special supplies

[Mr. Apple]

What advantage do special art specific supplies have over my No. 2 pencil and legal paper (I don't no copy paper  ) There seems to be quite a price difference between a regular pencil/marker and an "art" pencil or marker.

Also, I've been shifting my gaze from video cards to graphics tablets. who out there uses graphics tablets and what advantages to those give? The work done on tablet seems to look much cleaner than traditional stuph imo.

[Thay Rustback]

For my usually trdcitional work, I use a no2 mechanical pencil in my sketchbook.  I'll draw on any plain paper I have, like the back of the wellness+ card fliers at work haha.  When working on something more "finished" in pencils, I will use artists pencils because the different numbers/ lead softnesses allow you to achieve more depth and contrast, especially with killing the paper (you don't have to draw so hard with a soft lead to get dark marks.)
Artists markers tend to blend better, but I don't use much colour other than acrylics.

Graphic's tablets are beautiful.  They allow clean, even strokes. The reason you can get cleaner work is that you don't get the cursor tracking like with a mouse or such. You can draw a line clear accross the screen without lifting the pen.  Also much faster. I started on a touchpad with digital art and switching to a tablet more than halved my speed I would guess. You have much more control, almost like you would with a traditional instrument.

[Avan]

Tablets >>>>>>>> any other computer interface device when it comes to 2D art.

I still prefer a mouse & keyboard for 3D modelling, but still.

[RaggedyHatter]

For traditional art, I guess I'm sort of weird. When it comes to laying down sketches, I'll grab any piece of paper and mechanical pencil I can find. I use a light table for an overlay for a light re-sketch and then add the details after removing the original sketch still on the light table. I also only use either soft, white erasers or kneaded erasers as I find they stay cleaner and the kneaded erasers don't smudge so much.

I use a Wacom Intuos 2 tablet on the computer with Paint Tool SAI and Photoshop 5. :3

[Avan]

Oh, as to what I specifically use:
Traditional: Printer paper/sketchbooks + drafting pencil
Digital: wacom bamboo (8"x5.5"), artweaver

[LordFenrir]

I always use a .3mm lead mechanical drafting pencil for sketching and Copic fine lining pens for inking.  For papers, I either use 100lb. smooth sketch paper (in spiral bound books) or smooth Bristol board (I have to have very smooth paper).  I also use a mix of Prismacolor and Copic artist markers for my color work.

There isn't one thing on my list of art supplies that isn't considered "expensive", but the way I see it: if you're really serious about art, sooner or later you're gonna have to shelf the Crayola and buy the good stuff.  I started buying the good markers two years ago and have loved them ever since.