What program do you work in?

I use Adobe photoshop to build all my artwork. I started learning illustrator in college but never got comfy with it. I tried Procreate for about 3 seconds and gave up on that, too. I’m the type who quits if I’m not immediately good at something. Everything I know I learned on photoshop and I’m too old and stubborn to learn anything new until I hit my mid-life crisis era.

Do you use a mouse or a tablet?

I use a Wacom Cintiq hooked up to my MacBook Pro. There was a time not too long ago when I used a mouse to do all my work, and I can’t picture going back now. Hey, I guess I can still learn new things!

What brushes do you use?

I use a variety of Photoshop brushes, but I have a few favorites that I return to often. The first is from Creative Market and it’s a photoshop brush package called “Character Designer Toolkit” by Francisco Beltran. It’s got brushes that mimic gouache, pencil, ink, watercolor, charcoal, halftone effects, and more.

My other favorite brushes come from True Grit Texture Supply. For linework I usually go with “Monomaina”. If I’m working in comic book style, I go for “Kraftone”, which also has all my favorite fading and paper texture brushes. For stippling, I use “Stipple Studio”. If you’d like to try any of these brushes out you can follow this link and use my code “AlisonCoteDesign” at checkout for 10% off your order.