wacom intuos small since it was cheapest and i'm really comfy with using the pen tablet models. i kinda wanna experiment with screen tabs or an ipad in the future or whenever/if ever i manage to have the finances for one
and medibang paint (my beloved) because it's free, it lets me do everything in one software between drawing, effects, lettering and panels and the cloud brushes as well as the ability to make my own. i have csp which i got on sale but it's been setting collecting dust on my computer (it's ui makes my head hurt)
I've been using a Cintiq 16 for a few years. It took me a long time to get the money but I love it.
For programs, I've tried a lot, but after I used csp I never left. I've been trying to learn to use procreate on my iPad since it's more portable but it's so confusing for me to use. I wish csp on ipad wasn't paid on monthly subscription.
I don't have a tablet yet, but I'm trying to get one soon (granted, I draw stick figure, soooo... yeah, not much need for detail here). I'd go for a Huion too. My sister has a 16 Pro she uses in Architecture. As a program I use Affinity Designer. I got the free trial at the beginning of the pandemic and fell in love with it (and it's also a one time payment). Anyway, here is the result:
Where are my Krita folks at?! Krita users, assemble!
Okay, so... I use Krita, the thing that crashes all the time, because I like the interface and I'm used to it. Also, a Wacom intuos pro that I got a few years back after upgrading my previous wacom. I can't complain, once you're past the installing process and bugs it works super nicely
As for the process, I sketch on pc, I ink, I flat color, I shade. Then I crop each panel and assemble them on the page. I found some nice style that's not too complicated to reproduce and work fast with, so I'm happy.
I do all my sketching, inks, lettering on paper because I’ve never ever managed to match the speed and control I have traditionally with a tablet. Years and years of trying and it just never got to that point. I also had to embrace the fact that my work just looked more polished when I work traditionally. I don’t think I could work full time in comics the way I do now if I was still trying to bust my butt on a tablet.
Then I scan em and drop out the pencil lines and level the pages on an old version of Photoshop (to make the blacks black and the whites white instead of that dusty scanned look) and then I just do my flats. I think almost all of my comics are just flats. I don’t like looking at screens for too long so I try not to spend a lot of time on the digital aspects of my work. I’m actually just about to hire someone to drop in my pre-determined colors.
Oh, and the tablet I use is an older Cintiq. Everything I use is old; my computer, my tablet, my version of Photoshop. I’ve never ever understood the obsession with getting the newest everything if the old stuff still works and isn’t lagging or inconveniencing somehow. Even now where I’m financially stable enough to buy new stuff I tend to use things until they become develop a problem which usually means I use the same tool for a decade+.
I use a Wacom Bamboo tablet (CTH-461) and Krita for my digital stuff.
These were the only two things available to me that I didn't have to spend any money on. The tablet was sitting in a cupboard gathering dust because the original owner didn't have any use for it anymore so I decided to just take it for myself.
Why waste the opportunity?!
I use Krita (and no it doesn't crash, it works just fine for me) and a Huion Inspiroy h640p, which is a pretty affordable medium-sized pad tablet with a battery free pen and a fairly smooth surface (which I like). That's pretty much all I use. I have Clip Studio Paint installed as well and plan to learn how to use it for lettering because Krita's text tool is a bit lacking, and when my tablet breaks I'll probably replace it with a newer one from the Inspiroy series with tilt support but besides that I'm very happy with what I have. I've been using Krita for over a year now and found the perfect settings for me, I love its brushes (especially the blending tool), and I'm very familiar with my little tablet.
My tools have changed just this year, so I can speak to both phases of my work.
The first wave is how I've done it since 2016 (when I decided to start drawing more often). Draw it traditionally, then scan it, make some digital edits and color the traditional piece via Sketchbook Pro. Eventually, I got a simple screen-less Wacom Tablet, so I decided to start adding in a proper digital step. Draw the pencil drafts traditionally, scan them onto my desktop, line art and color digitally. This would be my process from 2018 on.
First Wave Tools:
Pencils and Micron Pens
Paper
Scanner
Sketchbook Pro
Wacom Tablet (eventually)
The second wave hits this year, once I decided to spoil myself with a Galaxy Tab S7 (that and I felt the process I've been working with was too slow and I was not comfortable drawing on something I could see the drawing on. Price was decent too). I needed a screen and man did that increase productivity. Same process only I took photos of the traditional images rather than scan it. 3 months back, I decided to cut the traditional part completely out of production. So my tool list now is:
Galaxy Tab S7
Sketchbook Pro (for drafts, line art, color and tones) (on desktop)
Clip Studio Paint (for text, formatting and additional effects) (on tablet)
Scrap Paper (for storyboards, drafts, concept brainstorming, jotting down ideas, quick references and notes)
Dropbox (moving files from Tablet to PC
Pretty much what I could afford. Sketchbook and Dropbox are free, Clip Studio is worth the price in spades, been using it over a year and I haven't even scratched the surface. Screen Tablet was the right investment for me.