I’m always curious about the materials other artists use, so I put together this post of my materials (scroll down to see pics). Generally speaking I use pens & ink & gouache on watercolor paper. I mix the ink in a palette and dilute with water to change the opacity/intensity of the colors. I try to keep my setup as portable as I can, so — other than the bottles of colored ink and the varnish — I carry all of this with me in my backpack wherever I go.

Not pictured is the Epson scanner I use. When I’m done with a drawing I’ll scan it as a 600dpi PNG and then open it in Photoshop to adjust the colors and contrast to match the real life version as much as I can. Alternately, if I planned to add color digitally, I’ll scan the grayscale ink drawing and add color in Photoshop. When I do this, I’m not concerned with making the scanned grayscale version match the real life version as much as I’m concerned with making the contrast strong. When coloring digitally, I’ll use my iPad as a drawing tablet connected to my computer. To do this I use the app Astropad.

Here’s are some random tips:

Windex (or generic window cleaner) works just as well as pen cleaner, if not better, for a fraction of the cost.
Buy masking tape at a paint store, not the art store. The paint store will have more options for way cheaper.
When applying the varnish, build up thin coats. If you put on too much, it can pool weirdly and leave a white powdery residue (and it’s a waste).
I apply linework and spots of black first, then add color/shading with ink. That’s why the black ink being waterproof is very important to my process.