Creative Tools I can’t survive without!

 

  • I can’t go without the classic pencil and pen.

    PENCILS: I stopped buying pencils in 2014 and started just using the ones given to me along the way. They range from hotel pencils to second-hand art pencils, mostly HB, graphite, 2B, 4B and charcoal.

    STUMPS & ERASERS: I use paper stumps by Derewent for shading and gradients. For erasers, I use the standard rubber eraser by Staedler and an electronic eraser by Derewent for getting highlights or controling the transfer on finer spaces.

    INK PENS: My go-to has got to be SAKURA and ARTLINE. I have been using them since I was 15. They have never let me down since.

    BRUSH PENS: Nothing can go wrong with Pentel Japanese Brush Pens.

    MARKERS: You guessed it, the ol reliable COPIC & POSCA.

    COLOURED PENCILS: Faber Castel only cos I have had it for ages and refuse to buy new ones until I finish them.

    PAINTS: Winsor and Newton for watercolours, Arteza and System3 for acrylics.

    PAINT BRUSHES: My 8-years running Silver Black velvet brush set that I put together. So reliable and aesthetic at the same time.

    PRIMER & VARNISH: Liquitex

    PAPER: Japanese brands, Canson, Daler Rowney, Recycled paper

    CRAFT SHOPS: CassArt, HobbyCraft and Amazon.o.uk

    PROP-MAKING & SCULPTING: This list is long so I’ll keep it to my favourites… Monster clay, sculpting set, dremel 723 and a good set of plyers and wires.

  • TABLET: Microsoft Surface Pro 7. This tablet-laptop hybrid is perfect for the nomadic artist/gamer. It does the job and is light-weight. The only downside is… you guessed it! Memory space! I have to bring ssd’s with me and I can’t play certain games because of the capacity constraints.

    PEN: Microsoft Surface Pen. So versatile and it magnetically latches on your laptop. I find this feature to be great when I work outdoors and don’t want to misplace my pen. The only downside I see is the AAAA battery which was quite a task to find. Thank God Amazon.co.uk had it.

    PEN TIPS: Microsoft Surface Pen Tips in 2H, HB, B and the standard tip provided.

    MOUSE: Microsoft Surface Mouse. Makes things so much easier- allows you to use the mouse in any type of surface.

    KEYBOARD: Microsoft Surface Keyboard. Easy to remove and install and very light-weight. Perfect for nomadic artists like me.

    GLOVE: Huion Skeleton Glove in small. I thought it was ridiculous at first but boy, oh boy! I’m a believer now. It makes things so much easier. It cut my productivity in half. It’s also so comfortable and feels almost like a second skin. I chose the skeleton design because it’s way quirky compared to the basic white or black models they have.

    SCREEN PROTECTOR: Microsoft Surface Pro Screen Protector. It helps me feel like I’m not working on a screen. It feels a bit rough- almost mimicing the feeling of gliding your pen through paper.

    SSD: I don’t know how I’d do things without my Samsung SSD’s. Such a stylish game-changer for me. It holds 2TB’s and I have encountered zero problems like I used to with the HD’s.

    HUBS: This is a must for me with a hybrid like mine. It only has space for ONE USB CABLE so it’s quite essential if you want to use an external monitor/tv/projector without bluetooth capabilities.

  • PRINTFUL: The company I use to send digital prints of my work globally. The range is from standard prints on paper to apparel and things.

    HAND-MADE: I send these via DHL to make sure it gets to you undamaged and in one piece.