From the classic number 2 to the more specialized variants, pencils are a very popular and very strongly recommended tool for any artist. The number on a pencil is actually somewhat important; it refers to how hard the lead in the pencil is, and number 2 is the most common or “average” hardness. Professional artists […]

Back when I was in school, nobody really used mechanical pencils for anything. However, they are a very practical choice for drawing, especially when you’re doing the layout or sketching phases. A useful benefit of these pencils is that you only need to get new lead when they run out; you can keep your favorite […]

An artist is always in need of a way to draw bold lines and fill large areas with color. Ink usually does the job best, and so it’s not very surprising that several different means of working with ink have become popular over the years. One of the more popular options, especially in households with […]

When it comes to drawing things, crayons are probably one of the most well known and beloved of mediums. Just about everyone has spent some time using them to color a picture or draw something new. Besides, who doesn’t remember enjoying the smell of a fresh pack of crayons when they were young? Availability Pretty […]

Fancier and more expensive than your typical everyday pen, these pens are extremely versatile and can be used to create many different effects and line styles. Unlike most drawing implements, these pens can be customized to fit the task at hand. This is done by replacing the tip, called a nib, with a different design. […]

Ballpoint pens are a common sight in an office setting, but aren’t the sort of thing you’d expect to be using for drawing. It turns out though that they are a fairly popular medium despite their apparent drawbacks. With a little practice, they can be a very useful tool for an artist. Availability When it […]

While are many different styles of digital art, there are two main types of digital images. Both types of images are just data describing an image: the key difference is how they describe it. The raw basics First things first. In order to explain what raster and vector images are some of the details of […]

There are many, many programs out there to make or edit images. Some are more popular than others, and some specialize in creating certain types of images. Many are even free. Since there’s a lot of choices to pick from, I’ve selected a number of useful programs and listed them here. Raster Editors MS Paint […]

Like everything else, images have to be stored somewhere on a computer to be useable. Naturally, over time a number of different methods have been developed to store an image, leading to many different file formats. Each format had a particular usage in mind, and as a result each format has its strengths and weaknesses. […]

Ever wonder why there were so many different variations of the cross or what various images represent? This section aims to answer those questions by providing a glossary to the many different symbols used in Christian art and architecture. To simplify things, you can search the listed symbols two ways: either by a simple alphabetical […]