Tutorial: 8 Supplies You Need to Draw

This is my first tutorial and it is going to be pretty basic.  Before you can seriously get into drawing or painting you need to have the basic tools to do so.  Like I have said before, drawing is not based on natural skill.  You can develop skill by knowing techniques and having the right tools, and a little  patience wouldn't hurt either.  As a general rule of thumb, the slower you go while drawing and the more time you take the better your drawing will be.  It's elementary (sorry, I'm reading Sherlock Holmes right now so it's kind of stuck in my head.)  so I know you can do it.  I'm not a master at any of this, and I don't pretend to be one.  There is in fact a lot I do not know, but I hope to be able to share the little I do with you.  With that being said, let's look at the supplies we will need to get started.

1. Paper

I know this one seems pretty obvious, but this is very important as you begin.  What kind of paper will you be using.  There is a lot of debate to this, but there are two that I really love.  One is Strathmore 400.  You can find these in Hobby Lobby and Michaels I know for a fact.  I use these mainly for sketching or every day drawing.   For a beginner I would say this is the best paper for you to use.  You can find them in notebooks at different sizes for around $10.  It holds anything from graphite to pastel very well.  I used this for the longest time myself!

The other paper, and I would recommend this to more seasoned artists, is arches watercolor paper.  I use this for both watercolor paintings and any kind of drawings.  It is thick, sturdy paper with great tooth to really hold in your medium.  If you are trying to put down permanent drawings that you would like to sell I would say this is the paper to purchase.  The only problem with this is that it can be a little pricey, so definitely not for beginners in my mind.

2. Graphite Pencils

If you want to be serious about your art work, then don't use the same mechanical or wooden pencil for the entire drawing.  It just doesn't work.  You will need graphite pencils of different hardness to get the job done.  I generally use a 2h, hb, 2b, 6b when I am working.  Very rarely will I need to use a 4h, or an 8b.  If you are confused let me clarify.  The harder the graphite in the pencil, the finer and lighter the mark.  A 2h pencil will make a very hard, light mark on your paper.  As you go from hb to 6b the graphite becomes lighter.  This gives you a softer, darker mark on your paper.

I generally use my prismacolor set of graphite pencils, but the General's Kimberly Graphite set is cheap and works well for beginners.  As you continue drawing though I would encourage you to get different pencils and find what you like for yourself.  We all have different styles!

3. Ruler
A ruler can come in handy in a thousand different ways; from measuring proportions, to drawing  the straight lines of a building, to graphing out your paper.  A ruler is an absolute must and dollar to buy one of these will save you a big headache down the road.

4. Q-tips

Yes, like the things you clean your ears with.  I use these constantly to blend small areas of my drawings, like around the nose, mouth, and eyes.  Once again, these are really cheap and are a good tool to help make your drawing look great.  Some people are against blending in graphite drawings, but I am not one of those people.  If you don't know how to blend, I will teach you in a tutorial very soon.








5. Cotton Balls

Much like the q-tip, you will use these while you are blending.  These are for larger areas though.  I use these to help blend large areas of background, foreheads, cheeks, etc.









6. Blending Stumps

You can find these at hobby lobby, and I use them to blend the extra fine details in my drawings.  Mainly if I need to blend inside of an eye.  I don't use them often, but trust me they are invaluable when I do need them.










7. Eraser

There are actually two different erasers that you will need.  The first is just a regular block eraser.  Get a good one from an art store, and please don't try to use the eraser at the end of your pencil.  These erasers work much better and really help to pull all the graphite out of your drawing.

The second is a kneaded eraser.  This are fun, stretchy, and really cool to have around.  What I love about these though is you can stretch them into any shape you need them to be in and lift color out of your paper.  You don't use these like a regular eraser to completely erase something, but to lighten up or pull a highlight out.

8. Pencil Sharpener
Get yourself a nice pencil sharpener.  I'm fond of the cheap handheld one's.  I have an electric one, but I'm pretty frustrated at it right now.  So, just have a decent cheap pencil sharper so you can keep all of your tools around.


Well, that's all that is really necessary.  There are several other things that are really to have, but for me aren't absolutely important.  I'm just going to list these below.

Drafting desk
Lamb
Money
hours and hours of free time
Money
Good camera
Scanner


These things will help.....but aren't 100% important.  Maybe one day I can actually take pictures of my supplies at home.  That would be nice......maybe a camera is a need after all..