If you’re a person that loves to unleash your creativity and create extraordinary things, then drawing is just the right hobby for you. Not only is it great to improve your creative skills and start thinking “out of the box”, but drawing can also be a great job to earn money for a living if you’re brave enough to show off your talent.
But if you’re just diving into the world of drawing, then except for your great enthusiasm, you’re going to need a nice kit of a couple of tools to create the most gorgeous masterpieces. This is why we put together the most essential drawing tools you must get the next time you visit your favourite art supplier:
Drawing Pencils
If you’re wondering where to start from, then it’s best to choose a pencil for drawing for your upcoming sketches. But when it comes to choosing artists drawing pencils, we’re sure that you’ll come across the huge range of choices on the shelves of your favourite art supplier.
The first, and the most important pencil every artist needs is the graphite pencil for drawing. This pencil is made from graphite, a type of carbon that is mixed with clay and baked, and this is why they’re better sharpened with a sharp knife rather than a sharpener.
The graphite drawing pencil can be graded from hard (H) to soft (B)- where 9H is the hardest and 9B is the softest. The harder the pencil is, the better it is for sketching, while the softer ones are better for tonal work or when you shouldn’t scratch the surface you’re drawing on. Softer pencils are also better to get a greater range of tones than hard pencils and can also be erased without an indent if you suddenly make a mistake.
Pastel pencils for drawing are also among the essentials in an artist’s drawing kit. These pencils are made from a strip of hard pastel which is secured in a wooden barrel and even though they look like coloured pencils, they’re harder and give a scratchier and chalkier feel. This means that they’re non-waxy and have the ability to blend well, and that’s why they’re mostly used for shading and detailed line work.
Even though the graphite artist drawing pencil for sketching and the pastel ones for colouring are sufficient for your starter drawing kit, artists also use the coloured pencils we mentioned before as well as charcoal sticks, Conte sticks and crayons. So make sure you experiment and see what kind of pencil works best for you.
A Sketchbook
A nice sketchbook is more than essential in your beginner artist kit since it’s the space where you’ll practise drawing and sketching on a daily basis and breed many new ideas. This is why you should choose a sketchbook that is durable and has plenty of pages for all of your ideas. Also, make sure that the sketchbook you choose has a hardcover to withstand the daily use as well as to keep the corners of the pages inside nice, clean and flat.
A Drawing Surface
Once you develop your ideas in your sketchbook, it’s time to bring them to a drawing surface and turn them into a nice creation. But when it comes to choosing a quality drawing surface, you need to take into consideration a couple of things.
First of all, make sure you take a notice of the texture since it’ll determine how the drawing material is accepted on the surface. Heavier textures tend to produce lines that seem “broken”, while smoother textures will produce smoother lines. Also, don’t forget to consider the weight of the paper or how much a ream (500 sheets) of the particular paper weighs. This is mostly determined by the paper’s thickness- the thicker the paper, the heavier it is.
At this point, you can choose between a couple of drawing surfaces such as the basic drawing paper that is suitable for every drawing media, the charcoal paper which is lightweight, semi-transparent and perfect for creating different textures and the Bristol paper which is smooth, heavy, rigid and excellent for smooth gradations and detailed line work. So, make sure you experiment and find out which drawing surface works best for your drawing style.
Erasers
Erasers are essential for the moments when you make a mistake and just want to “undo” a line as well as for marking. There’re a couple of different types of erasers such as rubber, kneaded, gum and vinyl ones.
Rubber erasers are the standard erasers mostly intended for graphite artist drawing pencils and work by using friction to remove the media from the surface. Kneaded erasers don’t use friction, but lift the material from the surface in order to remove it. Gum erasers are intended for removing media from surfaces that are sensitive to tearing with the friction method, but have in mind that they’re prone to crumble. And finally, vinyl erasers are the toughest of all types and erase almost everything. But if you’re not careful enough, a vinyl eraser can tear, damage and ruin your drawing surface.
Sharpeners
Sharpeners are essential for making your pen sharper so you can draw more precise lines with more convenience and ease, so make sure you don’t spare your money on this one. Electric sharpeners can be pricier, but they’re a way better option than the manual ones since they’ll sharpen your pencil quickly without “eating it up” whole. But even though they’re fast and convenient, they’re not recommended for coloured pencils since they can build up within the blades and ruin the device. So, make sure you use a cheaper manual for them.
Artwork Storage
Finally, you’ll need some space where you’ll store all your artwork to keep it well protected and preserved. This is where a nice portfolio comes in.
But when we’re talking about storing your artwork in a portfolio, there’re many different options on the market, so make sure you choose wisely. A portfolio for your work should be rigid and durable so it keeps your creations from bending and large enough to accommodate all your artworks “comfortably”
Aside from portfolios, many artists use portable containers that look like tackle boxes or permanent stacks that will keep everything neatly near your drawing corner.
So, don’t wait to provide yourself with these essential tools, and you’ll see how drawing will turn into the most amusing activity you can’t wait to do.
