Check out my epic list of creative products and services I use and recommend:
** Last updated on August 1, 2017.
Mockup Photography
If you’re a creative entrepreneur you need to show your work! For various reasons, you may not be able to do your own photography. There are many free and affordable resources to find high-quality mockups to showcase your work.
CreativeMarket
CreativeMarket has many resources including graphics, photos, fonts, textures, and themes. They frequently have coupon codes and bundles to save you more money. This website uses the Lady Boss theme. See, even web developers buy themes to save time.
Bonus Tip: Be sure to check out their weekly freebies section! And if you sign up to CreativeMarket’s email newsletter, every week you will receive six freebies sent directly to your inbox!
GraphicRiver
GraphicRiver has a huge selection of quality, yet affordable, graphic design resources, including mockups, fonts, and much more.
GraphicBurger
Offers premium and free resources for designers. They have a ton of mockups, as well as backgrounds, icons and more.
Pixeden
Has both premium and free PSD mockups. They also have backgrounds, textures, and icons.
TABLETS & LIGHT PADS
Wacom Intuos Pro tablet
I started as a fine artist and later had to re-learn with digital illustration. Now I’ve come full circle to merging both worlds. You don’t need this but I love it. Alternatively, you can scan your hand drawings and use Live Trace in Illustrator to clean up your work.
Huion LED Tracing Light Pad (wireless)
Perfect for re-tracing your work, doing revisions and transferring to your final piece. The light pads come in various sizes. You can adjust the brightness. This is handy when working with varying thicknesses of paper.
DIGITAL BRUSHES
Kyle’s Ultimate Brush Megapack
This is a great companion to use with the Wacom tablet to include a variety of brush strokes in your work. Used by pros everywhere, the megapack includes over 160 brushes. Brushes include gouache, inks, oils, pastels, and much more.
PENCILS
One of the pencils I use most often is the classic Staedtler Mars Technico 780 Lead Holder 2 mm.
The Palomino Blackwing is another high-quality pencil I love. It is smooth, smooth, smooth, and offers a dark line.
I also fell in love with the Caran D’ache Black Wood Jumbo Pencil. I heart businesses that give a personal touch. My Caran d’Ache pencils arrived with a bonus pencil from CW Pencils, NYC. It also included a nice handwritten note and the package was wrapped in twine. Sweet!
MARKERS
For detail work, I use the Sakura Pigma Micron markers. I’ve used them for decades and still love them.
The brush markers I use most often are the Fudenosuke pens and dual brush pens. I love the Tombow markers. These are great for hand lettering.
Copic Markers are high-quality, professional-grade markers. They also come with a hefty price tag. But they are exceptional. Copics use permanent, alcohol-based inks. They blend well and the ink doesn’t bleed. The Copic markers are also reusable and you can buy refills. Nibs can also be replaced. There is nothing like it, but it is an investment. If you’re on the fence, a Copic Ciao set is a good set to start with. A more affordable option is the Copic Doodle Packs.
PAPER
For hand lettering, it helps to use dot or grid paper. I like the dots, but again, it’s personal preference. I use Rhodia Black Dot Pad and Bienfang Grid Paper.
Tracing paper is a must as you improve your designs and build upon them. I recommend Bienfang Parchment Tracing Pad.
ERASERS
Now the one area where not all things are created equal is with erasers!
A quality eraser makes a world of difference. Trust.
I use the Uni Boxy Eraser. A plastic eraser leaves little residue for cleaning up. The Tombow Mono Eraser is a precision pen-like eraser, which is great for fine details. An Alvin Stainless Steel Erasing Shield protects your work for precise erasing.
EDUCATION
Skillshare
I have completed a LOT of courses on Skillshare and highly recommend them. I like that they are subscription based so I can try as many courses as I want. Monthly subscriptions are affordable and they often have a new customer promotion running. Again, the course offerings are on a wide range of topics. However, I like their creative courses the best. Bonus Tip: New customers can try it out for free for 14 days. Use this link and get 3 months of Premium for $0.99.
Some of the instructors/courses I highly recommend:
Mary Kate McDevitt (Hand lettering)
Anne Bollman (Digitizing illustration)
Martina Flor (Hand lettering)
Helen Bradley (Illustrator & Photoshop for Lunch series)
John Brommet (Digital design)
Bonnie Christine (Pattern design)
CreativeLive
CreativeLive has a variety of courses. These include photography, arts and crafts, WordPress, and more. I recommend Etsy 101: Launch Your Handmade Shop. Some of the most popular are the Photography Starter Kit Classes and Photoshop 101 Classes. They also have Free Live Online Classes.
Hand Lettering
There are many hand lettering and illustration resources you can find online. One of my favourite artists is Dawn Nicole. She is also a very giving artist. She offers lots of free tips and tutorials. For a free hand lettering class, be sure to join her Facebook group.
PHOTOGRAPHY
Are you ready to start taking your own product photos, or create images for social media and marketing? If so, this is the basic setup I use and recommend.
- Camera – I use the Canon EOS Rebel T5i. I’ve seen amazing photos taken with an iPhone but if you have the budget I recommend getting a DSLR.
- Lighting & Reflectors – For reflectors I use both foam boards and these collapsible light reflectors (43-inch). Beginners can start out with the silver side. It’s more reflective and casts a contrasting look. Use the white side when there is ample light to cast a softer light. Natural light is best to work with but isn’t always an option. At some point you should consider getting a Continuous Lighting Kit.
- Camera Accessories – To keep your camera stable while shooting you will need a tripod. This Lightweight Tripod with Bag (60-inch) is a good one to start out with. A Lens Filter Accessory Kit is another necessity. The filters improve your photos, the lens hood prevents flares and the cover protects your lens. Having a Wireless Remote offers several benefits. Some of these include preventing camera shake during long exposure, creating time-lapse images, and self-portraits.
- Backdrops – There are so many ways to DIY your backgrounds and backdrops. You can use wood, foam board, patterned paper, fabric, sheets, and artist paper rolls. You can do flatlays and product shots on a table or even on the floor. For seamless backgrounds you can also purchase a Retractable Background Stand. They offer various solid colours for the rolls as well. Acrylic can be another option that is easier to clean and more durable. A good value is this Product Photography Table with Acrylic Sheet.
- Storage – You will need a high-quality SD card for your DSLR camera. And because photos and videos are data hogs, you should also get a Portable External Hard Drive.
- Editing Software – I’ve used Adobe Photoshop + Lightroom forever. It’s now more affordable with Adobe’s subscription plans. Zoner Photo Studio (FREE – Windows only), is a photo app that really does it all. From creative editing to photo management.
- Props – Start with what you have on hand. Look in your home for things you can use such as small plant, picture frames, or ornaments. For celebration photos, I raid my baking supplies for candles and sprinkles. I’ve come across some amazing finds at thrift shops and yard sales. You can also pick up pretty stationery like these gold stripe folders on Amazon. Or cute pencils like this on Etsy.
I hope this toolkit helps you hit the ground running in your business or blog. Be sure to check out my Business Toolkit and Family Resource Guide.
