Traditional Tools

I don't think this board has such a thing, so I thought it might be interesting to have a thread where all the big artists list their particular tools of the trade. Some artists after all get hooked on a particular pencil, pen, or brush as they go along, and for some they only use what they use because that's just the way it has always been. I thought it might be interesting, as well as helpful and instructive for aspiring artists to get a handle on what tools are considered the most common/useful by pros (since most of you get paid for art that, to me, constitutes 'professional artist').

So...?

Dare I say at least half of the artists here use WACOM tablets...

Well for digital work, I assume it boils down to Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, Flash, Dreamweaver, etc).

Other than that, I'm learning to use a wide variety of physical tools to find out what is best for me.

No I'm not a professional yet, but will be "soon".

Triumph: White Succubus: 50 Ill/Emp/PF Snow Globe: 50 Ice/FF/Ice Strobe: 50 PB Shi Otomi: 50 Ninja/Ninjistu/GW Stalker My other characters

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Dare I say at least half of the artists here use WACOM tablets...

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That reminds me I need to find one that I can afford .

Triumph: White Succubus: 50 Ill/Emp/PF Snow Globe: 50 Ice/FF/Ice Strobe: 50 PB Shi Otomi: 50 Ninja/Ninjistu/GW Stalker My other characters

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Dare I say at least half of the artists here use WACOM tablets...

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That reminds me I need to find one that I can afford .

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Their Bamboo line is quite affordable.
I'm currently using an Intuos, though.

And Photoshop CS3.

Once in a while I use a $2 chunky mech pencil I got at the local supermarket like 6 years ago and will scribble lines on pads of sketch paper, too. And by "chunky" I mean "fat." It's one of those wider "easy grip" things so you hand doesn't cramp up as much. I forget what brand it is, and the logo has long since rubbed off.

Oooh, Intuos. Fancy.

I think I have a Wacom they don't even make anymore. I mostly just use the mouse for inking and cel-shading, though. The Wacom's just for shading paints and such.

Photoshop is pretty much my whole she-bang, though I do use Poser to figure out lighting references.

Huh. I woulda thought at least a few more of you worked with traditional media sometimes...

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Huh. I woulda thought at least a few more of you worked with traditional media sometimes...

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You'd be surprised at how many artists these days don't do traditional anymore. Why pay for paints, brushes, paper/canvas, gesso, paint holders, cleaners, palettes, etc.. when you can buy a tablet and PS, maybe a scanner and be done with it? Takes up less room too.

I've personally worked in over a dozen different mediums on a wide variety of projects in school and out of schools and see more and more people turning to digital. I doubt that traditional will go away ever but it will get a smaller base over time till there is a resurgence, as there always is.

I've noticed that too. It's not even a new phenomenon...I just know how I draw, and a lot of my drawing time comes when it's convenient or I'm bored and often there's not a computer around. I know a few other people like this and I was just wondering what people used besides their computers.

I mean saying you use Photoshop and a Wacom tablet is kinda obvious, like back in the day saying you worked mostly on paper. It's the other little details I'm interested in.

Someone actually makes a printer that paints (I'm assuming it's actually like airbrushing) an image you make digitally onto a canvas which can then be matted and framed.

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Or, at least there's a prototype for one out there.
I read something about it a while back but don't seem able to find it now so I can link to it.

You should perhaps change your thread to what traditional tools do you use...

I like a really good fine point marker... I hoard Micron .005's like Mel Gibson buying Catcher in the Rye! If you can find a "marker sketch book", I think it's made by Canson, it has a very slick surface for markers, not the fiber like press of regular paper. Anyway, its bound, white covered except for the rainbow letters, and it's got perforated pages to tear out and scan!

I love these sketchbooks, cause you really have to think when you doodle in them, cause there is NO ereasing. And black ink work looks great in it... Use to come in 11 x 17, but whenever I find the 9 x 12s, I grab 3.

LJ

I am a sort of abnormality, I think.

