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Choosing the Right Materials
Let’s Get Started!
So…You’re ready to start drawing! Let’s talk tools, right for the job. You need to realize as you read this article
that artists are experimenters. They
never cease trying new ideas and this applies to materials as well. Different materials and combinations of
materials are something you as an artist are going to need to experiment with
and see what works best for you. This
will be a guide or starting point about materials that will help you on your
journey.
Paper
Paper is all around us and serves many different
purposes. Paper names give us direction
as to their purpose, such as “tracing” paper.
Common typewriting paper that is inexpensive can be good practice
paper. Pads of newsprint are sold for
next to nothing at art supply stores, these are great practice pads.
Paper is a great resource to your drawings. As you experiment with different textures
you’ll see different effects come through in your drawings. Textures are rated as rough, medium, smooth,
or glossy. Rough paper will hold more
graphite or charcoal than smooth paper, so drawings will contrast more between
the lights and darks. This also produces
a more grainy outcome. On smooth paper,
you need to use soft pencils, if you want to develop dark values. But on smooth paper soft pencils smear easily
and you’ll want an eraser handy! Another
downside to smooth surface is that graphite looks shiny when laid down on
smooth paper.
For myself, I like to draw on a medium grain paper that has
enough grain to keep me from getting too detailed. It helps me to lay in big strokes and avoid
too much detail too fast. I like toned
papers to bring out highlights. (I use
white chalk or pencils to help with this effect.)
Part of the journey as an artist is finding what works best
for you. Experiment with different
grains, tones, and weights of paper till you find the desired effect. Listed below are the ones I use and may serve
as a good starting point for you.
-
Strathmore
- Roma
Back to the Drawing
Board
While you don’t always need a drawing board, something to
support a good firm drawing surface is important. You can work on a light firm board such as;
1/8” plywood, masonite, or foam core.
All of these work just fine! You
can use masking tape, thumbtacks, pushpins, or clips to hold the paper on the
drawing board.
Pencils
Drawing pencils come in many different types of leads. From very soft to very hard, pencils are a
tool to get very familiar with. The
softer the pencil is, the thicker the lead.
The harder the pencil is, the thinner the lead, and also, the grayer the
line.
Vine charcoal- is
great because it is subtle and erases well.
You need to handle these carefully because they tend to break
easily. Vine charcoal is ideal for
initial lay in of your drawing. Used with a light touch it can be completely
erased allowing you the freedom to adjust your drawing and make corrections
easily. The vine charcoal allows your drawing to stay fluid so that you can
change things simply.
New pastels-
Pastels are great to work with. Conte’
brand works best as they are not as oily.
New pastels are not as easy to erase.
You must be more careful with these because of this. After you do the initial lay in with the vine
charcoal and your placement is accurate, new pastel will give you good control
and value range.
Graphite pencils
are labeled H for hard and B for soft.
The higher the number in front of the H, the harder the lead. 9H being the hardest. The higher the number in front of the B…the
softer the pencil.
I personally don’t like to draw with graphite pencils
because I feel they are too shiny. The
exception with this is, of course, rough sketches. I don’t mind using them for these. Use the side of the graphite pencil for line
variation. Experiment, experiment,
experiment…Find pencils that you feel work well with your drawings and
paper. Keep your pencils sharp! My recommendations for pencils are:
- Sanford
Ebany Jet black extra smooth
- Vine
charcoal
- New
Pastels
Erasers
Kneaded erasers come as small rectangular blocks. Pull off a piece of this block and knead it
like dough, so it becomes soft and pliable.
Make a point on one end by pressing it between your thumb and
forefinger. This is my eraser of choice!
You can also use a medium soft eraser like the pink
pearl. If you have a really dark area
you want to remove, you can use scotch tape and it will lift most of it off and
then use your kneaded eraser to do the rest.
I know this sounds redundant but as mentioned before, part
of art is the journey of finding what works for you. This is a good starting point for
materials. During my journey to find the
right tools, I’ve experimented with different paper tones and colored pens at
times. I now know that the vine
charcoals and new pastels are my favorite.
Good luck on your journey. If you
find something that works better for you, great!
If you have questions feel free to email us at
info@learning2draw.com.
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