Chewing Pencils

If you’re reading this, then you already have access to a computer. And there’s every chance that it is good enough for you to use to make money from your drawing cartoons.

But there’s also a good chance that you’re thinking of upgrading or even getting something brand new for the sole purpose of enhancing your freelance career.

Like the Mac versus PC debate, what you need in a computer system is a matter of personal choice. However, I think there are at least some things that are essential if you want to maximise your output and in a relatively comfortable way.

What you MUST have.

1. A large monitor

Your monitor should be at least 19″. The larger the better. And if your computer desk is the same as your drawing desk, make sure it is a flat screen. The old style CRT monitors work fine, but they take up heaps of room.

I produce my cartoons 100% digitally most of the time and have found the 19″ monitor to give me enough space to comfortably fit my drawing, and the tools I’m using, in a single screen. Anything smaller meant opening and closing boxes and flicking between screens - and that was nothing but a pain.

 

2. At least 512K of RAM

The numbers are the most confusing part of buying a computer. Usually, the higher the number the better. RAM is like a temporary memory that the computer uses to process information as you work. If you don’t have enough RAM, it will take ages to do things like render images. I’ve found that I’ve had to beef up the RAM on every computer I’ve owned. Fortunately RAM is cheap and easy to install yourself.

3. 100+ Gb hard drive

The hard drive is where your work is stored on the computer. As graphics files are large, you’ll need a bigger hard drive than most people, particularly when you start getting a comprehensive archive of material. I tend to store all of my cartoons in multiple formats so the hard drive space disappears quickly. . Make sure you get a big one!

4. A good CD burner

Some clients will request that the art work be delivered on disk. Rarely will one piece fit on the old style floppy, so a CD burner is another essential. Burners are cheap to buy (less that $50) and the blank disks go for a song.

5. A scanner

Like I mentioned earlier, I draw 100% digitally nearly all the time. But there are occasions where the look I’m after requires me to use pencil and paper. When I do, I simply scan the piece I’ve drawn and combine it with the digital elements to produce the final artwork.

If you draw using all natural (ie non-digital) media, then the scanner will be your most important peripheral device. Without it, there’s no way (other than digital photography) to get your work into an online archive for the world to see.

Scanners are also relatively cheap with the exception of the larger (eg A3) models. Whatever you buy though, make sure it is able to scan at resolutions of 1200dpi.

6. A printer

I don’t print out any of my work. In fact, I don’t print out much of anything these days. So a really expensive printer isn’t really for me. However, if you need to print your artwork to sell it, then you’ll need something that can print high resolution stuff well. Like always, do your homework on this and get the sales folk to demonstrate them before your eyes.

The things I do print out are usually letters, invoices, receipts or things for my idea file - my ten year old Epson still does the job beautifully, though to replace it wouldn’t be a very expensive exercise.

7. Dial-up internet and modem

You have to have access to the online world. There’s simply no way you’ll succeed without it. Modems for dial-up internet access are cheap and so are the ISP plans. See this post for why I think this is essential.

8. In the box stuff….

It all gets a bit confusing when you start talking about all the things that are hidden away in the box of your computer. All that really matters though, is the speed of your processor and again, the faster the better. Something around 2 - 3 GHz is what you should aim for if the budget allows.

Some USB ports (2-4) will come in handy as will a firewire card. Just make sure that when you buy a machine, you know what all the numbers mean and be sure that it is powerful enough to run the software you want use.

Obviously this list of “essentials” is biased by my own experience - you might think some other things should be in the list. It’s also purposely non-technical so you can take this list to your computer shop and say, “I need a computer with …” and then let the sales kid do all the techy explanations.

With all of the above included, you will be looking at about $2500-$3500 to get set up.

However, there are some other things that, while not essential, are highly recommended for your digital tool box.

9. An external hard-drive for back up

There is another certainty in life beyond death and taxes - your hard drive will crash. And it will crash at a time that is the most inconvenient and you will lose the most important piece of work you’ve ever worked on. I can guarantee it.

So it’s a good idea to have a back up that’s external. As well as my internal hard drive, I have an external 200Gb hard drive that I use to back up everything that I have produced. This cost me around $100 but bought me peace of mind.

10. Wacom 9×12 graphics tablet

Ahhh, one of my favourite toys. This is how I draw 90% of the time. Combined with the right software, the graphics tablet is a powerful tool that can increase your productivity to a great extent. If you’ve not seen a tablet before, visit the Wacom site here.

There’s a great range of sizes, but my preference is for the 9×12. It fits on my desk, but is not so small that it cramps my style. The 3rd generation of tablets has a much greater range of sizes, so you should find something that fits your space.

11. A combination CD/DVD burner

These almost standard in new machines anyway, but having the ability to burn DVD’s as well as CD’s means you can send even larger files by disk.  Plus you can procrastinate by watching movies on your computer…

12. Broadband internet connection

This is the preferred type of internet connection and is rapidly moving towards being cheaper than dial-up anyway. Lightning fast, broadband means you can send large files in a matter of minutes, instead of them taking all night!

Nice to have

These are the things that you can get when you’ve got loads of spare cash. I don’t think you ever really need them as such, but they’re great toys to have and it makes you look darn good.

13. Cintiq Interactive Pen Display

Do I want one of these! 

A combination of flat screen and Wacom tablet - surely this is the ultimate tool in creating digital art. I’d love to have a play on one someday, but I don’t know anybody that owns one!

14. Duel Screen display

That is, one computer with two monitors. It means you can have more work on display at one time and multiple software packages open and viewable. A luxury really. 

15. A back-up machine

Another computer system that is independent from your main system. This helps maintain work flow if your main computer suffers a major melt-down and is going to take a few weeks to fix.  

Of course, the full potential of a computer system is only realised when good software is added into the mix. I’ll post some thoughts on software later this week.

In the mean time, I’d be interested to hear what YOUR computer system set up is…