When It Comes to Materials

*NOTE*   This post will be two, possibly three, posts long. There's just so much I want to talk about and compare, and to fit it all in one blog posting would just be pushing the limit. I will do my best to update the next post quickly!!  



Yesterday, I was so blessed to do my third Manga Drawing Session for the Teen Anime Club at our local library.  I LOVE doing this. Since manga is really where my artistic passion lies, I have such a blast getting to share my passion with other young people that are interested in the same type of art! We had a great time, and a great turn out!  The title for this session was "From Head to Torso"  (and I will do my best to squeeze in a blog post about drawing manga bodies soon!), and it was fun to show them my method of drawing manga bodies and poses, and seeing what they drew.  After the class was over, I had several young ladies come up to me afterwards and ask about some of the different materials I use, buy, and would recommend. And since I love answering questions like this (and there's SO much to discuss when it comes to this subject), it inspired this blog posting. Hopefully, if you're reading this, it will be a help to you as well. And I'd love to hear your questions or thoughts on art materials as well!! 

So, you're getting pretty good at this art stuff. Good enough, that maybe you're looking into purchasing some new various art materials, or looking into upgrading to nicer materials than you're using now. My advice:  Wait a minute. Slow down. There are a few things to keep in mind! And, hundreds of opinions for every product that you're looking at, why you should.. or, should not.. use it.

By all means, research before you buy. But remember, that reading every negative/positive opinion on the product still won't make up your mind for you. That's just someone else's input. When it comes to art supplies, only you can figure out what's going to work for you. Only you are going to be able to figure out what you're comfortable working with!

So, why are you thinking of buying some new supplies? Because you've really been practicing with the old ones and have improved so you feel ready to try something more professional? Or you just feel the need to spice up your art by trying something new? Or maybe you've got birthday and allowance money stashed away and have decided that investing in new art supplies is the way to spend it?  All of these are good reasons for looking into better quality products.

But, here is a really important thing to keep in mind: All the fancy art supplies in the world will not make you a better artist. I cannot stress this enough, because I see so many artists that think this is how it works! Nope. A lot of young artists completely miss this fact. I follow a lot of  beginner artists on instagram that save up money and rush out to blow it on Copic Markers, thinking that these will completely improve their art, when they could spend a little more time learning how to nicely ink a piece, or work on body proportions. This is just an example. Nicer art supplies will not automatically make your work better. But, nicer materials will give you the incentive to become better. Think of it as leveling up; you've become so good with your old tools, that you're ready to try mastering a few new ones! 

Also, don't overload yourself with new tools. It's best to start with a few here and there, until you get the hang of how they work and if you can make it work for your style of art of not. So, don't rush out and buy the Copic markers, watercolors, and expensive drawing pens in one trip, come home, and expect to know how to use them all the first try.  It's better to try out new tools gradually. When you focus on one at a time, rather than three at a time, you'll become more comfortable and better equipped at using it!

So, those are just some things to keep in mind about purchasing new art materials. In the next post, I will start a break down of different (traditional) materials that I use, have used in the past, and what I like and don't like. I will give you my honest opinion of each item, but again, only you are going to be able to decide what will work best for you and your art!!  

What advice would you give to someone looking into new art supplies?

-Stasia- Chan