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.

Let me make an analogy to a sketchbook’s importance.  Let’s compare a professional

athlete’s life to that of an artist.

The professional athlete may workout for hours daily in the gym or on the track to
enhance their performance on “game day”.  Though the world may never see the hours
of hard work that have been put into the workout, the exercise is important – if not
crucial to the athlete’s success.
An active sketchbook is the artist’s “exercise”. It is the “hard work” that goes into the
development of the artist and it is the breeding ground for innovative, artistic ideas.
Though the sketchbook may never be seen by the world, it is the often driving factor in
successful artworks and successful artists.

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.

Need some ideas? Check out our list of 101 Sketchbook Ideas.

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.

There are a few considerations for choosing a drawing surface that will affect the
finished result.

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.

Want to learn more about drawing papers? Check out this lesson…All About Drawing
Papers

25 Days to Better Drawings

Learn a new drawing concept and skill every day for 25 days. Each drawing concept
taught includes a short drawing exercise (less than one hour) that reinforces the
concept taught.

VIEW COURSE

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.

Some manufacturers produce inexpensive sets of erasers like this one from
Prismacolor…

You can read more on the differences between erasers here.

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.

An Extreme Solution
I’ve had the pleasure of working with the X-Acto Commercial sharpener. It is a MAJOR
pencil sharpener. This pencil sharpener sharpens pencils in a split second and is
incredibly durable. It should last you years.

The only negative is that smaller pencils can get caught inside of the sharpener. This
sharpener is definitely on the extreme side of things, but a cool commodity to have
around.

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.

6. Charcoal or Conté

There are more options to black and white drawing other than drawing with graphite. No
artist’s toolkit would be complete without charcoal or conté.

Charcoal provides a broader range of value and mark-making than what’s possible with
graphite. The manner in which marks are made is different as well.

Charcoal comes in both stick and pencil form.  Sticks of charcoal are usually either
“vine” or “compressed”.  Vine charcoal is softer and produces lighter marks, while
compressed charcoal – which is concentrated, produces darker marks.

Charcoal pencils can be sharpened like graphite pencils, making them great for details.

Conté is similar to charcoal in richness of color – however the makeup of the material is
different.  Charcoal is burnt organic material, while conté is made of clay constituents.

7. Drawing Pens / Ink

When we draw with ink, we’re forced to master the use of line. Line is used to develop
the illusion of form, texture, and light. Technical drawing pens are affordable, easy to
find, and portable – making them great for every budding artist to have. Sakura Micron
pens and Steadtler technical ink liners are both fine choices.

When you’re ready to take your ink drawings to another level, you may consider working
with a dip or nib pen. This traditional approach to pen and ink drawing requires bottled
ink. This approach does require a little more skill and is obviously less portable, but the
resulting drawings have more character and are more interesting.
Felt tip pens are another option. I absolutely love felt tip pens. Felt tip pens allow the
artist to create a variety of marks. The tip of the pen allows the artist to create a broad
range of line quality.

An added benefit to a felt tip pen is the psychological effect that it can have on the artist.

Using a medium that cannot be erased forces the artist to be more deliberate with their
marks.  As a result, a bit more thought is put into the marks that are made.  You can
actually improve your drawing skills simply by using a felt tip pen while sketching.

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.  Learn more about the different grades of graphite here.

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.