Which medium/media do you prefer to work in?

Pencil and paper. I've never bothered with inking, fiddling with the contrast in photoshop seems to do the same job. I also use photoshop for colour.

I don't think the (Faber) leads in my Vario have ever actually snapped. Ah, quality. It's Good Eats.

Heh, I would commit murder to get an art-centric Good Eats-style show. :P

I don't think it would work too well. There's not a whole lot of 'sound science' involved.

There's a ton of sound science involved. Anatomy and Physiology for drawing people.

Meteorology, Physics, Optics, for the study of light, color, value control, edge control, making bodies and structures look balanced, and at least five hundred other things I don't want to list because my time is finite.

Psychology and Geometry for composition and perspective.

And that's just the obvious stuff. Moai should have a friggin' degree in Zoology for all the knowledge he's put to work as a creature artist. Geology and Botany are good to know when doing landscapes. There's one concept artist online who actually makes his one steam powered machines as a side word to his day job because he's just that knowledgeable.

And don't even get me started on art history.

I was actually thinking about doing a show on Blip that was just like this. I could totally do a three hour talk on perspective and I don't even consider myself particularly knowledgeable compared to some of the guys at Concept Art, like Kev Fererra or Tristan Elwell.

I remember archive binging through Michael Mentler's threads on concept art which essentially said that a sufficiently good artist should have a degree in everything. But it's to be expected from someone with as big a Da Vinci fetish as he's got.

There's a lot involved.

Huh. Dunno why I never noticed this board before. Hi! Anyhow, I'd say my preferred media (so far, anyhow) are oil and chalk pastel, oil paint, and ceramic sculpture/pottery.

edited 18th May '10 12:19:43 AM by Midgetsnowman

For sketching, mechanical pencil and plain white paper works fine.

Most of my sketches get inked with a ballpoint pen (of the regular Bic variety) and then digitally coloured. I use Photoshop CS 4, Paint Tool Sai, and a Wacom Bamboo tablet for colouring. Sometimes I sketch stuff on oekaki. :3

If I'm feeling peckish, I might do something with my Prismacolour pencils.

I also like watercolour, much more so than acrylic. I'm bad at acrylic. :/ Although I have gotten a little better at them. Mostly though, I find it to be hassle to set up and clean.

.5 mech pencils, technical pens (like COPIC Multiliners), printer paper, sketchbook paper, and sometimes bristol board, COPIC Sketch markers, Photoshop CS 3, Wacom Intuos3 4x6 Tablet. Occasionally I dabble in miscellaneous other mediums, such as acrylic paints, nib pens, colored pencils.

<3 ali

I like digital painting programs. The problem is that I rarely have enough computer time to really sit down and complete a picture. So usually I use coloured pencils and ink.

Ticonderoga pencil and whatever paper is available. I'm also inclined Photoshop and my Bamboo tablet, but for some reason drawing things that way has always felt "off", so I usually just stick to inking and coloring.

ZOMG did anybody else know you can get mechanical pencil lead in different hardnesses?? 'Cuz until a few months ago, I sure as hell didn't! It fucking ROCKS. I got 4H, 2B, and 4B, though I kind of regret 2B as that was a mistake when I meant 4B, but I can use it somehow!

I have a traditional set of pencils too, which I use sometimes when at home and stuff, but for the most part it's more convenient to just carry about three mech pencils! I've been drawing nudes and such lately, to practice on my anatomy, shading, and poses, and these two tools have created magic, I tell ya'.

<3 ali

I use standard pencils for most of the drawing. Switch to mechanical pencil when I have to get a thinner line. I used color pencils before but nowadays it's just a hassle on my hands so i'd prefer being able to color using Photoshop or something. I'd also like cleaner art so maybe i'll start picking up Illustrator.

I use the lightest pencil I can still work with, (A very well-used 4h) Then I "ink" with a pitch-black mechanical. I fiddle with levels in photoshop, and presto. Lines with a distinct gritty uneven look. Then I color it.

I've really only used 2 Prismacolor markers, but I'm in love with them already. If only they weren't so darn expensive.

Mechanical pencil, one of those weird pens that has a tip that's like an ink brush*, and... watercolour pencils! I bought a box of Derwent Inktense a few weeks ago, and they're my new love.

• You can tell I'm not an art student. Or a competent artist, for that matter.

Pilot V5 pen, all-purpose Yasutomo bamboo brush, dip pen, sumi ink, FW acrylic inks. Also, Photoshop CS 5 and a Wacom Intuos2, on occasion.

A pencil and paper, basic stuff. Just a sheet of printer paper or something. For inks, I guess the Sakura stuff is nice... and also, for color, oil pencils. That's about it.

Low-priced packs of mechanical pencils and a sketchbook, usually bought at Wal-Mart.

