7 Favourite Studio Essentials

Here is my must-have list for my daily work-flow and it is actually put to the test when I pack my suitcase for working in different countries!

1. MacBook Pro + Adobe Creative Cloud

2. Scanner (I use Epson Perfection V39)

3. iPad + Apple Pencil + Procreate

I prefer the iPad drawing experience over graphic tablets. Portability is amazing and I use it for all my client sketches.

4. Wacom Cintiq ( I use pro 16 inch)

I'm always nervous to take this giant expensive graphic tablet with me on the plane! Bubble wrap it like crazy and hand carry it! It fills in the much-needed gap with iPad enabling me to use the full power of Photoshop and is the key tool for illustrating large scale works such as event backdrops standing over 2m tall.

5. Essential Art Supplies

My tin watercolour sets and maybe some tubes of gouache. A few fineliners, white gel pens, burnt umber pencil crayons, HB pencil and kneaded eraser. Throw in some skin-tone copics too!

6. Arches Hot-press paper (300gsm)

My most loved brand of paper for watercolours. I found that the paper pad sizes sold differ by country so I make sure to stock up on a size that will fit my scanner when I can.

7. Timer

Just an inexpensive kitchen timer. I prefer its physical presence over my phone screen so I remember to press stop. I use it to track my work hours which I then log to a time tracking app. This is really helpful to contextualize your pricing structure and project management for your own reference.

Bonus: LED Trace pad

Before I had one I used a window! I like to preserve the feeling of the initial sketch so I will print it out and refine the final linework by tracing the draft. It is thin and portable, uses USB connection and you no longer have to wait for a sunny day!

Thanks so much for reading till the end! I would love to know your studio essentials! It is always so interesting to hear about other's workflow. Come say hi on instagram:@natalie.illustration