Illustrator’s Tool Kit
I have found that one of the most frequent questions asked of me or any other artist is “what materials you use?” I have learned a lot from other artist suggestions along my studies and thought I would pay it forward and return the favor to other aspiring artists. Today, I decided to sit down and create my illustrator’s tool kit which is basically a illustration survival kit listing everything I find essential for every illustrator who plans to work digitally. This kit is geared to illustrators interested in; doing line work by hand and then using a tablet to color. This is a pretty common method and this my explanation of the materials required and why.
PENCILS
Staedtler Mars Lumograph 12 pencil set
*This will give you a super wide variety of leads the set contains (Darkest to Lightest 6B-5B-4B-3B-2B-B-HB-F-H-2H-3H-4H). My personal favorites are the B, H, & 2H because I find I get heavy handed when really getting into a drawing and need to lean towards the lighter leads so I don’t score the paper.
Prismacolor Non-Photo Blue Lead With Eraser
*If I decide that I might want to ink the same page I am penciling I will typically switch to blue lead so that when I scan the line work later I can filter out the blue and only the black ink will remain. You can buy these pencils by the dozen for pretty cheap and feel confident they will be quality.
ERASERS
*This is probably the most economic eraser for artists, you knead the eraser as it gets used and can get it to last much longer then many other ersasers this way until eventually it will get dark and hard to knead. At that point it will not erase as well, and will need to be replaced. I usually lose them long before they get that bad. But, if you prefer the block erasers instead, my only recommendation is that you buy a white one instead of pink or green because the colors will score the page and will not come out.
Pentel Clic Eraser (retractable precision eraser)
* I use this for small corrections in tight spots so as not to erase other lines. Sometimes block erasers and kneadable erasers are too fat and will erase much more then intended.
PAPER
* Your surface is very important. For paper I religiously buy Strathmore products they have a consistent professional quality and are readily available at most stores.
Strathmore Bristol Pad (11×14)
* If I am going to be doing Ink work I like to work on smooth Bristol paper so the ink flows more freely. The ink itself reacts better with bristol paper or vellum. I also don’t buy pads smaller then 11×14 because it’s good to work larger then print size and 11×14 is still a reasonable size to scan.
Strathmore Tracing Paper (11×14)
*Tracing paper can be used to ink on if you didn’t use photo blue pencil or don’t have a light box. It’s also very handy for trying out new ideas before changing a drawing you have already been working on. Put a piece of tracing paper down over the drawing you have begun; try the change, if you approve go back to the original and work it in. if not get another piece of tracing paper and try a new direction. This will help keep your original piece clean while you experiment.
INKS
Contains: 1 Bullet Pen (1.0mm) & 2 Chisel pens (2.0mm & 3.0mm)
TABLET
If you are going to be working digitally to color your pieces there is really no argument that you are going to need a tablet of some sort. The technology has come a long way since it’s inception getting more and more sophisticated and pressure sensitive. Personally I made the jump and bought the Cintiq. If you are a beginner you can save money by purchasing a simpler version without a screen. But if you plan to work professionally, I would consider this a must.