Blogpost: Favorite tools I use as an Illustrator ✨🎨🖥️ (Patreon)

Hi everyone!

As an Illustrator there are lots of tools like apps, programs, elektronica, etc. available that you can use. But it is sometimes hard to find te right ones for you. So I wanted to give you an overview of the tools I like to use, to make it easier for you to make a choice 😊!

Good to know I have ADHD, so the tools I use are very much aligned with how I like to work: With lots of overview, accessible and easy to use!

In this post I will talk you through my favorite tools and programs I use for my illustration business.

Programs (For video editing, photo editing, creating thumbnails, etc.)

Elektronica (The devices I use)

Other Tools (For hour registration and planning)

1. Programs

✨ Adobe Photoshop

You don't have to buy the whole Adobe package, you can just buy a membership for Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom. I mostly use Photoshop to make up my designs ready for printing.

✨ Canva

Canva is such a big one in my daily workflow! I think almost everyone knows about it, and maybe also already uses it. I use it mainly to create thumbnails for my Patreon content & video tutorials. But I also use it to create content for my Instagram.

I do have a paid membership so I can use tools like erasing backgrounds, etc. But without a paid membership, you can still create a lot of things!

✨ Procreate

When I bought an iPad, I already knew I wanted to buy the Procreate app to create digital drawings. It's only €14,99 for a one time purchase, then you can use it forever on your device.

It has so many features, and you can use it for both creating digital drawings as well as digitalizing your brush pen & pencil drawings to make things like calendars, cards, etc. 😊

✨ Capcut

This is an app you can download on your computer and on your phone. I only use it on my computer to edit my video's. I really love how easy it is, and it is free to use as well!

✨ Edits (app)

The edits app is perfect to create pretty reels for your instagram or TikTok. It's free o use and you can create a video and instantly upload it on social media 🤗

2. Elektronica 🖥️

Because I am also a digital illustrator + I create video tutorials, courses, etc. I have a few favorite ones I'd like to highlight!

✨ Ipad (7th Generation) + Apple Pencil

I bought my iPad in 2020 because I really wanted to start working digital. I did a lot of research and found that the iPad + Apple Pencil worked best when you still want that feeling of drawing on paper. I can say that it was one of the best purchases I made for my business. I still use it a lot for digitalizing my illustrations and to work on digital commissions.

✨ Iphone 12

I have always been a fan of android phones, but because I heard so many good things about iPhones (especially the amount of time it keeps working fast and the quality of photo and video making), I decided to buy a refurbished one. I use it a lot to photograph my illustrations, to edit reels for my Instagram and to record my video tutorials.

✨ Macbook Pro

It took me a while to buy this laptop, because I found it very expensive, but eventually I bought a refurbished one. It works so perfectly with my iPhone and iPad because you can use Airdrop to quickly transfer photo's, video's and files between the devices. This makes it so much easier to create content! I use my MacBook for setting up my Patreon content, editing video tutorials, using photoshop, and much more!

✨ DJI microphones

When I decided that I wanted to create an online course (which is still in the making), I figured that I needed good microphones for good sound quality. I searched for microphones that were not too expensive but still good and I found the DJI mic mini microphone set. I bought an extra lighting adapter and now I can use it to record my voice when creating video tutorials and video's for my online course.

✨ Scanner

To scan my illustrations to my computer, I bought the CanoScan Lide 400. It was recommended by another illustrator I follow on Instagram and it didn't disappoint!

Amazon link to the scanner

I also made a video of how to scan your illustrations using this scanner: Blog Post: Video, How to create your own Christmas Cards

✨ Printer

I don't have a normal printer at home, but I just bought a small thermal printer which I use to print sketches I made on my iPad. It;s the Fichero thermal printer, which I bought at Action here in the Netherlands. I don't know if they are available in other countries, but maybe a thermal printer is a good option for you if you don't want a big one and only use it for easy print jobs. It fits in my closet, so I can just store it when I don't use it.

2. Other tools

✨ Toggle Track

To track my working hours I use this app called, Toggl Track. You can easily track a task when you start and finish. It works perfectly for me because now I don't have to think about adding and remembering all my hours. Good to know: it's free to use 🤗

✨ Trello

Trello is perfect for when you want to dump all your ideas somewhere! It's a free app and you can make different sections for an easier work flow. Like an idea dump, a to do list for this month, to do list for this week, to do list for today. Or you can make a priority list, you can decide what works best for you!

How I organized it:

Ideas - Ongoing Projects - Key focus before 1 September - Key focus Completed

✨ Planner

I love to use a paper planner as well next to all my digital tools. Because I love to have a quick overview without having to start up my laptop or phone. With this planner I have a weekly overview, I can add to do's and I use markers to cross out which to do's I did and which ones I am going to move to another day.

*Sorry it's in dutch mostly, but you get the idea 😉

Hope this blogpost helped you a bit when you're searching for the right tools for your illustration hobby or business 😊

If you have any questions, please let me know!

Celyn 🌸