I know a number of artists and designers that sketch on paper about as much as they illustrate on the computer. I know just as many artists that barely ever use a pencil at all, in the creation of their pieces. The Digital Age has made such a graphite-less process possible, and even comfortable. I fall somewhere between the two types of artists I mentioned. I sketch out almost every design I make, but leave much room for adjustment and creation while illustrating on the computer. I average about 4 pages per serious sketch, through tracing, as the progression of the design enhances. I have a lot of sketches…
About a year ago, my lightbox situation was bleak, so I thought why buy one, when I can make one. While sketching out ideas to build, I looked over at my record pile and saw one of my empty Coke crates. Bingo! I bought 3 mini florescent lights, hooked em together, and attached a rocker switch to em. I threw those inside the crate, cut a 1/8″ piece of plexiglass to size, and bolted everything to the bottom of an old office chair I had. Because of the office chair base, the lightbox height is adjustable as well as has a little bit of a tilt, to make drawing more comfortable. The only parts I bought to complete it, were the light components, everything else was just laying around the house! I like it so much, I should make an instructable for it someday.