First, because I do own a Wacom tablet but I can't use it. I feel strange and awkward and I had to restrain myself not to throw it out the window (it was a gift, after all). I always use the mouse to colour.

Secondly, because I used mixed means: pencilling and inking are in traditional techniques, and only colouring is done digitally.

Pencilwise, I favour soft pencils, preferably Staedler brand. My pencil of choice is the 2B, soft and good for shadowing, but not too soft. Which means I can ink directly or just use it for sketching and then erase easily to do tighter pencils with a HB pencil. If I'm going for a fully pencilled\shaded piece, I'll use anything from 2B to 8B.

Erasing is a serious matter, and so I use the Milan brand erasers. Trust me, they're the best. They don't smudge and they don't get hard. They can handle heavily graphited areas... and the funny thing is -- you can't find the good ones (the little square ones) in sale in good art shops. To get mine I need to hit the local supermarket during September when classes are about to start again -- which means I usually get a HUGE supply. Each set of 4 erasers costs around 2 dollars so it's totally more than worth it.

To ink, I usually go for Faber-Castell sets: 3 widths and a brush pen. For fine detail, I go for the Japanese brand Sakura, 1, 0,5 and 0,005 sizes, but I usually only use those in work that will not be scanned and is going to be kept "inked" only.

Paper has to be firm and thick, but not too much. I usually get along well with ClaireFontaine sketch pads. If you don't use too much pressure on your pencils it can be easily erased and it has this pleasant, micro-rugged surface which is AWESOME to hold on the graphite if you plan on a piece with heavy pencilwork.

Where digital work is concerned I work with a mouse (can't handle those damn tablets) and Corel Photopaint. I only got Paintshop C2 very recently, and I still am trying to figure head from tails with that...

I can't seem to find those pads, but these are a close second... they take ink amazingly and light watercolor washes...

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Someone actually makes a printer that paints (I'm assuming it's actually like airbrushing) an image you make digitally onto a canvas which can then be matted and framed.


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There is also a 3d printer that will print out sculpture. I believe it "prints" a layer of resin over a surface and builds up until the object is created.

I don't use traditional stuff anymore 'cos my scanner doesn't work. :P

The pad I was talking about (and am using currently) can be found here.

It's 90g paper (I have no idea how much grams translate into non metric system) in a slightly ivory colour which makes it fun to draw in.

I don't think that sketching, inking, scanning, coloring is an anomaly at all. I've seen plenty of artists who are faster and more comfortable with a pen/pencil then using a tablet and they do just what you do and use the computer only for coloring.

As for getting used to the wacom, you do just what most artists did when they learned how to draw with a pencil/brush/pen. Practice at making lines and getting used to the pressure sensitivity.

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Someone actually makes a printer that paints (I'm assuming it's actually like airbrushing) an image you make digitally onto a canvas which can then be matted and framed.


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There is also a 3d printer that will print out sculpture. I believe it "prints" a layer of resin over a surface and builds up until the object is created.

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I used to work in an art production studio that used to print basic designs on the canvas and then we'd go in and actually paint over them to make "real" paintings. Made design work alot easier using the computer for layout.

3d printers can print in a variety of substances from resin pools to wax and other stuff too. Most of the smaller 3d printers are not fantastic quality and touchup work must be done. The higher quality and more expensive 3d printers can do some amazing work, including fabricate joints right on the subject at the time of the printing. Amazing stuff.

I know I should be patient and slowly try to learn to work the Wacom... but I feel so frustrated at not being able of doing anything more than scratches and lines.

Also on the subject of 3D printers, two words: Edible Paintings.

Think you could try and put flour and oil and stuff into one of those printers and print out dessert? That would be just too awesome! I can see it now "Unexpected guests? Just download our five course meal .jpg and ... print it!"

I thought they already made Fruit Roll-Ups with pictures on them... Like Saturday Morning Cartoon promotional tie-ins.

