O.K., Let me be clear here-
by "STUFF" I am referring to any hard tangible items you use to make anything you are representing on this site (D.D.).
and I am NOT talking about money.

example:
In my case I have been moving around a lot from place to place and am carting around a fairly large box of the original art I used for my strips. They are only done in pencils, and in nearly all cases I will never need them for reference since I have everything backed up on computer and thumb drive, let alone the site It's published on.
In my case I am feeling the box has no value and am toying with tossing it.

Same with decades old story ideas I have on hard copy, and reference works I've kept.
Why keep this !@#$%?

Interested on your personal views about YOUR stuff?
Maybe something I'm missing.

Tiki Carol

Ah, you mean paper copies of online artwork. I would never throw any away, because each page is time spent.

Also, I value the tangible quality of the art drawn on paper; even if DD disappears (don't scoff, I've experienced favorite art community sites crash and burn, taking everyone's art along with it) I will always have my art.

Lastly, I don't think a scanner can ever completely capture the art of my inks put on paper, seen with the naked eye. Yeah, it's the difference between a painting, and a print of a painting.

Okay, on to another part of my "STUFF" others may not have... my action figures. A lot of my characters in my 2 comics are based on vintage action figures. I treasure the figures I have.

No, I don't play with action figures or display them in glass showcases. Jesus, no. I use them to depict my characters accurately. Look at the costumes/equipment of my characters, and you can imagine how hard it would be to draw them faithfully without good references.

I value the creative process not so much the finished project. With my work it's compiled digitally so all I have are files on a hard drive. I like the actual work of putting it together, editing it, trying to get inspiration from pervious work but they're all just files.

The action figures are just tools. They're my cast so I attach the same value as a traditional comic artist would attach to a series of character development sketches. I have a few favorites but I look at them the same as the character descriptions and drawings I made for other work. They all rest in bulk printer paper storage boxes waiting for the next shoot.

The thing I value most are printed scripts. I actually go an print them out numerous times during the writing process just so I can carry them around and polish/edit them endlessly with pencil notes all over their pages.

i value my original stuff alot. it's clearer, it's real, and it's the most indesputiple evidence that i have that my stuff is actually MINE. that and i suppose i have sentimental value to it. do whatever ya want with yer stuff though.

My pencils and pens can be replaced pretty easily if I lost them all (not cheaply, mind you, but I can suck it up and go to an art supply store if I need to). The sketchbooks and other media I draw on? I did have a minor breakdown when I thought I lost one. I do refer back to them from time to time since, unlike their digital file counterparts, they aren't pixelated and thus have nice smooth lines that perfectly reflect the movement of my hand. I've been told that they look much nicer in real life than they do online, too.

As others have said, physical pages have one undisputable advantage over digital pages: no matter what happens to a website, no matter how technology advances (the amount of digital information that's been lost to the simple fact that newer computers can't read older files is mind-boggling; we're currently in a sort of Dark Age as a result), you can still look at a physical page. 10 years from now, I'll be able to scan my work and upload it to whatever I want.

As for other stuff I'd be a bit upset over losing, I'd say my gas mask. It hasn't been used in a comic yet, but I do have plans for it. Besides, it's the model I find the most visually appealing and it took me a while to find it online at a decent price. Also, my camera. It's a good-quality camera that was given to me as a Christmas present, so even if I didn't use it to capture poses I'm struggling to draw without help, I'd be pretty ticked off if it were lost or stolen.

I keep all my original scanned drawings in binders. I used to toss out my scripts and drafts, but lately, I've developed an affinity and tendency to keep those too. Unfortunately, since I draw only in pencil, the graphite smears and over time all of the physical pages become so gray and blurry they are barely identifiable. ^_^; I save backups of the digital files and order print copies of all my work (even the old and ugly stuff), so I can have something tangible on hand.

As for my tools, I have one pencil I cherish and use all the time. I lost a previous one and had to buy a replacement. I haven't found any others like it since then. I is very wide and heavy, so it is easier for me to hold and draw with. It just feels right. Anything else is completely cheap and disposable/replaceable. I go through tons of those 'clik erasers.'

I value my stuff. I work 100% digitally (art wise) these days, but I still go through old sketchbooks ever so often and see the rough workings for my comic... it's amazing, a real archive. All that original work and all the blanning and outlines in there. You can't decently scan it because it comes out crappy There also my original writing in them and even the writing for my latest work. The writing varies quite a bit from what goes in the comic and gives m an interesting alternative insight into my story.
Then there are all the paintings and other works- those don't scan well and photography is the same- can't capture the true quality or real size of the work.

I live in a small apartment and don't have the room to keep things, sadly. If I lost my digital files, that would be it anyway, since I wouldn't have the energy to go back and redo EVERYTHING from paper-- especially the old stuff where my drawing has improved since I did it. I would want to start again if anything.

Stuff tends to build up in piles, and then I take a deep breath and tel myself to be brave and throw it away. :-/

The one hard copy of a Grog strip I will NEVER throw away is the pencil art my brother did for the very first strip. It means a lot to me personally, as it's a reminder of a totally different time in my life.

Out of all the things I have, I'd say my laptop is my most valuable (which is ironic, considering that it's actually the least expensive piece of electronic hardware I own; even the Xbox 360). Not just because of all my fiction work, but because of all the work I've done college-wise as well. That, and an external hard drive with 7+ years of work on it (I've been writing fiction for that long). But honestly, I look back at some of the older things I wrote and realize they're so bad that I honestly hope they never see the light of day. And yet I have them backed-up and can't bring myself to delete them- emotional attachment, I guess.

