Pri's Christmas List for Artists! Part 2

General / 01 December 2018

Continued....


The Digital Artist:

Monitor Stand: I love the little notch to put other devices like an ipad or phone!
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B073W74WR8/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


Standing desk: They have a lot of automatic desks that raise up and down on their own, but if you don't want to commit to large furniture, this is a great compromise!
https://www.varidesk.com/products/standing-desk-pro-plus?o=Size%3A48+inch%3BColor%3ABlack&c3ch=PLA&c3nid=280848219247&gclid=Cj0KCQiA3IPgBRCAARIsABb-iGKcveTOeItvrfdFNWNDZKjsPDEiuSYIawrF8hWpSuASk2E_hy6xAdwaAn42EALw_wcB




SmudgeGuard: Practically essential for me whenever I work digitally. You can get them in different sizes and variations of 1 or 2 finger fits.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0752JW7HW/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1



Spyder4Pro: Great for those who paint digitally and want consistency with their colors, especially with printing.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006TF37H8/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s02?ie=UTF8&psc=1


Razer DeathAdder Mouse: Pretty much my favorite mouse. Simple, responsive and has last me a very long time as well as not breaking the bank when buying one.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AAS888S/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1



Canon Printer: Love this printer if you're into printing your own art work. Downside is that a refill for any of your inks is gonna cost you if you buy the canon brand toners. I also hate the fact that if you run out of a color and want to print something that doesn't use that color (example, run out of Yellow toner, but want to print out a B&W document) you are unable to print anything until you get that empty ink cartridge replaced! It's horrible! But I deal cuz I love the quality of the prints.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0095F5BCS/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1



The Anchor Headphone mount : Bought a couple of these and love them. One for work and one for home... not entirely sure how removal of them would go, but they're pretty sturdy and the convenience is quite noticeable after the first week.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00P31BMHG/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1



BestBookStand: I buy all these books for reference when I work but never have any space or ability to look at them as I work! This has been awesome. I imagine people mostly use it for things like propping up a cookbook as your cooking, but you gotta do what you gotta do!

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005IV6U0U/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1



Wacom Art Pen: So you might be thinking... "I already got a pen with my tablet/cintiq... why would I want this?" Well, lemme tell ya! The Art Pen and the Grip Pen that your tablet/Cintiq comes with are actually different and have one major feature difference that sets them apart. The Art Pen has barrel rotation ability! Meaning, as you turn the pen, your brushes in Photoshop have the ability to rotate with it, JUST like a real brush! I love it and always recommend it to those who digitally paint. However, I don't believe sculpting programs like Zbrush or Mudbox have a rotating barrel feature ability with their software. So this feature is only of value for programs that support it, like Photoshop.
https://us-store.wacom.com/Catalog/Accessories/Pens/art-pen#/undefined1



Display Arms: There isn't a particular one I would recommend. You would have to investigate the needs of the artist. The durability and strength of the display arms will definitely matter if they use heavy displays like Cintiqs. You might even want to get dual arm set ups so they can have a variety of customization in their work station and can arrange their set up with ease and flexibility.



Ipad Pro and Pencil: I personally don't have one or have used one, but it is a hot little number amongst my illustrator friends. They claim it's the most responsive and close to pen and paper feel as you can get digitally. Pairing it with an app like ProCreate has been something they can't get enough of and it makes me jealous. The price tag on these things are quite steep, so keep that in mind. Also, I hear Apple has removed some features of the pencil as well as no longer providing replacement nibs with their latest version of the apple pencil. But... ya'kow.. that's Apple.
https://www.apple.com/apple-pencil/



Gunnar Crystalline Lens: I have a pair of gamer and crystalline glasses. I can't say that I feel a significant difference, but I hope the long term effects is something that builds up. I did suffer from eye-fatigue which seems to no longer be the case; so maybe there's something to it? Both glasses have a focal magnification to be optimal of viewing things at a monitor/distance to keep the eyes from straining . If you work in 3D and don't work in color too often, I recommend getting gamer or amber tinted glasses, as they reduce blue-light from your displays that also strain the eye. If you're someone who paints a lot and uses color, the Crystalline will be better, as it won't mettle with your color choices with everything being tinted yellow, however you do lose the blue-light cancelling feature.
https://gunnar.com/product-category/crystalline/



The Twitch Artist:

Phone Mount: Great to place on a swivel arm (see below) and take videos while you're working. I've made some cool timelapses just with my phone!

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01LXB7SLO/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1



Arm Swivel Clamp Clip Mount: Great for taking top down view shots as you're working or position it in any other way you can think of that would showcase your work! Strong enough to hold a heavy Samnsung Note and webcams.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071VR8PWF/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1



Webcam: Awesome camera with clear picture, great resolution and a really really WIDE shot. Also manages 60fps if you need it.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06ZZRFGN7/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1



The Caffeinated Artist:

AeroPress Coffee: Use to use a frenchpress, but this is so much faster for a quick cup that's just as clean and smooth. Best part that won me over was the fast and easy clean up. With a quick push and *pop* all the coffee grounds instantly go into your compost or trash bin with out a billion grounds pouring into your drain as you clean up like the Frenchpress did.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0047BIWSK/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


Cuisinart PerfecTemp Cordless Electric Kettle: Love this kettles. Specially if you're obsessed with hot-beverages, this kettle lets you pick and choose the appropriate temp for whatever type of tea or coffee you'll be having.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003KYSLNQ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


Takeya Cold Brew Coffee Maker: I love me some cold brew and this makes quite a lot! Watch out though; as it uses up quite a lot of coffee grounds to make a pitcher. Maybe not use your best coffee beans for this one.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FFLY64U/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


Teavana Perfectea Maker: If you love custom loose leaf teas from places like Teavanna or David's Teas, you'll want to get one of these. I always have one at one and one at work. Easy to clean too, but just remember to clean it quickly! Mold can quickly grow on the filter mesh if forgotten... not.. that.. I... experienced this... multiple times.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MFFGAXM/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


Alrighty, that about does it. I hope this list inspired some ideas on what to get for your artist friend.. or maybe yourself! Happy Holidays!

-Pri