My spouse has birthday in 3 Weeks and i have to arrange a collective present for her from the party guests. I have 200-250€ in total to invest.
She got a new hobby 6 months ago which is to draw comics on a professional level. (To be more precise: She's learning how to do it and it's foreseeable that she will do it the rest for her life, because she loves it.)
She has bought some utensils until now and we want to support her with more stuff. And because the amount of cash i have for disposal isn't so little, I think we can buy her some nice things. I did some research of what exists on the market and what it's used for, but i still don't have the needed perspective of what she needs. I would be very happy if some of you professional artists can give me some advice on how you would spend the money.
Here are her current utensils (lying on top of a cheap ikea table which has no resistance to any environment influences at all):
(http://imageshack.us/a/img820/4509/stifte.th.jpg) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/820/stifte.jpg/)
+ some books, some rulers and some extra blocks of paper for the copic markers.
She told me yesterday that she really likes the way the spawn comics are drawn and showed me some covers/pictures she likes:
http://geek-news.mtv.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/spawn200_cover_liefeld.jpg (http://geek-news.mtv.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/spawn200_cover_liefeld.jpg)
http://fc01.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2010/153/b/9/Spawn_TPB_1_by_TheGregCapullo.jpg (http://fc01.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2010/153/b/9/Spawn_TPB_1_by_TheGregCapullo.jpg)
She really likes the copic markers and therefore, i have two ideas for now:
#1: Put together a set of copic markers/sketch markers with different colors, pens for the sketching etc. This is where your advice comes in. Or
#2: Get her this Copic A3 Light Box:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Copic-CMA3-A3-Light-Box/dp/B00317ZIGU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1363174865&sr=8-1 (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Copic-CMA3-A3-Light-Box/dp/B00317ZIGU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1363174865&sr=8-1)
So, dear artists, i would be glad if you could give me some advise/ideas of what i should get her.
Plus if some of you guys know of professional artists in here, i would be thankful if you could call their attention to this tread.
Thank you very much in advance :)
A better view of the Copic Light Box: http://www.copic.de/zubehor-6/accessoires/led-leuchttisch-comic-master-a3-320-x-430-mm/144
If she doesn't have one already I'd say a really good drawing board/desk would be your best starting point.
I have a number of students who still draw with boards on their laps or flat on the table and their backs aren't going to be happy when they reach 40.
Believe me, I'm walking (stooped) proof.
Dunk!
Quote from: Dunk! on 13 March, 2013, 12:29:06 PM
If she doesn't have one already I'd say a really good drawing board/desk would be your best starting point.
I have a number of students who still draw with boards on their laps or flat on the table and their backs aren't going to be happy when they reach 40.
Believe me, I'm walking (stooped) proof.
Dunk!
Good idea! Sadly, a drawing table is no option, because we don't have the room for it in our appartment. Can you recommend a good desk mounted drawing board? Also, have you had any experience with a back-lit drawing board like the one above?
By suggesting this I'm not advocating virtual over digital by any means. I've been drawing and painting all my life and nothing beats paper, canvas, pens, pastels, oils, brushes...but time is money and comics are time consuming and poorly paid. So when she's ready - this will save hours of bordering, lettering, filing and readying...unfortunately this won't fill your nostrils with the aroma of Indian Ink...but it will save on the costs of wasted ink and paper and paint...and allow a wee bit more time for a life away from the desk. ;)
http://manga.smithmicro.com/buy.html
Quote from: Bubba Zebill on 13 March, 2013, 01:04:55 PM
By suggesting this I'm not advocating virtual over digital by any means. I've been drawing and painting all my life and nothing beats paper, canvas, pens, pastels, oils, brushes...but time is money and comics are time consuming and poorly paid. So when she's ready - this will save hours of bordering, lettering, filing and readying...unfortunately this won't fill your nostrils with the aroma of Indian Ink...but it will save on the costs of wasted ink and paper and paint...and allow a wee bit more time for a life away from the desk. ;)
http://manga.smithmicro.com/buy.html
Cool, i didn't know this software. This looks very promising for Monika's future, but for now this is like shooting birds with a heavy artillery. I bought a cheap Bamboo Drawing Board some years ago in engineering school and gave it to her for drawing (in Photostop and Sketchbook). She said that it simply doesn't feel the same like "the real thing" and we can't afford (and need) a professional digital drawing board with a capacitive display (heavy artillery again).
Monika is a lawyer now and also holds a diploma in media design from the time before her law career, so she kind of knows what she wants and what not. She already said she wants that kind of hardware in the future, but for now she wants to stick to the well-tried pen, colour and paper. Time and Money is (gladly) no topic here, because it's her hobby and she doesn't have to earn money with it. So what i want to give her is something that supports her and her marker+paper hobby and it has to be a present that "pleases her in the heart" (if you know what i mean). :)
When the right time comes, i will gladly support her with this nice tool. Thanks for the tipp!
That's fair enough but I think sooner rather than later, she's going to realize the benefits of getting a decent scanner and coloring her art digitally. Very few people left doing it professionally and traditionally. Less margin for error too. Mistakes or exploring options easily dealt with.