media

i'm not rich or an art supply connoiseur so if you want advice about really top notch art supplies, don't read this page. i just buy what i like within a really, really low price range =P


Graphite
I like working with 0.7mm mechanical pencils when I sketch comic-style. I only use fancy artsy HB/B type pencils when I'm doing a piece (with shading) in graphite. If I'm just doing basic line drawing, BIC pencils and Mars plastic erasers work nicely for me. When I do full graphite pieces with shading, I use really nice quality art graphite pencils (of an unknown brand unfortunately) and kneaded erasers of course.

Charcoal and/or Conté crayon
I try to buy higher-end charcoal and conte crayon sticks just because it runs on the paper better (again the brand names elude me at this point). I tend to draw long and curvy lines and press very hard on the paper so I tend to mainly use the softest charcoal for almost everything.

Ink
I've recently fallen in love with ink, specifically india ink. I like to use nibs meant for sketching/crosshatching mostly, but using nibs meant for technical drafting can have really interesting results as well. I'm still experimenting with what I like best here, but really opaque sepias and blacks are my favorite thus far. I have a crimson and a prussian blue just for kicks as well. My india ink sketches rock hardest on bristol, and have interesing results in plain sketch paper.

Colored Pencils
Currently, my beloved pencils are from Derwent studio. These are by far the best colored pencils I can afford, and as far as I'm concerned they're reeeeally expensive (about $1.25 per pencil!!) and I buy both pencil sets as well as some individual shades I use a lot (mostly blues and black). The lead goes down really smoothly and I am really satesfied with the quality of tones that they offer. They also mix and layer really beautifully.
Before 2001 I actually just used plain Crayola colored pencils. Needless to say, they're about as crappy as colored pencils could get, but I made do.

Pen
Sometimes I use generic felt tip or ballpoint ink pens, but mostly I use Staedtler technical pens ("Pigment Liner" pens). I have 005, 01, 03, 05, and 07 tips, and I love love love them.

Acrylic paints
I use a mix of Basics, Pearl, Liquitex, and Golden acrylic paints. I try to buy mainly Golden brand paints and mediums for my acrylics because the consistency feels nicer, but for paints in large amounts I go for the cheaper brands (like Pearl or Basics Titanium whites).

Brushes
My brush set is also pretty varied, I have some really nice old filberts that my mother used in art school that have not worn with age, and I also have some ultracrappy brushes (like my bamboo and mop brush) that constantly shed and clump (I tend to avoid using those, haha). My fan brush is the only one that is somehow exactly middle of the line. It clumps but hasn't shed yet @_@;

CG elements
I've used Adobe Photoshop (from 5.0 to 7.0) ever since I can remember and it's what I'm most comfortable with. I have Painter but I haven't used it more than once or twice as I haven't gotten used to it yet. It is definitely more versatile than Photoshop but in a way that intimidates me so I still don't use it. I use a really lovely Wacom tablet for all direct input.

Marker
Pentel fine point markers are what I use! Yes, they're about the same quality as the markers you used in elementary school probably, but they do the job for simple lines. I also make heavy use of Sharpie markers. I have yet to invest in the fancy mangaka art markers I keep seeing for $7 a pop purely because I'm a little scared of them (and their price @_@). If someone wants to donate some my way though I'll be happy to try them out!