Tools of the Trade

Though I use a variety of tools to create my illustrations, these are the items I use for my traditional medium drawings. For digital work, I use the ProCreate app on my iPad.

 

Coloring:

• Alcohol Markers: First and foremost are my Copic Sketch markers! These are my main tools, but I use other brands of alcohol markers as well, such as: Winsor & Newton, Prismacolor, Blick Studio, and Master's Touch.
• Color Pencils: I use a mix of Faber-Castell Polychromos and Prismacolor Premier color pencils. 

Paper: I use smooth Bristol paper for most of my drawings (mostly 9x12" and 11x14"), but occasionally use heavyweight drawing paper.

Lineart/Outlining: 

• Copic Multiliner and Sakura Pigma Micron pens are perfect for adding lineart to the sketches. Both brands have a variety of color and sizes available. I typically use them after I've laid down the color with the markers and color pencils. They can also be used to go over your pencil sketch prior to coloring in with markers, but be sure to let it dry completely before erasing any pencil or coloring with marker!
• When I want my lineart to have more of an easy, "sketchy" look, I opt for a black Faber-Castell Polychromos color pencil. I often use this when lining any items of clothing or background.

Metallic Accents: I use a variety of products for any metallic accents (mostly gold and silver). The one I use depends on the shade and texture of the metallic accents I'm looking for.

• Sakura Pen-touch Calligrapher pens (gold, silver, copper)
• Grabie acrylic paint pens. I got a set of these paint pens, which includes a silver and gold.
• Winsor & Newton Gold ink. 
• Kuretake Gansai Tambi Watercolors: this brand has a variety of metallic and pearl shades available. I have several packs of 6 colors as well as a single pan of gold which is my go-to for gold accents.

White Accents/Corrections: The product I use depends on the type and size of detail I'm trying to achieve.

• Color Pencil: When I need to lay down a very translucent white, I use a white color pencil. This allows me to build up the opacity in a more controlled way and I mostly use this to add highlight to fabrics.
• Paint Marker/Pen: Grabie acrylic marker for larger and more opaque detailing, and Faber-Castell water-based marker for lighter, translucent looks. 
• Ink: I like to use this Winsor & Newton white ink when I need to color a large area. Since I can easily water it down and layer it up, I can achieve a spectrum of opacity. 
• Paint: I use this opaque white from Copic, which comes with a built-in applicator brush. It's perfect for fine details and lines, and dries fairly quickly.

Other Tools: These are tools I find helpful, though not used for every illustration.

• Masking Fluid: This is so helpful when trying to preserve a light color detail, or edges, while coloring the surrounding area a darker tone.
• Art storage: I use these art portfolios to store original illustrations. They come in a variety of sizes, and allow the drawings to be viewed very easily.
• Copic replacement components: as my markers wear out, or sometimes sit for too long with little use, I may need to replace the nib. You can also find ink refill cartridges to refill your markers as needed, rather than purchasing an entirely new one. These cartridges are also multi-purpose, allowing you to use the ink itself as a medium for your art instead of having to use it through a marker.
• Precision Tweezers: these are so versatile and I use them fairly often. One example of how I use them is to remove dried masking fluid from paper. Though you can also rub the latex off, I find I'm less likely to damage the paper or smudge color pencil if I use tweezers.