Hey folks,
I figured I'd start a post about the tools I use for the artwork I do, for those who are curious about such things. I also started a similar blog on my
MySpace page. 
The tools-all the but the last included in the pic above:
Prismacolor pencils
Smudging sticks (large and small)
Sandpaper block for "sharpening" smudging sticks
Kneaded eraser
Strathmore drawing pad (the paper is 70-pound, in terms of thickness)
Toilet paper for smudging large areas (Toilet paper is very effective, because it's gentle on the paper)
I assume everyone knows what toilet paper is, (I hope!! 
) so no need to include it in the pic! 
Prismacolor pencils are easy to use, and inexpensive. They also last a pretty long time. I'm working with these for the most part because I can't
afford to work with more expensive paints. Being a former student at the School of Visual Arts in New York City, I can tell you that that you can easily piss
away a HUGE wad of cash on art materials!! And you'd be equally as shocked as to how FAST you go through them!!! 
Kneaded erasers (directly in the center of the pic, right above the smudge sticks) are a special kind of eraser that can be used for drawing purposes, as well
as simple erasing. You use them to create highlights. They are sort of like children's Play-Doh clay, in that you can shape them into whatever you want,
depending on how you want to use them.
The smudging sticks are basically for spreading around the pigment on the paper, in order to create softer tones and textures. As you can see, they come in
various sizes, depending on the area you need to work on. The really small ones would be if you need to work in areas such as shadows over the eyelids, nose,
lips-small areas like that. It's important to remember that tiny details can make or break a piece.
The sandpaper block is used to clean the tips of the smudge sticks, as well as to smooth and refine the tips. There's a number of sandpaper strips stapled
onto the wooden block. You just rub the tip of the stick vigorously on it, then blow the dust away from the sticks and the block.
The Strathmore drawing pad is pretty cool; easy to work with. Typically, I work with 11 X 14 pads. I usually create a border on the paper and work within that.
The border is important, because this is the area that will be scanned into the computer. And speaking of which-on the computer end, we have:
An old Power PC Mac 8500/G3, that uses a Umax 1220 SCSI scanner. "SCSI?!" you say? Yup-old stuff here-but it still works great, so why not continue
to use it?? 
The Mac is on an intranet network, where I have 3 PCs and 2 other Macs. I'm writing this on the downstairs PC. The final layout-my typical black frame and
fonts-can either be done on this old Dell I'm on, or the Mac-it depends what kind of fonts I want to use. I also surf the net whenever I need reference
photos to work from. I just print those on my old Hewlett-Packard Laserjet 4MP.
Anyway, those are the tools of the trade, for the curious among you.
Edited to add-If you have any questions, ask!
