Help a noob

[TheSleepingInsomniac]

Hi
So this saterday i'm going shopping for art supplies to start drawing manga so i was hoping that other members could tell me what is good stuff to get (brands and items noobs forget about)
so like what type of pencil is good for sketching
what brands do you trust
is there stuff that people often forget to buy that is really important
can you write me a basic shopping list only basics my cash is limited to just over $15
is the really expensive pens and pencils you can buy at manga stores worth it

[darkwoon]

Hi
So this saterday i'm going shopping for art supplies to start drawing manga so i was hoping that other members could tell me what is good stuff to get (brands and items noobs forget about)
so like what type of pencil is good for sketching
what brands do you trust
is there stuff that people often forget to buy that is really important
can you write me a basic shopping list only basics my cash is limited to just over $15
is the really expensive pens and pencils you can buy at manga stores worth it
Some tips - don't forget I'm lightyears away from being a pro, though ;).

1. Forget about "drawing manga": Else, you'll be easily lured by products marketed as "manga stuff", often for purely commercial reasons. Rather, think about how you want your work to look like - crisp black and white thick lines? Lots of cross-hatching? A paint-like look? etc. Mangas - and more generally comics - use a wide range of techniques and styles, and your choice of tools will determine what you can/cannot do.

So when browsing your art store supplies, keep your mind open, and keep in your head the look you want to achieve, not the "manga" word.

2. Must-have tools:

- Paper and pencil for quick sketching. You probably already have those without knowing it. An average HB pencil, and plain boring printer paper will do it. This is what you should use for your doodles, your initial character ideas, throwaway drafts, and so on.

- Erasers. I suggest three: a white rubber eraser (they have a soft-grainy feel), a white vinyl eraser (they are smooth and plastic-like), and a kneaded eraser (usually grey and can be molded). The white rubber eraser is for normal cleanup; the vinyl is good to erase tiny details; the kneaded one helps removing excess of graphite and soften darks.

- Pencils. A HB is a must-have - the basic general-purpose pencil. A hard (4H) one can be useful to lightly draw the preliminary structures of your characters, construction lines for perspective, etc. A 2B and a 4B would be very useful for shading, texture rendering or more "speedy" strokes. Also try to get a 0.5mm mechanical HB pencil - very useful for making clean, consistent lines.

- Inking. You have three choices here - markers, brushes or quills. Markers are easier to use, but they don't provide as much control on the lines as the quills or brushes allow. Brushes make more "flowing" lines, while quills are better suited for smaller, shorted lines. I'd suggest buying a simple set of inking markers aimed at technicians to ink plans and schematics in the 0.1mm-0.7mm size range - they are usually cheaper and good enough to make your first attempts.

3. Brands and models and is it worth the price?

It really depends on your skill level.

Sure enough, a pro is able to do a better job faster with higher quality tools - for example, higher-priced pencils will have less fragile leads and will have a more constant thickness/grain. But if you are only a beginner, there is no need to buy the top of the top (and ruin your wallet) - get decent quality, but stay in the low/mid range of good brand tools. Moreover, the price or the label on the box is not necessarily a good evaluation of the real quality. And finally, don't forget that what matters the most is the hand holding the pencil, not the pencil itself.

In erasers, I found Staedtler of good quality, easy to find, and low-priced. Same for inking pens - I have used Steadtler "pigment liner" ones and found them good value for the price. For pencils, I currently use Derwent "Graphic" ones and found them very nice. I also use a set of refillable Steadtler mechanical pencils 0.5mm loaded with HB, 2B and 2H leads for "ordinary" sketching - it is way cheaper than art pencils! Conté is also a brand I've tried pencils of and had no trouble with.

Don't be fooled by the size of some pencil sets - it is best to have a small number of good pencils than a huge number of poor quality ones. Also, check if they don't have preboxed sketching sets (you are more likely to find those with a "fine arts" than with a "manga" label) - those often contain most of the stuff you need to begin with at an affordable price.

[TheSleepingInsomniac]

Thanks i bought most of that stuff today