brandon.leedy
January 17th, 2008, 10:27 PM
Hi everyone. First off, it must be mentioned, no supply, thing, or book can instantly make you a better concept artist or designer. Good art and design come from genuine continued practice and learning. While new, more expensive, or higher quality supplies are a great way to expand your horizons, the best learning more than likely comes from discovering the basics and developing them gradually with supplies according to your level. So with that out of the way, lets discuss what your favorite supplies and books are. Tell us the things you love to death, can't create without, or just think are a great value for their quality. My hope is that maybe this thread could be a place where people could come to see what products and books are useful for their level and interests.
Finally, I think we should maybe do a little format for this: tell what it is/what its for, why you like it, and what level you think you should be at to start using it. (Now lets not get too picky on that one, use your best judgment and understand that some may disagree.) Also, maybe tell an average price so people know how affordable the thing is (In theory, this can also help beginners decide what materials to use as well).
[Realized this should be mentioned: Lets not be putting links to downloads of things, I'm not sure on the CA policy of mentioning old art books as pdfs, but talks of software and instructional video piracy will not respected. You can talk about the software or video, but there is no need to mention piracy or post links, that fact is evident. Thanks to everyone in advance for being mature about that]
I'll start with a few, and don't forget, books, software, and videos can be included too!
The 2B Pencil
Type: Supply
Level: Everyone
Price: As cheap as cents to kinda pricey depending on artistic quality
Why not start with the classic? Other than paper, its pretty hard to learn drawing without picking one of these up, in fact its nigh impossible. Most of us probably started with the yellow ones from school, but may have upgraded to ones without erasers and a richer lead, but it still remains. Plus that 2B can get you a pretty decent range of contrast for one pencil, letting you get some great depth no matter what level of sketching you are at.
Figure Drawing for All its Worth, by: Andrew Loomis
Type: Book
Level: Beginner-Intermediate (reference for Experts ;))
Price: Varies, depending on age of copy, the real book can be very expensive, but it can also be easily found as a pdf download...
I have gone back to this book multiple times to learn, reference, and relearn human anatomy. A great way to build your skills and a classic that should be alongside your Hogarths and your Bridgmans...
Pilot Hi-Tec C
Type: Pen
Level: Expert
Price: Ranges from 4-8 bucks depending on where you live, where you get it, how plentiful it is in your area...
Talked about in I.D. circles as a smearless pen great for marker renderings and sketching, the Pilot Hi Tec C seems to get fairly strong recommendations from its users as "one of the best pens I've ever used" (same goes for this reviewer). For the beginner, this pen is pretty expensive, and might be considered an indulgence for the intermediate, but the expert in any profession can get great levels of line quality in their sketches and renders without worrying about it bleeding and smearing with markers. If you have the money, (odds are you are gonna have to order it over the web) these can be a great supply to your arsenal.
Alright everybody, there ya go, post as many as you want, and have fun discovering some of the new things out there!
Finally, I think we should maybe do a little format for this: tell what it is/what its for, why you like it, and what level you think you should be at to start using it. (Now lets not get too picky on that one, use your best judgment and understand that some may disagree.) Also, maybe tell an average price so people know how affordable the thing is (In theory, this can also help beginners decide what materials to use as well).
[Realized this should be mentioned: Lets not be putting links to downloads of things, I'm not sure on the CA policy of mentioning old art books as pdfs, but talks of software and instructional video piracy will not respected. You can talk about the software or video, but there is no need to mention piracy or post links, that fact is evident. Thanks to everyone in advance for being mature about that]
I'll start with a few, and don't forget, books, software, and videos can be included too!
The 2B Pencil
Type: Supply
Level: Everyone
Price: As cheap as cents to kinda pricey depending on artistic quality
Why not start with the classic? Other than paper, its pretty hard to learn drawing without picking one of these up, in fact its nigh impossible. Most of us probably started with the yellow ones from school, but may have upgraded to ones without erasers and a richer lead, but it still remains. Plus that 2B can get you a pretty decent range of contrast for one pencil, letting you get some great depth no matter what level of sketching you are at.
Figure Drawing for All its Worth, by: Andrew Loomis
Type: Book
Level: Beginner-Intermediate (reference for Experts ;))
Price: Varies, depending on age of copy, the real book can be very expensive, but it can also be easily found as a pdf download...
I have gone back to this book multiple times to learn, reference, and relearn human anatomy. A great way to build your skills and a classic that should be alongside your Hogarths and your Bridgmans...
Pilot Hi-Tec C
Type: Pen
Level: Expert
Price: Ranges from 4-8 bucks depending on where you live, where you get it, how plentiful it is in your area...
Talked about in I.D. circles as a smearless pen great for marker renderings and sketching, the Pilot Hi Tec C seems to get fairly strong recommendations from its users as "one of the best pens I've ever used" (same goes for this reviewer). For the beginner, this pen is pretty expensive, and might be considered an indulgence for the intermediate, but the expert in any profession can get great levels of line quality in their sketches and renders without worrying about it bleeding and smearing with markers. If you have the money, (odds are you are gonna have to order it over the web) these can be a great supply to your arsenal.
Alright everybody, there ya go, post as many as you want, and have fun discovering some of the new things out there!