Tools I Use Look, Ma,... no paper! ARGON ZARK! is drawn directly on the computer with the following toys... er, I mean tools! Links from this page open in a new window.

Graphics software	Painter 6 Rembrandt would have loved it. Does nifty stuff that even Photoshop can't. I actually draw the strip in Painter, its drawing tools and response to the pressure-sensitive tablet can't be beat. This is an amazing program with an uncanny ability to emulate traditional drawing and painting tools, and then take those tools into the digital beyond. Cool stuff. Amazon's listing: Mac, Windows Adobe Photoshop 6.0 Still the King Jumpjumping graphics app. Because of its unequaled selection tools, transparent layers and terrific filter suite, I do most of my image manipulation, compositing and special effects in Photoshop, Amazon"s listing: Mac, Windows Kai's Power Tools 6, and KPT 5 & 3 The toybox in the toolbox! Most of the ARGON ZARK! special effects start with this fantastic set of plug-ins for Photoshop. Foolishly abandoned by Metacreations and picked up by Corel. KPT5 includes the KPT 3 filters and is my favorite. KPT6 is a separate set of filters. KPT and Bryce are the main reason I rarely play computer games. Amazon's listing for KPT6: Mac, (No Amazon listing for KPT6 for Windows or KPT5 for either platform, try other sources or direct from Corel.) Bryce Absolute power in a box. Transforms you from a mere mortal to a maker of worlds, A 3-D application specialized for creating landscapes, real and surreal. I also use it to render some objects and interiors when I want a 3-D rendered look. The athmospheric effects are stunning.The "Virtual Conference Environment" and most of it's backgrounds were done in Bryce. Amazon's listing: Mac & Windows Artmatic, created by Eric Wegner, creator of Bryce. This cool little app generates dazzling fractal patterns, and lets you control their parameters with almost infinite variety. Download the demo and play with it or just check out the gallery. Cyberdelic!
Inexpensive alternatives	Once again I'll stress that, although it's nice to have access to the best tools, it's not necessary to use high-end tools to do good work. Painter Classic is a stripped-down version of Painter with most of the cool drawing tools (about $99). If you like the program and decide you want the full version , the upgrade only costs the difference between the two, so you don't lose anything by trying the smaller version first. If you don't have a pressure sensitive tablet, you can frequently get Painter Classic bundled with an inexpensive 4x5 Wacom for not much more than the cost of the tablet alone. For an inexpensive alternative to Photoshop, try Color It from Microfrontier (Mac only), a very powerful little image editor that's a steal at $50. On the Windows side, try Paint Shop Pro, a very capable image editor for $99. Also, if you're buying a scanner, watch for one that includes a version of Photoshop LE, the "Lite" version of Photoshop, from which you can upgrade to the full version.
Comic book fonts:	I don't actually know of a current source for the font I use but these are close and the best I'm aware of. The folks at ComicCraft/Active Images make a number of balloon lettering fonts that are used professionally in the comic book industry. These are expensive but very good. ComicCrazy is their most versatile (and wildly expensive) font ($395!!! Ouch!). It includes lower case letters which are uncommon in comic fonts. WildWords is a more reasonable alternative at $129. Astro City is a nice, somewhat older style also at $129. They also have a selection of display lettering for sound effects and specialty lettering for comics. A less expensive alternative is WhizBang from Studio Daedalus at $35. They even have an older, more limited version (1.2) for $24.