Materials & Tools
Drawing Pencils
You can use graphite pencils for both simple sketches and detailed drawings. They range from 9H to 9B; this shows the hardness or softness (blackness) of the pencil. Harder graphite has a sharp tip and makes light/thin marks, while the softer ones make dark marks. They come in sets or sold individually. While sets have assortment of pencil types, you might also choose couple different numbers to start.
What I use the most: Faber-Castell Goldfaber Drawing Pencils: 3H, HB, 3B
Erasers
Rubber Eraser: Standard, commonly used eraser. It uses friction to remove materials from the surface. It’s always a good idea to have a good quality rubber eraser nearby.
Kneaded Eraser: This eraser lifts materials from the surface; it won’t damage the paper or leave a residue. It can be moulded into different shapes to create specific marks or erase specific areas and can be cleaned by pulling and kneading it.
Pencil Sharpener
There are a large number of different pencil sharpeners you can choose from. You should pick a good pencil sharpener that does not break the lead.
Pens
There is a large variety of pens with different colour and sizes that you can use and experiment with. They can be used for both quick sketches and detailed drawings. The pens basically create linear lines with fixed widths and you can work on tones with hatching or cross hatching.
What I use the most: Artline Technical Drawing Pens: 0.2 & 0.6
Blending Stumps
Blending stump is a tightly rolled-up paper stick with two pointed ends. They are used for smudging or blending to create gradations in value and smooth transitions.
Papers and Pads
Different materials work best with different types of paper. When choosing the paper you should consider what materials you are going to use and what kind of result you want to achieve.
Some aspects to look at:
Paper texture (tooth of the surface): Texture shows how the drawing material is accepted on the paper. In heavy textures lines may look broken, while smooth surfaces produce smoother lines.
Paper weight: Weight relates to paper thickness and how much a ream of 500 sheets weighs. Thickness of the paper affects the result of the work.
Acid-free paper: It means the paper can stand the test of time. The paper is resistant to fading and won’t turn yellow.
Hot-pressed paper: Drying sheets are passed through hot steel rollers, producing a very smooth surface.
Cold-pressed paper: It is toothier than hot press paper, meaning paper has some surface texture.
As a beginner you can just start with single sheets of A4 paper or get a sketchpad of your choice. It’s more convenient to have all your drawings in a sketchpad and sketchpads come in different sizes with different qualities of paper. You can also look for drawing pads which are made with heavier paper. If you want to use watercolour you need watercolour paper thick enough to handle water.
What I use the most: A5 sketchbooks: easy to hold, easy to draw, easy to carry. I usually use the one from a local brand made with recycled paper. I’m also very fond of kraft paper. For watercolours I use A4 Royal Talens Van Gogh Watercolour Paper Block, 300g.
Canvas
Canvas is one of the most popular surfaces for painting. It is mostly used when painting with oils, acrylic or pastels and more durable than paper. Canvases can be linen or cotton, artist quality or student quality, stretched with thin or thick edges and there are canvas rolls, boards or pads. They have different weight, texture or size for you to choose from depending on your preferences. It can be already primed, meaning ready to paint on, or you can prime it yourself.
Watercolour
Watercolour paints are transparent and get diluted in water. The more water you add, the more diluted and transparent the mixture becomes and you get lighter tones. They come in pans or tubes, sets or individual colours. They can be student quality or artistic quality. Colour, transparency and permanence might also differ between brands. You can start with couple of colours or small sets and experiment with different brands.
What I use the most: Pelikan Watercolour Set, Royal Talens Van Gogh Pocket Box & Derwent Academy Watercolour Pan Set
Acrylic Paint
Acrylics can be used straight from a tube or thinned with water. They are opaque and fast drying. Acrylic paints come in tubes, bottles or jars with different sizes. You can try small sizes from different brands to see what you like and even the smallest sizes usually last for a long time. You can buy them in sets to reduce the individual price or pick some essential colours you like and mix them. You might need more of white as it’s usually used the most.
What I use: I have couple of colours from each of these brands: Royal Talens Art Creation & Amsterdam All Acrylics, Pebeo Studio, Marie’s, Lukas Cryl Terzia & DecoArt.
Oil Paint
Oil paints are made of pigment powder and oil. They can be used directly from the tube or you can add more oil or thinning solvents. They take a long time to dry and require special care when using and cleaning. It’s better to have artistic quality oil paints and some essential colours. You can create a variety of tones an shades and great details with oil paints.
Paint Brushes
Paint brushes have natural or synthetic bristles, long or short handles and come in various shapes and sizes. Synthetic bristles leave smoother lines and might be more budget friendly. It is important to have a decent brush to achieve better results.
Some brush shapes:
Round brushes: They have a large belly and a tapered point end and can be used for long, bold strokes and detail work.
Filbert brushes: They are a flat brush with a rounded oval tip that allows for soft brushwork and blending.
Flat brushes: They have a flat tip and can be used to make long, consistent strokes or for line work. They are also great for blocking in solid shapes of colour.
Angular flat brushes: They are a flat brush cut at an angle across the top edge to paint lines and edges.
Fan brushes: They are in the shape of an open fan and used for blending and making marks to resemble foliage in landscape.
What I use the most: Flat brush 1/2”, Angular flat brush 3/8”, Round brush No 4 & 7.
Paint Palette
Paint palette is used for holding/mixing colours or diluting them with water. There are many types of artist palettes with different shapes or materials such as plastic, porcelain, wood, glass etc. You can buy one that suits you the most or use what you have like a smooth flat surface or a small container.
What I use: basic plastic watercolour palette and an ice cream box lid for acrylics
Drawing Board
Drawing boards come in different sizes and thickness. You can secure single sheets to a drawing board with a board clip and bring it to any location. It might be especially useful if you are working with bigger sizes of sheets.
What I use: 50x70cm MDF board
Easel
It is the stand that supports a canvas or a drawing board. It comes in different sizes so you can choose what you are most comfortable with or have the space for. Most are adjustable and some fold away.
Supplies Container
You need a suitable supplies container to keep your materials together and organized in an order that works best for you. Depending on how many materials you have and how much space you can spare, you can utilize portable containers, semi-portable containers or a permanent stack.
What I use: Ikea raskog cart to have everything in one place and various containers and pencil cases for organization
Other materials and tools you might need/use:
- Graphite stick
- Charcoal stick
- Ink
- Coloured pencils
- Pastels
- Gouache
- Felt tip pens
- Tape
- Fixative
- Cups/jars (for water, oil, etc.)
- Paper towels/rags
You can start with good quality of basic materials and get others as you improve yourself and explore what you like to use and what you want to create. There are many advanced and specialized tools that you might want to try some day and many you never feel the need to use. It is good to experience with different materials and tools but you don’t need to know everything about everything. The most important thing is to have some fun and be proud of the things you create. Happy drawing/painting!