I run a graphic design business built on the notion of delivering top-quality work, quickly and efficiently, so having access to good tools is always important to me. Here’s what I use to create art, graphic design, and for web/game development:
Art & illustration
When I need to jot something down, make a quick sketch, or do some math, I prefer a mid-sized (5.5″ x 8.5″) sketchpad and a ballpoint ink pen. You may prefer a pencil – I don’t like having to remember to pack a sharpener in case of a break.
On the digital side of things, I’ve been using an original Surface Book for drawing. It’s starting to feel a little slow/old, but it’s gotten me through many projects and I’ve been happy with it, so I’ll probably be sticking with that for some time. I like the Surface line though, so I hope there is a reasonable replacement available when I decide it’s time to upgrade. I’ve included my software picks below as well.
Computer hardware & office
For work (and gaming), I use a custom Windows 10 desktop. The hardware in this machine changes occasionally, but the constant is that it is always a powerful machine that can do what I need it to. Here’s a snapshot of my current computer and my office setup:
| Work computer | |
| CPU | AMD Ryzen 9 59500X |
| RAM | 32 GB DDR4 3600 |
| Motherboard | ASUS AM4 ROG X570 Crosshair VIII |
| GPU | GeForce RTX 3090 |
| Storage | 2x Samsung 970 EVO M.2 (1TB), 2x Samsung 860 EVO (2TB) |
| PSU | Corsair HX1000 |
| Cooling | Corsair iCUE H150i, 4x Noctua NF-P14s |
| Case | Fractal Design Meshify 2 |
| Display | 2x ASUS MX27AQ 27″ WQHD LED |
| Peripherals | |
| Mouse | Microsoft IntelliMouse Optical |
| Keyboard | HP Model 5183 Keyboard |
| Heaphones/headset | Audio-Technica ATH-ADG1X |
| Scanner | Epson Perfection V300 Photo |
| Printer | HP LaserJet Pro 400 color |
| Desk chair | Herman Miller Aeron |
Thanks to various computer repairs/upgrades over the years, I’ve also got two lesser machines ready to work as my own personal render farm. I also occasionally use an old DSLR camera, though mostly I just use my phone now for pictures.
Finally, a quick shoutout to my Allsop Metal Art mouse pad. I know it’s a little ridiculous to use a mouse pad in this day and age, but I love this thing and will use it until there’s a hole worn through.
Software
My favorite software to use for every task:
The software suite available from Adobe Creative Cloud is my go-to solution for just about everything – outside of 3D.
| Adobe Photoshop | Finalizing 3D work, touching up photos, comping designs |
| Adobe Illustrator | Vector art, SVG editing, page/label designs, illustrative artwork |
| Adobe InDesign | Page/label designs (best for multi-page projects) |
| Adobe Premiere Pro | Video creation/editing |
| Adobe After Effects | Video creation/editing (effects-heavy) |
| Adobe Audition | Audio editing/compositing |
| Adobe Acrobat | Bundling comps and editing PDFs |
| Adobe Media Encoder | Media output/compression |
| Adobe Fonts | For just about anything designed in the above software |
Office 365 is another great suite of software. It’s great to have all my notes sync up between devices, and 1TB of space on OneDrive is awesome for sharing work and making sure important project files are available to clients. I don’t utilize every piece of software Microsoft offers, but it’s nice to have it there if I need it.
| Word | Typing out documents, contracts, etc. |
| Excel | Keeping track of bills and other complicated projects |
| OneNote | Organizing notes, syncing data between devices |
| OneDrive | Sharing files with clients, automatic work backup |
| Azure | Not part of Microsoft 365 per se, but good/cheap for backing up giant files/projects |
This is the third group of software in my list, but it’s certainly not the least used. I’d say that most of my creative work these days is done in Blender (and possibly Clip Studio Paint).
| Blender | Renders, video animations, 3D models (for games, etc.) |
| Clip Studio Paint | Illustrations, sketching |
| GameMaker Studio 2 | Game development |
| Spine | Skeletal animation (for GameMaker, and other projects) |
| Visual Studio Code | Programming (primarily web dev, but also some Python) |
| Drawboard PDF | Editing PDFs |
| Microsoft Whiteboard | Quick sketches, notes, and math – synced across my devices |
| Terragen | Creating realistic sky/landscape backgrounds |
| AWicons Pro | Creating/editing icons (rare, but useful) |
| FileZilla | Basic FTP |
| WinSCP | FTP file sync |
Last updated 7/3/2021
5 Comments
I really Liked your 3d Art dude.
Thank you!
I downloaded Blender today ( again) after not learning the last version because I wanted to attempt to recreate the hallway animation from th SOL and found you already did it!!! love it! would you be willing to make a version with a green flat at the end or alpha transparency so it can be used as a stinger animation?? or possibly share your blender file for me to try?
Hey Christian! Sure, I could make a version for a stinger. How long would you want it to be?
same length as you made the original is fine.. just need the last portal to be transparent alpha or chroma masked. I was also wondering if you’d be willing to share the blender file. considering expanding to a full SOL set :) email me at sastian@sastian.com