What I use.


Ok so this has popped up a few times as a question: "What software do you use?" or "What hardware?" I might as well answer here.

I use Open Source software. I use an old banged up wacom and a stationary computer that was, when bought three years ago, not top-of-the-line. More end-of-the-line. One of those HP's that had gotten a new little casing and resold for "not very much".
The wacom is probably the key-thing here. It was cheap, its a Bamboo-fun in A5 size and its been chugging along for four years. Its not fancy in any way and it didn't cost a huge amount of money.

Besides that I have a lightboard. It didn't cost allot of money (well I wouldn't know as it was a gift but it wasn't very expensive) and its one of those desk-things (basically a light box).
I use pens and paper. Any old paper and any old pen.

As for software I use open source and free alternatives. I know I know, allot of people download Photoshop and just use that but when I switched from Windows to Linux I realized that there where a huge amount of brilliant software available that really gave Photoshop and Adobes Creative Suite a run for its money and some that really had them beat and I didn't have X-large sum of money to drop and I felt that it was not only dishonest but also dumb to download something when there where alternatives.

My go-to-program is without a doubt Krita. Its essentially an insanely good "from-scratch-illustration" program. Its made for artists, illustrators and comic book artists by people who really made a true effort trying to figure out what we need and stay true to that instead of making a catch-all program.
If you have any interest in illustration and want to use a computer doing it. This is the one you want. Its been ported to Windows with an installer and all and for Windows 8 there is Krita Sketch - but for stability you do want to consider using it in Linux. It is in itself an argument to switch to Linux. Yes its that good.

Second its Das Gimp. I know the Gimp is seen as second best to Photoshop and yes, in a way it is. Lets be honest with each other. Photoshop is better. Photoshop and Adobe has funding, full time staff and it costs... ALLOT. Gimp doesn't.
But what Gimp does have is a large group of collaborators. Animation in Gimp? Someone has set you up with that. Color Correction? Done by magical elves.
Gimp is insanely good. Ridiculously good. Its just a little bit behind Adobes Photoshop in quality and it does it for free.

Then you have Inkscape a free vector-program. You got Scribus a well used professional layout program. You have Openshot or Kdenlive for videos. Audacity for audio. Blender for 3D. All these are used by studios and companies at a professional capacity. All free. All with the same community support as the rest of the Open Source programs out there.

So just like the majority of you all that use Android Phones or Google Services (or maybe a Chromebook) my behind is firmly placed in the lap of the Penguin. Why? Because its better. Yes you heard me. Its better. Thats not an objective thing of course - its my personal opinion. I prefer using it and I think I benefit from using it.

My point is - none of this is very expensive. Sure the computer, the wacom board, the lightboard - all those cost money but not as much as say "a really really good computer" + "a cintiq" + "Adobe Creative Suite". There is a thousand euro leap between the two.

The lightboard can be replaced by a window with daylight, a clear sheet of plexiglass and a light-bulb.

Its just a pen and a piece of paper thats really really necessary, that and creativity. The rest is icing.

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