John Leavitt
Writer, cartoonist, activist
Posted in activist, cartoonist, windows, writer
Who are you, and what do you do?
I'm John Leavitt, a writer, cartoonist and activist.
What hardware do you use?
I am embarrassingly analog. Most of my art is done on board or watercolor, using pilot pens and brushes and a child's watercolor set I got five years ago. The most importent tool I have is a Llghtbox, so I can pencil, ink, and paint things in separate sheets of paper and then recombine them digitally. I use an aging Wacom tablet and equally ancient copy of Photoshop to touch things up later. Having everything scanned separately allows for a lot more freedom to edit.
I use a Brother printer/scanner and it's the only one that hasn't crapped out on me on the regular.
For writing, I need a real keyboard, so I have a Lenovo laptop used exclusively for writing, video editing, and playing Civilization. If I get stuck on something I'll write things in longhand, on yellow legal pads, until I get some flow back.
As for activism, most of that is signs and banners, and that still requires brushes and glue and boards and maybe some glitter. The revolution requires arts and crafts, after all.
And what software?
Word/Google Docs for writing, Photoshop for editing, Avid Studio for video editing, and Inkscape for anything vector related.
What would be your dream setup?
Mostly what I have, but more of it. A standing Lightbox/desk setup would be great, as would a large format scanner and a real dedicated crafting area. A portable keyboard as real and solid as a real keyboard would be freeing (I type too fast for even the best virtual keyboards) but since I work from home, the ideal would be my own room where I can close the door and shut myself in or shut work out.