I hate to say it, there is no "magic" pencil, pen, or marker that will make you a better artist. Tablets are the same way A tablet will only be as useful as the hand to eye coordination of the person using it.

However...

I love me some Faber-Castell brushpens for doing work on sketchcards because they're cheap and hold a tip for a fairly good amount of time and don't smear under layers and layers of Copic Markers.

Generally speaking, if I can do it, I really love painting with watercolor and guoache. Sadly I don't have a lot of time.

If and when I can get my hands on them, Tombo Pencils are awesome, as are Mars Lumograph. As far as paper goes, the kind of paper I use for commissions isn't something you can find in an artshop sadly. It's Chromacolour Prograde Plus 23lb 12Field and 16Field Animation paper from Chromacolour in Canada.

Their website: http://www.chromacolour.com

Digitally I use a very old, very beat up Intuos 2 6x8 Wacom Tablet. While I'd like to get a new Intuos 3, that will have to wait until this one is utterly dead. If you'd like to know about how to choose a size for a tablet, it's fairly easy. What size paper do you normally draw on, and how big do your figures normally get? Then ask yourself, do I draw primarily, or paint? Some digital painters like having a larger "canvas" to work on, so 9x12 and up are good. Most folks in the industry, myself included, prefer 9x12 or 6x8 but nothing smaller than that.

Hope that helps.

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I know I should be patient and slowly try to learn to work the Wacom... but I feel so frustrated at not being able of doing anything more than scratches and lines.

Also on the subject of 3D printers, two words: Edible Paintings.

Think you could try and put flour and oil and stuff into one of those printers and print out dessert? That would be just too awesome! I can see it now "Unexpected guests? Just download our five course meal .jpg and ... print it!"

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I do believe there is a food one for doing chocolates but don't quote me on that

It'd also be easy enough to convert one and use food coloring to decorate, say, a pie crust. Or a tortilla. Or a pancake...




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...What threadjack?

I don't think digital is going to replace traditional. I think it's a useful tool in the production of an illustration, especially since it makes changing your composition so much easier than keeping track of a dozen pieces of trace. But for a finished piece? I think it's the same as anything else, some people use it well and some people don't. Personally I think it encourages artists to labor over tiny areas and make the piece look overly tight and stale. But it depends on the artist.

I think a lot of illustrators go for media that's fast -- time is money. Acrylics yes, watercolor yes, gouache if you're obsessive (actually I think Illustrator is a great route for gouache artists to take), oil paints, not so much. For a fine artist, it's a different story.. you're selling an actual physical thing, so you want it to look nice in meatspace (hah, I said meatspace) and be archival. For an illustrator, it's just gonna get reproduced, so who cares if the paper rots or you used pigments that aren't lighfast.

For sketching I like to use anything but a standard pencil. Pens, fat brushes -- anything you can't erase. Tools that give the line character.

Edited to add that in spite of everything I just said, I mainly use the slowest and most annoying media possible.. oil paints and relief printing. So take what I say with a grain of salt.

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I do believe there is a food one for doing chocolates but don't quote me on that

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*twitch* Too... much.... pleasure... imagination... overload... *explodes*

And to try and avoid hijacking the thread, I will now vaguely attempt a stab at responsability by saying "Sayterra is right" -- not even the most advanced and expensive items will make you a better artist.

They might help, yes they do, in broadning your horizons (I have a taste for portraitism I never knew I had until the day someone gifted me with a 12-lead pencil box -- until then all I did was clean line artwork with my faithful HB pencil). My suggestion is try different means and items until you find the ones that suit you best. The good art supply brands are good for a reason. Most of them have really good stuff that while not being obscenely expensive can make a few things easier.

I have an art teacher friend who nagged me constantly to learn to paint in the traditional means before I took it to digital. She felt I would become lax and lazy from being used to use UNDO buttons. I'm sure she was right, but shame on me, I never really tried painting with gouaches, watercolours, etc -- I have the notion I'd be a far better and more complete artist if I did.

I tried charcoal once.

It wasn't pretty.