Reddit mentions of Staedtler Lead Holder (1) (1)

You're no longer looking for a "mechanical pencil" but a lead holder. Fuck .9 mm, come join the big boys with 2 mm. Get a lead sharpener and prepare to write.

Edit: http://www.amazon.com/Staedtler-STD780C-Lead-Holder/dp/B0006HXM8O

Flicknm's comment really need more upvotes. For a graphic designer you can never go wrong with books about design whether its about becoming a designer, books about a specific designer, or simply reference books on stuff like logos/typography/print/websites. Books are probably the best gift you can give to any designer, pro or student.

However a tablet isn't a bad idea as someone already mentioned. If she's got strong artistic ability (drawing/painting at a professional level) an intuous4 would not be a bad choice and would be a valuable tool for years to come. However if she does not feel like venturing into stuff like digital painting or simply doesn't have profound drawing ability a bamboo is more than she'll ever need and also pretty cheap and extremely versatile.

As a student she'll eventually explore packaging design or have to create physical mock-ups so perhaps a set of quality tools like exacto knives with a couple different blades (next to the standard blade I use scoring blades a lot for thick material), large self-healing cutting mat, folding bone for perfect creases on paper (these days you see some with added features like a cutting blade), large metal straight edge ideal for cutting (with corked back), long reach stapler, spray mount, super glue, and my personal best friend: the lead holder (also referred to as a clutch pencil) with a sharpener for it. All of this along with a drafting table will always be useful.

If she doesn't own a wide format printer and you feel she might like the convenience of one I highly recommend an Epson Stylus R1400 printer. I often see these on sale with rebates which will lower the overall cost to $200ish however that's kinda based on luck. It prints great pictures as big as 13x19 inches (great for poster or magazine spread mock-ups). A very handy but rarely used feature it has that made me look like a fucking superstar in classes is its ability to print labels on printable CDs. However, as great as this feature is it takes a bit of experimentation to get the alignment right and to be able to print as close to the border of the CD as possible. This feature is also a huge ink-guzzler but prints beautifully (always use max settings or else colors will look faded). Printable CDs can come in both Matte and Glossy finishes (I'm particularly fond of Taiyo Yuden Watershield CDs).

If your girlfriend happens to enjoy PC games then a gaming mouse could potentially be a fantastic gift. I'd recommend something along the lines of Logitech's G700 gaming mouse. Reason I recommend a gaming mouse is because you can record keystrokes and assign those macros to any of the additional buttons making any work on common programs like Illustrator/Photoshop/In-Design a lot more streamlined. This particular mouse can record up to 5 different profiles at once so she can have her favorite keyboard shortcuts macro'd for pretty much all her favorite programs. This mouse also works as both wired and wireless (which I'd NEVER recommend for gaming lol) and uses a rechargable AA battery and has a little compartment in there for the wireless reciever. Basically this mouse is a godsend to me but even as just a mouse for design work I think its pretty awesome. I highly recommend Logitech products since they're very well made and have great customer service.

Someone already mentioned it but sketchbooks are always nice, as a student I noticed a lot of people weren't into the habit of planning designs on pencil and paper, if she's one of those people then she really needs to change that and have something like a moleskine sketchbook or some other form of sketch diary (get a nice hardcovered one). You can have all the best technology in the world but nothing will ever trump the mighty pencil (again I highly recommend a clutch pencil) since this is where all design HAS TO begin. If she already does that and happens to like drawing I'd look into an Earthbound sketchbook or other equivalent. Basically this is just a sketchbook that has recycled toned (brown) pages which makes it great for adding highlights on drawings with a white colored pencil or gel pen. The norm for designers is almost always plain & gridded Moleskine sketchbooks though. I've seen other sketch diaries that have a dot grid on them which I'd love on a moleskine but I don't think they have anything outside a normal grid sketchbook.

There's also other gimmicky crap out there for graphic designers however I'm just listing stuff that are actually useful and can be appreciated. You can probably just cruise around r/design and r/graphic_design to see those things since that's all I ever tend to see from those subreddits these days.

Hopefully this helps.

Personally, I'm much more a fan of a good lead holder. Staedtler makes one that i've used for years. Just be sure to get the accompanying sharpener. If you remove the clip, you can rotate in your fingers as you draw a line to get very crisp, neat linework. Lineweight is determined by the hardness of the lead you use.

Otherwise, you may want to wait until you enter school. Each program tends to have its own idiosyncratic preferences for graphics and drafting techniques.

How is this better than this?

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=m570.l1313&_nkw=vintage+papermate+slim+pen&_sacat=0

https://www.amazon.com/Staedtler-Lead-Holder-1/dp/B0006HXM8O

The only worthwhile writing instruments for anyone who isn't an astronaut, and who still has to write anything in this digital age.

As an architecture student, I used lead holders which usually had sharpeners instead of or in addiition to erasers, that came off. Of course using a dedicated lead pointer (sharpener) was usually better and easier, but for portability it wasn't necessary. Here's what I mean, and leads and the lead pointer are in the "people also bought" box if you want to see those too: example product

They're so well designed and hidden though that lots of people didn't even notice (or read the directions).

Nothing wrong with a mechanical pencil, there is a difference though. The lead in a mechanical pencil is a lot thinner than a #2hb pencil an makes it very easy to break. When I'm drawing with pencil, or a clutch mechanical pencil, I use the side of the lead to lay down lead without cutting into the paper. This makes it easier to erase and shade large areas. Your work is really good, but lack a darker value that would make your drawings more depth.

The graphite is actually a mixture of graphite and clay. The more graphite the harder it gets and vice versa. You only need 3 different lead HB, 2B, and 6B. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAJtYM53R74&feature=channel_video_title

probably from 2H-4b. H= a harder graphite so it comes out lighter on the paper. B is a softer graphite so you can get a darker line. You can usually get a case that has from 5H-5B. lead holder I use one of these, but I also draw and design for a living. You can insert different graphites into them and you use this tiny garbage shaped sharpener to sharpen the graphite.

led holders. They're kinda like mechanical pencils but the have a a bigger led and no eraser. Great for doing sketches a any sort of rough drawing.

edit* Apperently I could spell. Lead holders: https://www.amazon.com/Staedtler-STD780C-Lead-Holder/dp/B0006HXM8O
Thats the 2 mm version. There are larger ones as well

Lead holder masterrace

If you like the idea of mechanical pencils, but hate how thin the lead is, try a lead holder (this one you need to adjust the length of the lead manually, but they also make ones that advance the lead with a click. The downside is if you like having a sharp tip you also need to get a lead pointer.

https://www.amazon.com/Staedtler-STD780C-Lead-Holder/dp/B0006HXM8O

This is one brand. But there are many brands out there. They take a 2mm thick lead that looks like what's inside a normal wood pencil.