Inside a Freelance Designer's Toolkit
Welcome to the toolkit
let’s dive into the inner-workings of the studio.
Brushes
Throughout the years I have collected brushes from wherever I go. Brushes are so personal, and my best advice is just to experiment and find what you like. Keep in mind the style of your work and your chosen medium.
I prefer synthetic bristles with smaller tips that mimic the size and stroke quality of a pen or marker. For my style, I stick to a 00 to 3 size range and a 6 or 10 for my larger pieces. My collection consists of mostly round and rigger.
I like to focus on the feel and quality of a brush over the brand. But as a reference for more affordable options check out Blick Studio Synthetics and for slightly higher priced, but still reasonable choices look at Winsor & Newton University.
Current favorite: are from a store in Tokyo called Pigment (check their online shop for more).
Markers + Pens:
Like brushes, I collect markers as I come across them. I love the Pigma Micron series. You can often buy a variety of tip sizes in one pack and some art stores sell individual pieces for mixing and matching. As for hand lettering brushes, check out the Pentel Pocket Brush Pen, Pentel Aquash Water Brush, Flat Tip, or try individual bamboo brushes.
My all time favorite drawing and writing pen is the Uni Ball Vision Fine point pen.
Current favorite: Pigma Micron Archival Ink Pen in Black.
Paper
Paper is a personal hobby of mine. The process of choosing and working with paper brings me unadulterated joy. The limitless grades, weights, and finishes can leave you searching for years to find the perfect piece as the options are endless.
For painting, I turn to Strathmore 300 Series Watercolor cold press pads or Strathmore 400 Series Mixed Media vellum surface pads.
As for printing, Mohawk Fine Papers is a gold mine (fun fact: they are actually Strathmore). My favorites are the hopsacks and linens.
Current favorite: anything and everything.
Tech
Here I will list a breakdown of the tools I need to run the digital and online aspects of my studio and shop.
Laptop:
Macbook Pro 13”
Drawing Tablet:
Wacom Intuos Art - Medium
External Hardrive:
WD My Passport for Mac
(for backups and storing oversized files)
Printer:
Canon Pro-100 Series
DSLR:
Canon 70D
Lens:
Canon 50mm 1.8 and Sigma 24-70mm 2.8
Microphone:
Rode GO
Design Software:
Adobe Creative Cloud
Misc.
Also integral to my arsenal is music, books, videos, podcasts, and other sources of inspiration.
Here are some artists you’d hear on repeat in the studio:
Lana Del Rey
Banks
Hozier
Zella Day
Florence + The Machine
Mumford and Sons
Secret Nation