends a communication to an interface and records the distance between the top 22 of the implement and the mark on the section 20. The communication is preferably electronic or optical. The interface will be electronic if the communication is electronic. The interface is likely a mobile phone/tablet/computer or some other electronic device, preferably a mobile device. The interface receives the communication and records, with optional storing of the distance. The real distance can be recorded and/or stored or the distance can be recorded as a numerical figure representing the distance or on a scale on the device. Although the above description has made reference to making a mark using the artist's thumb, other ways of making the mark may be used, for example by means of the thumbnail or a finger or indeed an inanimate object. Although a pencil has been described and illustrated in connection with the present drawings, the invention can equally be applied to the handle of a mark making implement such as a brush, for example a paintbrush.

Claims

1. An artist's drawing or painting implement comprising an elongated handle and an indicator comprising an elongated section extending at least partly along the length of the handle that is capable of holding a mark made by the artist at a chosen location along the length of the handle, said mark being temporary and being capable of being removed or moved, and wherein said indicator is flush with the elongated handle.

2. An implement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the elongated section covers part or substantially the whole of the handle of the implement.

3. An implement as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein said indicator comprises a mouldable material capable of being indented by the artist to provide the mark.

4. An implement as claimed in claim 3, wherein the malleable material can be manipulated to remove the mark.

5. An implement as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 wherein said indicator comprises a heat-sensitive material responsive to the touch of the artist to make the mark.

6. An implement as claimed in claim 5, wherein the heat-sensitive material comprises a heat-sensitive liquid crystal.

7. An implement as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein said indicator comprises a pressure-sensitive material responsive to the touch of the artist to make the mark.

8. An implement as claimed in claim 7, wherein said pressure-sensitive material comprises a pressure-sensitive liquid crystal.

9. An implement as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein said indication comprises an electrical circuit.

10. An implement as claimed in claim 9, wherein said indicator comprises a linear array of sensors capable of being activated in response to the artist's hand and corresponding light emitters capable of making the mark by providing a visual indication of the location of an activated sensor.

11. An implement as claimed in claim 10, wherein the linear array of sensors comprises an array of microswitches and associated light emitters capable of being activated by its associated microswitch.

12. An implement as claimed in claim 10 or 11, wherein the light emitter is a light emitting diode or a pixelated screen.

13. An implement as claimed in any one of claims 10-12, wherein the light emitter is switched off after a preselected time period.

14. An implement as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 13 wherein said indicator comprises at least one LCD display which extends at least partially along the length of the handle.

15. An implement as claimed in claim 14 further comprising at least one switch for controlling the LCD display.

16. An implement as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the indicator is configured to hold the mark and automatically remove the mark after a period of time, for example 2 minutes.

17. An implement as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein the indicator is configured to hold the mark until the mark is removed by the artist.

18. An artist's drawing or painting implement of claim 1 in the form of a pencil or brush, comprising an elongated handle, at least one LCD display which extends at least partially along the length of the handle;

One or more switches for controlling the LCD display; and

Optionally a reset switch for turning the LCD display off.

19. An implement as claimed in claim 14 or 18 wherein said LCD display is implemented using arrays of LEDs of one or more colours.

20. An implement as claimed in any one of claims 15, 18 or 19 wherein said switch is a rocker switch.

21. An implement as claimed in any one of claims 14, 15, 18, 19, or 20 further comprising a second LCD display.

22. An implement as claimed in any one of claims 14, 15 or 18 to 21 further comprising a touch sensitive strip parallel to said LCD display.

23. An implement as claimed in any one of claims 14, 15, or 18 to 22 further comprising at least one LED within the handle at the end distal to the nib or brush of the implement, wherein said LED shines along a light pipe within the handle of the implement.

24. A sheath adapted to receive a drawing or painting implement, said sheath comprising a hollow cylinder having two ends and an exterior surface extending between said ends; one end adapted to be capable of securely holding a painting or drawing implement, said exterior surface having an indicator extending at least partially along the length of the cylinder, said indicator capable of holding a mark made by the artist at a chosen location; said mark being temporary and capable of being removed or moved, and wherein said indicator is flush with the exterior surface.

25. A sheath as claimed in claim 24 wherein said indicator comprises an electrical circuit.

26. A search as claimed in claim 24 wherein said indicator comprises a mouldable material capable of being indented by the artist to provide the mark.

27. A sheath as claimed in any one of claims 24-26 wherein the elongated section of the indicator covers part or substantially the whole of the exterior surface of the shaft.

28. A method of drawing or painting a picture of a number of items, which method comprises: a. taking a scaled-down measurement of an item using an elongated implement comprising an indicator comprising an elongated section extending at least partly along the length of the handle that is capable of holding a mark made by the artist, said mark being temporary and being capable of being removed by the artist, said indicator being flush with the handle, wherein the measurement is taken by aligning the implement with the item at a distance from the artist's eye such that one extremity of the item is aligned with a preset part of the implement and making a mark in the indicator corresponding to the location of a second extremity of the item, b. drawing or painting the item in the picture having a dimension corresponding to the distance between the pre-set part of the implement and the mark, and if necessary removing the mark, and c. repeating steps a and b on successive items.

29. A method as claimed in claim 28 wherein said indicator comprises an electrical circuit.

30. A method as claimed in claim 28 wherein the elongated implement is an implement as defined in any one of claims 1 to 27.

31. An artist's implement substantially as hereinbefore described by reference to Figures 3, and 5-8 of the accompanying drawings.