10 Essential Drawing Materials and Tools for Beginners
1. Quality
Drawing Pencils
We’ll
start off with the most obvious essential – quality drawing pencils. When it
comes to drawing pencils, each artist will find a brand that they connect with.
There’s no way to know which brand will become your favorite until you try a
few.
Drawing
Pencil Sets
Pencil sets usually come packaged in nice tins and can be great because they often include the full spectrum of graphite grades. Many sets include pencils with harder graphite (9H) through softer graphite (6B). Harder graphite makes lighter marks and keeps a sharp tip longer, while softer graphite makes a darker mark, but needs constant resharpening. These sets give the artist the ability to work with many different values and varieties of mark. As far as pencil brands go, there are plenty of great options. Derwent graphite pencils are consistent in their quality and is the brand I recommend.
Individual
Pencils
Many
artists will find that they don’t use all of the pencils in a drawing pencil
set. Instead, they may find that they only use a few of the pencils.
For example, 2H, HB, 2B, and 4B pencils would be plenty of range for most
of us. If this is the case, then a pencil set would not make sense.
Instead, purchasing the individual pencils as they are needed may be the
better approach.
Although
graphite pencils aren’t very expensive, purchasing individual pencils can be
more pricey than just buying a full set of pencils. You may also find yourself
hunting for them at the art store.
2. A
Sketchbook
A sketchbook is one of the most important things an artist can have. I should point out that I am referring to an “active sketchbook” – one that receives attention on a daily basis. Anyone can “own” a book with blank pages of drawing paper. But the one that actively gets drawn in – on a daily basis is the one of value.
Since a
sketchbook is recommended for daily practice, it is important to choose one
that is durable and has plenty of pages for all of your ideas. I suggest a
sketchbook that has a hardcover so that it will stand up to repeated use and
travel. A hardcover keeps the corners of the pages inside nice and clean and
will help keep the pages flat if you use mixed media applications.
3.
Quality Drawing Surfaces
A drawing can be made on any surface, but the quality of that surface is sometimes just as important as the medium that it is used upon it.
1.
The “Tooth” –
The “tooth” of the surface is the texture of the paper. The texture of
the paper plays a role in how the drawing material is accepted on the surface.
Heavier textures will produces lines that may appear “broken”, while
smoother textures will produce smoother lines and gradations of value.
Some artists will prefer heavier textures while others will prefer a
smoother surface. Learn how the tooth of the paper can affect the
application of the medium here.
2.
Paper Weight –
The weight of the paper refers to how much a ream (500 sheets) of that paper
weighs. For most papers, the weight of the paper will be directly related
to the thickness of the paper. (It should be noted that some papers may have a
heavier weight but actually be thinner.) For example, 80 lb. paper will
typically be thicker than 60 lb. paper, while 100 lb. paper will be heavier
than 80 lb. paper.
3.
Acid Free –
Paper that is “acid free”, without going into all of the technical details,
will stand “the test of time”. This paper is will not yellow over time
and is more resistant to fading that can occur when exposed to UV light.
Here are
few recommended papers that you might experiment with…
Drawing
Paper –
Medium tooth paper that is suited for drawing with a variety of drawing media
including graphite, charcoal, and colored pencils. There are ton of options for
drawing papers, but Strathmore papers are recommended.
Charcoal
paper –
Heavier tooth paper that is lightweight – almost semi-transparent.
Excellent for creating texture. (A variety of media can be used on
charcoal paper – not just charcoal. I love it for graphite drawings.)
Bristol
Paper –
Smooth tooth paper that is heavier (think cardstock). This paper is quite rigid
and is excellent for creating smooth gradations of value or detailed line work
with ink.
4.
Variety of Erasers
Erasers
are for mistakes – right? Think again. Erasers can be a great mark-making
tool as well. Each eraser creates a different mark and should be used as
necessary according to the specific drawing medium.
Here are a
few recommended erasers…
Rubber
Eraser –
Your standard eraser for erasing graphite. This eraser uses friction to
remove any material from the surface.
Kneaded
Eraser –
This eraser lifts material from the surface, instead of using friction to
remove it. It can be pulled and fashioned into different forms to create
specific marks. This eraser gets dirty over time, but can be cleaned by
pulling and “kneading” it.
Gum
Eraser –
“The Crumbler”. This eraser is great for removing media from surfaces
that are sensitive to tearing. A gum eraser removes the medium through
friction, but crumbles as it does so – preserving the surface.
Vinyl
or Plastic Erasers – This eraser is the toughest of the bunch. It can
erase almost anything. But be warned – this eraser can tear the paper if
you’re not careful.
5. A Good
Pencil Sharpener
Pencils need to be sharpened with a quality pencil sharpener. Use a poor quality sharpener and you could be out of a pencil in a matter of moments. Pencil sharpeners generally fall into two categories – Manual and electric.
Electric
Pencil Sharpeners
Electric pencil sharpeners can vary in price and the old saying, “you get what you pay for” is true for what you get here. A quality electric pencil sharpener will sharpen your pencil without eating it all up.Electric pencil sharpeners are nice to have for a quick sharpen of the pencil, but should not be used with colored pencils. The waxy binder found in colored pencils can build up within the blades of the sharpener, ruining the device.
Manual
Pencil Sharpeners
While an electric pencil sharpener has its appeal, a manual pencil sharpener will do for most of us. Like electric pencil sharpeners, the manual varieties come in different forms. My favorite is a simple, handheld metal sharpener. It’s a cheap and easy solution that is portable and easily replaced. Remember, if you’re sharpening colored pencils, then a manual pencil sharpener is what you should be using.