What's in your analogue type design toolkit?

[gthompson]

Lately it consists of:

Koh-I-Noor technical pencils, 2H and 4H leads

Koh-I-Noor Rapidomatic pencil

Sanford Uniball ExtraFine pen

Sharpie ExtraFine

Sharpie Fine

Prismacolor Black marker with Fine and Broad tips

Prismacolor markers, various colors

Pilot SuperColor Fine in black

Marvy Uchica Calligraphy marker

Kuretake Calligraphy marker

Bienfang Parchment paper

Bienfang Satin Design paper

I quit using Rapidograph pens over a decade ago, hated the things. I still occasionally use calligraphy pens, but Iike the feel of the marker better. Still looking for a really black marker though. Quit using french and ships curves for the most part.
The Bienfang paper is okay, but I had a noname tracing paper I got at Favor Ruhl in Chicago. It was between the parchment and satin design in weight, nice surface and very strong. Favor Ruhl went under sometime between 75-80 I think and my brother and I bought all we could get our hands on. The manufacturer quit making tracing paper and I used up the last of it about two years ago.

George

I felt bad because I had no shoes, until I met a man who had no Bodoni

[Richard Hards]

I saw Amberlith and Rubylith in posts by Carl and ChrisL, so I thought I'd mention my indispensible tool.

The stencil knife. Just a piece of 3mm stainless steel rod about eight inches long, ground flat at one end and sharpened at about 45°.

The great advantage when hand-cutting is the ability to rotate the blade as you cut, when held almost vertically between forefinger and thumb.

I don't cut much by hand these days, but still use it all the time to weed out computer-cut ruby and self-adhesive vinyl.

Nothing to do with typography, I'm afraid, but I'm just a crude screen printer and sign maker really!

Richard

[magnus_rakeng]

ballpoint pen and some paper. any kind.

[Eric_West]

18" x 24" drawing pad
1/2 inch watercolor brush
Pencils ( w/sharpener)
Erasers
Pelikan Black & White Plaka
2 Winsor Newton University #5 brushes
Incline drafting board
white bond paper
tracing paper
#11 Xacto
T-square
Ruler
Scotch Tape
Small Photocopier

[hrant]

Vellum paper, with a movable fine grid sheet underneath.
A mechanical pencil with a hard lead.
A mechanical pencil with a soft lead.
Staedtler "Mars Plastic" eraser(s).
A relatively straight ruler.
Lapsang Souchong.

hhp

[dezcom]

256 potatos, an Xacto knike, and an inkpad :-)

ChrisL

[speter]

Chris, you're right! I guess I did design a typeface much earlier than I had recalled...

[J.Montalbano]

#16 crow quill pen point and india ink were wonderful for finished art, but I'm glad I don't use them anymore.

[dezcom]

Steve,
Was it called "Spud Light"? :-)

ChrisL

[speter]

I think it was Potatohead Sans.

[johnbutler]

CRT monitor

[hrant]

Funny!

hhp

[dezcom]

Peter, how did you design the "i"s? Mine were kind of plucky so they didn't leave a big impression :-)

ChrisL

[dberlowgone]

A hammer, some nails, Old Grandad and safety glasses.

Cheers!

[Dunwich Type]

Plastic buckets of colored pencils and markers. They make drawing letters way more entertaining.

[cuttlefish]

I still pull out my 2mm clutch pencils from time to time. I have leads ranging from 4B to 8H for those things, along with a few colors like non-diazo blue. It's hard to find new leads that aren't outrageously expensive, but fortunately I have a pretty good stockpile.

[innovati]

I've just been toying around with:

-0.5mm mechanical pencil
-Pilot Fineliner
-Rapidograph 0.3

I am certainly pre-amateur at doing type by hand but when it comes to working out type signatures that's what I use, any paper that's big enough.

[Dunwich Type]

2mm pencils have replaced all of my other graphite pencils at this point, I buy them in different brands and colors so I can keep different leads ready to go. The leads are expensive, but like steel nibs, can often be found in bulk as designers and draftsmen of the 1970s appear to have purchased enough to last through 2099.