What can I say? I'm cheap.

Some investments are worth it, but with the way I break mechanical pencils I need cheap ones.

I sketch with pencil on bristol board then ink with micron pens. Classic!

Due to a variety of circumstances, I've been stocking up on various new media in hopes to mix things up a bit and try new things! IT'S SO COOL, OH MY GOD, I LOVE ART.

I got a SUPER-AWESOME deal on these http://www.pencils.co.uk/default.aspx Derwent pencil sets, and they're apparently a very high-quality pencil brand, and pretty pricey retail (tip: if you're interested in buying high-quality pencils like Derwent, never buy retail; you'll eventually be able to find much better deals for them online or elsewhere, often around 50% off) .

I got their 38 Sketching Collection tin, to experiment with different drawing mediums (graphite sticks, watersoluble sketching and pure-graphite pencils, charcoal pencils, etc.) since I've only ever worked with normal sketching pencils and mechanical pencils. It's got a little bit of everything, it's so cool!

I also bought two tin sets of 36 color pencils each, one with Studio pencils (color pencils, a bit hard/sharp) and one with watercolor pencils. Just yesterday, I also ordered the 72-pencil tin set for their special Inktense line (also color pencils), which I think is the coolest thing ever. But I don't want to waste my precious inktense pencils until I've gotten some practice with color pencils and watercolors.

I want to buy a 36-pencil set of pastels from Derwent too, eventually, but I've already spent too much. I'll get them, along with a 12-set of their Aquatones and Metallics some other day.

I also got a cheap set of watercolor paint and oil paint, just to get a bit of experience in. Paints I'm not too into, since they take a lot of set-up and aren't too convenient, but I want to give them all a try. I've used acrylics the most, oil paints not at all, and played with watercolor a bit yesterday. Watercolor is definitely my favorite so far, most likely my favorite period.

I paint acrylics and oils on cheap canvases, watercolor in a watercolor paper pad, and use various different palettes (recently god a wax-paper palette pad, pretty neat) . And then just a hodgepodge of random brushes I collected.

Ooh! I just ordered the most awesome things, http://www.dickblick.com/products/yasutomo-niji-roll/ Yasutomo Niji Rolls, that are going to make travel and keeping my color pencils organized and safe TOTALLY CONVENIENT. I'll be able to take them anywhere! SOOO COOL. I BOUGHT SEVEN. And so affordable! And they also have http://www.dickblick.com/products/niji-waterbrush/ WATERBRUSHES, these awesome brushes that hold water inside so you can use them on watercolors and watercolor PENCILS. OHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGOD. This and a mini-waterbottle are all I'll need to do ANY of my watercoloring needs ANYWHERE. ANYWHERE. AMAZING.

XD

I've realized, that when it comes to myself, convenience is king. If I can't do it on the go, I won't do it at all. I want to get a http://www.dickblick.com/products/copic-marker-empty-wallets/ COPIC marker wallet too, so I can take my markers out when I want to. I have a 72-set, plus a Neutral Gray 12-set and a blender marker, which is EXPENSIVE but nice, but I rarely use them )= .

I draw mostly in sketchbooks, typical 8.5x11 or 9x12 size, though I want to get some square sketchbooks too (12x12 anyone?), since it's my favorite flat-sided shape, but they're harder to find. I've been drawing nicer things too, so I want to get hardback sketchbooks from now on (pricier, but sturdier) . I also draw on plain 8.5x12 printer paper, but I want to get a stack of that that's at least 90lb (though 100lb-120lb would be great) instead of 60lb so I can use my watersolubles/colors on them.

I'm basically in a pencil craze right now, and really want to try colors for real, since I've been focused on black-and-white and contour drawing for so long. Pencils are MY FAVORITE MEDIUM. I even want to get pencil erasers!! WHICH TOTALLY EXIST, BY THE WAY (http://www.dickblick.com/products/faber-castell-perfection-eraser-pencils/ is just one example) .

Lastly, I bought this super-cheap tote bag 'for artists', $3.20 with a discount, that can hold a bunch of paper, sketchbooks and extra crap, but isn't big and bulky either. Yay. XD

[/rant]

<3 ali

I use Prismacolor colored pencils, Canson skechbooks, a mechanical pencil when I do traditional work,and my Wacom Bamboo Pen and Gimp when doing digital work. I've only gotten the Prismacolors recently for my birthday,and was previously using Derwent Studio pencils,though.

I no longer use pen, just mechanical pencil and paper.

Mechanical pencil and whatever spare paper I can find (usually on class handouts or syllabi).

I generally don't color stuff, because I like how it looks in black and white. And I don't mess around with inking and Photoshop or whatnot, because it usually ends up looking a mess.

Photoshop when on the computer.

Ink and brush for when actually using paper.