YES THAT's IT!
emotional attachment!

Just gotta cut the string and dump the stuff.

There will always be more.

THANKS

Most of the work I do is digital so I definitly keep all my work backed up in 3-4 different places. I also keep my old art very carefully. Uou never know when you may want to use it for reference. And I totally agree with all the points mlai has made.

As an animator I've been taught not to be scabby with drawnings. If it's crap and just not working out BIN IT AND REDO IT.
though I do try to keep the stetches I do like :D

Hmm I've kept everything I've ever done on paper, I just can't seem to get rid of it. Must be some emotional attachment. I think of all the time spent working on my old stuff (even though I hate 99% of it now), and just can't bring myself to trash something I worked so hard on (heh).

I also just like being able to look back and see how far I've come ever since I really started to take my art a bit more serious.

I have stacks upon stacks of random papers with drawings, notes etc. and I don't plan to throw it out. Why? because I made that mistake twice.

First, when I was a little kid I used to draw tons of improvised comics full of crazy ideas. I have none left other than one 120 page notebook with a bunch of short comics. :(

Second, I was at some point convinced that my art sucked and I saved only my writings. As a result I have lost at least 200-300 character designs that I could easily use in my comics right now.

So I'm keeping the recent stuff (even if I don't keep the pages in pristine condition, heh) even if just for the sake of having "extras" to pick from if I need any for the print edition. Character sketches, designs, layouts and thumbnails, original pencils etc.

Well, it's been nearly 2 weeks since I pitched the old stuff, and guess what?
I don't miss it.
I had even forgot about it until I was scanning the forum and seen my post here.
I've also went on a rampage and cleaned out my closet, dumped old make-up, sold some books I've had for like 30 years, dvd's cd's video tapes - gone;
and am now eyeballing my husband.

No He's a good guy.
I'll keep him.

But I feel sure this new found liberation will come in handy when I'm a Bag Lady pushing my grocery cart through town.

:)
T.C.

I've still got comics I made when I was nine years old. I think that says enough.

I used to be a packrat when it came to those types of things. I had a hard time letting go of anything I'd had some attachment to- childhood stuffed animals, favorite shirts I wouldn't be able to wear anymore, etc. That included old artwork, sketchbooks, etc. I had a couple of moves but I was able to take most of it with me.

That all changed completely when I moved to England and basically could not take anything with me other than small, considerably meaningful items. I might not have the stuff, but I still have the memory of them. It's neat to go through old books or whatever and remember things, but how often do people do that anyway? I have digital copies of most of my art, and I would not have anything to do with the paper copies anyway. I kept those mostly out of a sense of having a version to re-scan if I needed to. (They are sitting in storage, no idea if they have been ruined or anything in the last 5 years.) More and more of my stuff is done digitally, so there's not even much point in keeping the 'hard copy' since it's usually just the pencil sketch I scanned to do the digital inking on.

It's kind of nice to not have a lot of stuff. I deliberately avoid buying things which I think would end up being knicknacks or dust collectors, only having a few for decorative purposes. Books I have tried mainly to switch to ebooks (or donate/sell ones I've read and don't feel a strong desire to keep). I do have a pretty full DVD bookshelf though. (Then again, if needed those could be condensed into a few large CD wallets, like my equally large collection of US DVDs)

Dustbunny studios
As an animator I've been taught not to be scabby with drawnings. If it's crap and just not working out BIN IT AND REDO IT.
though I do try to keep the stetches I do like :D

Exactly. If it's trash, that's where it belongs. If it's something you're happy with, keep it. Something's evidently working with it, and sometimes it is a good idea to go back and look at what once worked for you (especially when it feels like nothing's working).

I have a 1 or 2 year old Hunt 102 nib with a slightly melted holder that I can't seem to throw awa. I use it for my heavier line work, and I'd hate to have to break in a new one. I'm also very, very attached to my Mirado Black Warrior pencils. I'd seriously fight someone over them and I would get my shotgun if someone went near my watercolors or art supplies.

And oh boy would I have a fit if someone touched my MacBook Pro (Manga Studio 4 ftw)

I'm getting ready to get a new drawing table too, gonna be very protective of that one :P

Personally I can't throw away any old art or notes, mostly because most of it is all I have and only a small percentage of it has been scanned or typed into the computer for backup on flash drives, CDs or even the CPU Hard Drive. So, I've got notebook after notebook with notes, and a couple of boxes full of art & reference materials that if I can't find, disturbs me until I can find it. So, yeah, I'm very attached to it all, especially the original artwork and notes, that stuff can't be replaced. Sure, it can be redone and rewritten, but I sure won't remember it all exactly and it won't be the same, could turn out better, but could also turn out worse if God forbid I had to recreate something if it was lost or damaged. Then again nothing lasts forever right? Guess I'll just have to pick and choose which parts I value the most, like stuff about main characters for example and just not worry so much about the rest.

I value my original strips so much, I'm not even inking over them. I become attached to things I put time and effort into after a while, especially when it comes to art.

I cherish all of my personal artwork and the things I've done. Sadly I lost many and many of my old comics of mine from theft from someone who helped me make it, but I'm keeping what I have safe now, hopefully, and within reason. I like to share and tell stories, and what's on my mind. The world may be a sappy place and life gets me down, but eh, we can't always live in misery, amIrite?

I think my greater strength is writing, but I love art too. If I can combine the two (I have some old material I used to write - exhaustively lengthy old RP posts in the novella format - which was praised by a few), I think it'd look good. I have a long ways to go before I get better though.

I'd be useless and crippled without either of these. xD