Though Computer Generated Imagery (CGI) now dominates the vast majority of animated movies being made, there is still something very appealing about a hand drawn image. Drawing by hand takes a great degree of skill and technique. There are so many mediums that can be utilized when drawing by hand, yet many people are only familiar with pencil art. One of the more popular alternatives to pencil is pen ink. Ink can be utilized to portray very realistic images onto a piece of paper. When utilizing a technique known as shading, the artist can simulate the way a 3 dimensional object manipulates light. By creating very realistic shadows, an artist can create an image which seems to leap from the page.

Another great medium for drawing is colored pencils. Colored pencils permit the artist to create a much more realistic image. Flesh tones and colorful fabrics can then be incorporated into the picture. When actual color is combined with the shading technique, many artists are able to create drawings that appear to have been taken by a camera. This effect is intensified even further when different colors of ink are incorporated into the picture. The natural progression from pen and pencils is to paint in most cases. This is especially true for comic book artists. Most of the images within the pages of a comic book, or graphic novel, were drawn by hand and then painted. Anyone who is serious about a career in hand animation should also consider taking at least a few painting lessons.