🚀 go-pugleaf

I'm giving my brother a IIvx so he can get started learning how to
be a "computer artist". He has extensive art experience, went to a
highschool specializing in visual arts, etc. He's in architecture
school right now, but he's probably not going back because no
architects can get jobs.

What pieces of software are most important to get? We've only got a
limited *student* budget, so I can't get everything. He'll likely
be working with a colour scanner, drawings and type. So far I can
think of some obvious things:

Photoshop (probably in a scanner bundle)
Painter
Sketcher
Fontographer
Canvas

Does anyone have any recommendations? What software do you find
indispensible?

Also, if anyone out there uses a graphics tablet: are they worth
getting?

Thanks for any and all responses. I'll forward postings/e-mail to
my brother, who is eagerly awaiting this new computer while I
work away on my Classic...

Sean