Tools of the Trade - Personal Preferences

I've been wanting to cover this for a while, but this is something that will really help the visual artists among my readers (or maybe those curious to start trying to draw their characters).

This also goes for people who wonder what my favorite tools are. This won't be super-comprehensive since I don't work in every media both traditional and digital.

To start, yes, you can draw with anything. "All I need is something that makes a mark and something to make a mark on." Sure. There are professional artist that can work magic with ballpoint pens or Sharpies on regular printer paper. These mediums are what they want for their style and results, but if you're not happy with the results, if you want things more aligned to developing your own unique style, this is why those more expensive options exist. It's not just for bragging rights and it's not just frivolous brand recognition. I can say this for certain.

Let's start with traditional tools.

Pencils- This is one place where I'm mostly okay with using any brand of mechanical pencil with a variety of lead thicknesses. I rarely do pencil-only work and I learned to do pencil shading with my fingers. If you're afraid the oils on your fingers may leave prints, invest in tortillons (which I will bring up again). I have a nifty tin full of Faber-Castell drawing pencils that does get light use and I highly recommend them. They sharpen well, no splitting wood or broken lead, and the lead doesn't leave fairy dust. These are the top of their line for a reason and if pencils are your passion, you'll have a set of these.

Pens- Phew, this is a big one. I went on a wild goose chase for the perfect archival ink pens. These specifically because they don't wick and they dry instantly (if you've ever use regular ball point pens, you know they tend to blob and smear and leave evidence where your hand rests on the paper). I have a lot of favorites here. Pigma Sensei (both Micron and Sakura) were my first and these are consistently great. The thinnest tip is like drawing with the tip of an eyelash and perfect for fine work. The thickest isn't just a marker, leaving those trails where you can see where you scribbled. They go on solid like paint. Generic archival ink pens are not lower quality ink, but the tips will not hold up if you go the cheaper route. Copic is the leader of the pen/marker set. A lot of artists choose to shell out the big bucks for the replaceable nibs but for my pen work, I stick to the cheaper one-use pens and they last. Go with Pigma or Copic here. Sharpies aren't bad but they will wick bad on certain kinds of paper.

Charcoals, pastels, markers, colored pencil, paints? Sorry, I'm no expert here. I've used them on occasion but not with any frequency that I can vouch for the best. The industry leaders are usually your best best-- Copic, Staedtler, Faber-Castell, Prismacolor, Windsor & Newton. Today, there is no shortage of user reviews to help you find the right tools for your projects.

Paper- this is tougher than you think. I use many different weights-- some for traditional, some for print quality with my printer. There are a ton of thicknesses, toothiness, and brightness factors to consider. It will determine the quality of line, what tools work best (wet and dry has very different tooth requirements), how it scans. There is a reason why there are so many kinds of paper grades. Some are just decorative, texture that is visually pleasing but impractical for handwriting or drawing. Craft papers have a bit of a learning curve. For a beginner, just consider your medium. For wet medium (like pens, watercolor, etc.) get a watercolor sketchbook. For dry medium (pencil, charcoal, chalk), go for a standard drawing paper. I find that comics are a whole other breed of medium though. I prefer smooth medium since I do pencil work first then use a wet medium like ink. Thick smooth paper is optimal for most of my work but I do keep thin, toothy paper for quick sketches or textured doodles.

Tortillons/blenders- I told you I'd revisit! These are dry blenders. I wanted to note separately that there is more than one kind. I have one that is rolled paper that peels away for a clean tip, but one is just compressed pulp. The rolled paper is looser and silkier for light blending. If I want to get down and dirty, the compressed paper is the way to go. Not many people realized this, but the white colored pencil is actually considered a blender rather than just the odd-one-out until you feel like using it on dark paper. For wet medium, there are colorless blender pens available, although watercolor pencils can benefit from water and a brush or a wet tissue. Fine tips are self-explanatory but you can also get brush and chisel tip blenders for variety.

Now for digital...

This one is pretty diverse too and you can make this work on any budget, I assure you, but you will get a more efficient workload and more fine-tuned results if you can shell out the cash.

Mac, PC, not a big issue. Mac does tend to have the edge on quality of digital program options. Macs are essentially geared to be design workhorses. Again, you can absolutely make either one work. I like to utilize both Windows and Mac OS, but I haven't bothered with Linux. I'm always told about how personalized you can go with Linux, but not all of us can prioritize the learning curve it takes to access those benefits. As a designer, you will always develop a more personalized sense of what you need to be versatile. If you're just starting, don't sweat it. You can find a ton of options for any platform. Use what you've got or invest in your optimal needs.

Tablets- Wacom, all the way. They have super cheap options like Bamboo. I currently use their middle grade Intuos 4 and I would love to shell out for a Cintiq or a Mobile Studio Pro, but the price jumps are solid benchmarks. A Bamboo can run you $30, Intuos cost me $400, the Cintiq starts at about $1800, and the MSP? $3000. Something to work for...

Programs- Tough one. If you can shell out for it, grab an older version of Photoshop. I have CS6, one of the last suites before they started the asinine subscription crap with CC. I consistently use PhotoShop, Illustrator and InDesign, but I do work with Flash and DreamWeaver on rare occasion. They have some great software for video editing, but I don't use all of the programs. Still handy if you're curious. Need a cheaper option? Go with Clip Studio Paint. I'm personally in love with the blenders on it. They beat PhotoShop hands down although I tend to love PS's custom brush capabilities more. PS and CSP are my interchangeable favorites, but I do get Illustrator involved when I need some vector work. I hear good things about free programs like Gimp or Inkscape, but I would still advise the precision and option power of the paid programs if you're a heavy duty designer/artist. Using the free programs does prepare you though, since the terminology is pretty consistent across programs. You can do great work with any program, but you can really up your efficiency and workflow with the better programs. You do get what you pay for.

I'm always available if you want to contact me and discuss the pros and con more specifically. One of the reasons why I keep a blog and a social media presence is to pay it forward. I've never been interested in collecting likes or seeking approval in that sense, but helping other people achieve their ambitions is still near and dear to me.

I hope this helps some of my writer friends branch into a new hobby or just improve on drawing if they already are. Don't be afraid to get curious! There's a whole other way to pull your muse if you need one. Get it going!