6 Essential Tools for VCD Students

Know the tools VCD students must have! (source: Pexels)

6 essential tools for VCD students. Each department, including the Visual Communication Design (VCD) department, has its uniqueness. If you want to continue your education in visual communication design, you need to know and prepare the necessary equipment to support your studies.

This study aid is essential for VCD students to complete assignments, semester exams, and thesis. What tools must VCD students have to support their learning process? There are many tools commonly used by VCD students, but only a few are must-haves. Here are the 6 essential tools for VCD students so you can start preparing.

Also Read: What is the Visual Communication Design Department and its Job Prospects

VCD student tool 1: Pencil

Not just any pencil, VCD students have many specifications for this one writing instrument. The pencil is the first essential tool for VCD students. It is a must-have and will be used until you graduate. Especially in the first semester, these essential writing tools and drawings will be beneficial in completing course assignments. There are two types of pencils, graphite pencils, and colored pencils.

Graphite Pencils are black-painted pencils that have been used for writing since elementary school. According to Corelmonster, graphite pencils are further categorized based on their level of softness. That is a soft pencil (2B-7B), a medium pencil (B, HB, F, H, 2H, 3H), and a hard pencil (4H-9H). The softer the black pencil, the thicker it will be. For pencils, VCD students only have H, B, 2B to 7B.

Also, colored pencils are now colored pencils with colored fills and are mainly used for coloring photos/areas. Colored pencils are divided into three types: classic colored pencils (regular/general), watercolor pencils (which can be mixed with water to create a watercolor effect), and pastel-colored pencils (detailed and subtle colors). You are free to choose your favorite crayon, but be sure to buy a good brand to get the most out of your work.

VCD student tool 2: paper and picture book

VCD students often use sketchbooks or drawing books to draw basic sketches and drawings. The types of paper also vary, ranging from thick, thin, rough, smooth, white, cream, and many more. Sizes also vary from A5 to A3. For lecture purposes, A3 size sketchbooks are usually used because they have a wider medium size. 

In addition to drawing books, other papers are used for various purposes. For example, painting, making nirmana, sketching, writing to printing works. The types of paper commonly used are Padararan paper (similar to canvas but thin), HVS paper (standard printing paper), art paper (special gloss/doff textured paper), artboard (for art paper), Duplex (usually used to make boxes), etc. If you want to buy it, please adjust it according to your needs and tasks.

VCD student tool 3: Other Supporting Stationery

Apart from pens and paper, VCD students also need other supporting stationery. Make sure to store your tools in a neat and easy-to-reach container. Common necessities include an eraser (to emphasize sketches), a ruler (to draw lines), pens (to write), pencil sharpeners (to sharpen pencils), and folders/notebooks (lecture materials to take home).

You may also need additional writing tools such as a compass (helps make circles/indentations), cutter/knife (for cutting paper), cutting mat (so the cutters don’t get dull too quickly), adhesive paper (for sticking), markers (for coloring/writing), and masking tape (for pasting). You are free to choose any price and brand.

In addition to stationery, another essential tool for VCD students is drawing pens. Drawing pens are usually used to make line drawings in sketches. Drawing pens are typically categorized in the range of 005 (thinnest) and 01 to 08 (thickest) based on nib size. This drawing pen contains black ink but unfortunately cannot be refilled (if it runs out, buy a new one). Make sure to choose a good drawing pen. A good drawing pen contains ink that does not smudge on the back of the paper or smudge when exposed to water.

VCD student tool 4: Paint and Brush

Some courses require students to paint/draw with paints and brushes. There are several types of paint, but VCD generally uses water paint (water-based, smooth paint), oil paint/long-lasting paint), poster paint (mostly watercolor), and acrylic paint (also suitable for canvas/wood and paper media). Choose the type of paint that suits your needs/college assignments.

When it comes to painting, it will never be separated from its partner, namely the brush. According to Wikipedia, paint brushes come in many different types, including round, flat, light, brown, fan, angle, mop, and rigger. Choose a brush that fits the medium (paper, wood, canvas, etc.). Choose a soft bristle brush for drawing on paper and a coarse brush for drawing on canvas.

5: Laptop or PC

In addition to manual devices, the following essential tool for VCD students is a device for processing digital data. A laptop or PC (personal computer) is the right choice. When buying a laptop or assembling a PC, pay attention to the device’s specifications so that you can perform various tasks optimally (especially design editing software). The focus is not on the high price, but at least the minimum specifications are met. And as long as this PC/Laptop can run software with excellent performance, there is no limit to the choice of this laptop/PC. Supporting software commonly used by VCD students includes the Adobe family (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, After Effects, Premiere, Flash, etc.), CorelDRAW, SketchUp, PaintToolSai, and others.

6: Drawing bag / Drawing Tube

Drawing bags and drawing tubes are an essential tool for VCD students. But make sure you discuss this with your lecturer before purchasing them. Sometimes lecturers don’t like it when the work is curved, so students must use a drawing bag. Regardless, the tools will help you save and easily carry your work. The drawing bag or tube size doesn’t matter as long as it fits a minimum size of A3, but also consider your mobility. 

Those are the 6 essential tools for VCD students. There is a lot of equipment commonly used by VCD students, but only some are must-haves; other than that, others are optional.

You can learn more about other interesting information through the UMN official website. You can also choose the online registration procedure according to your needs on the website. Come on, register now and start your career with UMN!

Source: 

• UMN official website

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