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PENCIL DRAWING MATERIALS If you are a beginner who'd like to try drawing portraits, what kinds of materials should you buy? Here's a list of everything I use for drawing pencil portraits, and why I prefer the particular brands I use. |
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BUYING ART MATERIALS
Now generally in life, cheap products can be just as good as those made by well-known brands. But art materials are, I think, an exception to this case. I find that the famous brands - Windsor & Newton, Daler-Rowney, Faber-Castell and Derwent in particular - really are worth spending a little more on. I genuinely do think that you'll get better results from your drawing if you buy 'professional' rather than 'student' quality materials.
PENCILS
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I always use either Derwent 'Graphic' drawing pencils, or Faber-Castell 9000 pencils. I like to use quite a wide range of 'grades' - from 2H, which is very hard, right down to 8B which is a very soft, dark pencil.
These ranges may cost a little more, but you'll find that the leads will very rarely snap, which is often a problem with cheaper pencils. Also the 'feel' of the pencil depending on it's grade (hard, or soft, etc) will be much more consistent and reliable and you should never find that your pencil feels 'scratchy'. Click for a review of different brands of artists' drawing pencils.
Sometimes if I'm wanting to work with really dark pencils, I also like these Cretacolor 'Monolith' graphite pencils, which are made without wood - just pure graphite, with a protective lacquer coating. They are very soft and a good choice if you want to work with thicker lines (of course you can also sharpen them to a thin point too. They also come in a wide range of grades from HB to 9B.
PAPER
It's definitely worth using cartridge paper pads, from an art store. Paper should be 'acid free' if you want your drawings to last well, and the better quality brands will be made from thicker, better quality paper that can take rubbing out better. This is important to me as I really use erasers as another 'drawing tool' and like to work into the hair with them, especially. Therefore I use a heavyweight cartridge paper which is extra thick and strong: Daler-Rowney's Heavyweight Smooth Cartridge Paper.
ERASERS
I actually use erasers for quite a range of purposes. Of course the obvious reason for using an eraser is if you make a mistake or aren't happy with what you've drawn! For this purpose, I'd just find an eraser that you like, which doesn't smudge. My favourite erasers are these Faber-Castell 'Grip Erasers', and they are actually made for kids! But they work really well and never smudge at all.
The next type of eraser I use is called a putty eraser, like these two. These are a type of malleable eraser - you can knead them and pull them apart. I use these for two purposes - if I feel I've made my shading or hatching too dark then I'll almost 'dab' at it with the putty eraser to lighten it. And when I'm finished with the portrait, I use one to clean the smudges off my paper. You're only really like to come across putty erasers in an art shop, and any brand will be fine. 
Lastly, I use an electric eraser to work in highlights to areas which I've already shaded so I can work in a sort of 'layered' way almost as if I was painting. You can click to go to my Drawing Tips Page and see an example of how I like to use it. An electric eraser can rub out even really dark pencil, so it's ideal for this purpose - or for getting off any dark mark that you don't want. Very useful!
Derwent make a good electric eraser, a cheaper option is Jakar, a luminous green variety which you can buy in a stationer's store like Rymans, although it may not last as long.
FIXATIVE
And finally - how do you stop the pencil you've put down from rubbing off the paper every time it's touched? Buy some of this fixative spray and give your drawing a good coating, holding the paper at least a foot away. Spray evenly and lightly back and forward over the drawing - then let it dry for a couple of minutes and give it another coat. It's better to have several light coats than to over-saturate your paper. Fixative is somewhat toxic and smells very strongly so use it outside if it's not wet or windy. If using it inside open a window, and definitely don't use it in a room that you are going to carry on working in!
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