Tools & Resources
A descriptive list of the digital, traditional, and web tools Kris Black uses to write and draw children’s books and comics.
Digital Tools
Any writing, drawing, or designing I do begins or will eventually end up on a device. Here is a list of hardware and software tools I use in my day-to-day work.
Computers & Devices
Software & Apps
- Affinity Suite for creativity and design—I switched away from Adobe Creative Cloud
- Procreate and Clip Studio Paint for drawing and illustrating
- Nova by Panic to write code for websites
- Drafts, Scrivener, and Ulysses for writing children’s books and posts for my blog
- OmniOutliner, Mindnode, DEVONThink and Apple Reminders for capturing and organizing my thoughts and information
- I have a subscription to SetApp which gives me access to a whole suite of apps on the Mac. I like evaluating new apps to see if I can streamline my productivity or enhance my workflows.
Traditional Tools
As an artist, it’s near impossible to get away from writing, sketching, and creating finalized art on paper. Here is an assortment of art supplies I use on a day-to-day basis.
Notebook
- Leuchtturm1917 for drawing and sketching
- Moleskine Legendary Notebooks for drawing and sketching
Lines & Colors
- Copic Markers and Pens
- Koi Water Colors Pocket Field Sketch Box by Sakura
- Prismacolor Colored Pencils
- Prismacolor Premier Art Pens
- STAEDTLER® Mars® technico 780 C lead holders Ever since I started using an iPad Pro in late 2016 I’ve cut back on my use of traditional media. I almost exclusively rely on creating my artwork digitally. I’m not sure if this has made me a better artist, but I do like the convenience an iPad Pro and the XP-Pen display affords me with drawing tools in various apps.
Web Tools
I use a variety of web services and applications to publish and share my products, artwork, and writing. Also listed are financial services and apps I use to run my business.
Communication
- G Suite for email, calendar, and online file storage
Domain Names
- Cloudflare for managing my domain names
Financials
- You Need a Budget, known as YNAB, for managing day-to-day finances and expenses
- PayPal, Square, and Stripe for accepting payments
- Zipbooks for invoicing clients
Publishing
- I created this website with Squarespace.