How to Draw : Art Supply Checklist
By Kelly | July 18, 2007
Basic Drawing Supplies
Before setting pencil to paper, gear up ‘Commando’ style with the right supplies. Below I’ve listed my personal arsenal:
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#2 Pencil: for general sketching. Brand doesn’t matter too much- although I like ‘Mirado Black Warrior’- just avoid pencils with brittle or grainy lead, and lead that’s too hard and squeaky. |
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Colerase pencil: for sketching and construction lines. There are many colors, the ones that scan best are tuscan red, indigo blue, carmine red and black. Light blue and blue are great for sketching construction lines- you can remove them after scanning like non-photo blue. Black is nice for ‘inking’ and combines well with watercolor or marker. Author’s Note: see Beyond Backgrounds step 3 for instructions on removing blue construction lines using Photoshop. |
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‘Lead holder’ mechanical pencil: it’s really a mechanical pencil but it holds a larger lead, like the common #2 pencil size. The leads are available in different grades including non-photo blue. The NPB lead is good for construction- I like to use it for sketching comics on bristol. Look for a holder with a sharpener built into the end. You can buy a special sharpener seperately, or just use sandpaper for sharpening. |
 | Mechanical pencil: comes in sizes like 7mm, 5mm, 2mm. I use a smaller one for background details, and larger leads to draw characters and foreground elements. You can get softer leads, non-photo blue and other colors, but they’re hard to find. Colored leads tend to be brittle, and pricey. I’ve found the disposable Bic mech pencils have a soft, dark lead that’s great for sketching and erases pretty well. They tend to smudge, so I use a refillable mechanical pencil with nicer leads when ‘inking’ with pencil. |
Other Handy Drawing Supplies
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Corkback Ruler |  |
Drawing Board |
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Drafting Brush |  |
Dual Eraser |
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Kneaded Eraser |  |
Pencil Sharpener |
Paper
Most of my sketching is done on white inkjet printer paper. It’s a little more expensive than copier paper, but it’s less prone to yellowing, more absorbent for ink and marker, and generally a bit heavier. To get a sense of how sturdy the paper is, check the ‘weight’ listed in lbs. on the package. The greater the weight, the stiffer and thicker the paper will be.
Sketching on looseleaf paper has the added benefit of allowing you to sort and file the pages however you like, or just toss the duds. See my tutorial Make your own sketchbook for more details on how I organize sketches.
When I’m not finishing up illustrations digitally, I tend to use smooth bristol paper. I stock up on pads of Strathmore Smooth Bristol at the Micheal’s, which regularly marks them down 20%. The standard sizes available are 9×12″, 11×14″, and 18×24″. You can also buy large sheets at an art supply store, and have them cut to order. I either sketch directly on the bristol, or use a lightbox to trace my sketch onto the final page.
Another nice paper for sketching is colored cardstock. These heavy-weight papers are available in bulk at office supply stores and hobby shops. Some have flecks and other natural color variations which add a nice effect. You’ll probably want a cardstock with some ‘tooth’, avoid the slick ones since pencil lines will smudge off of them. The colored papers have the benefit of acting like a toned page- that is, you can save some time and effort by adding just the darks and lights of your sketch, the paper provides the mid-range tones. Working on colored paper with the addition of white charcoal pencil or white acrylics is great fun.
Once you’re well stocked, check out the drawing tutorials for more tips and techniques.
Digital Art Supplies
Maybe you can tell I’m a digital addict. There’s next to no setup, no cleanup, and you never run out of paper! And if you’ve ever worked with an indecisive client, you know that the ability to switch colors and move around bits and pieces of your drawings is pretty handy. With Photoshop and other similar image editing software, those kind of changes are a breeze. Welcome to the digital era!
Here’s what you need to get started:
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Wacom Tablet: the industry standard digital tablet. Although there are other brands, Wacom rose to the top due to consistent quality, particularly features like a sturdy cordless stylus and the reliable driver software. The tablet is a USB device that plugs into your computer. The surface is pressure sensitive, and reacts only with the wacom pen stylus or the wacom mouse. You can draw with the wacom stylus on the tablet, creating art directly in Photoshop, Painter, or other art software. If you’ve ever tried making digital art with a mouse you’ll appreciate the improved interface immediately, the difference is amazing. The high-end tablets have extra features like stylus tilt and rotation sensitivity. Another nice bonus- Wacom’s partnerships with Adobe and Corel means that the tablets usually include a coupon for art software. |
There are three levels of tablet: Graphire, for novices and casual users; Intuos, which has more pressure sensitivity and the pen tilt/rotation feature; and Cintiq, which is a flatscreen lcd display with tablet technology overlaid.
I recommend getting the 4×5″ Graphire if you’re just getting into digital art, and aren’t sure how much use you’ll get out of it.
The next step up is the Intuos. I currently use a 6×8″ Intuos2, but the 6×11″ Intuos3 is best if you’ve got a widescreen or dual-monitor setup.
Personally, I haven’t spent much time with the Cintiq. Reviews are mixed, so definitely spend some time with one before buying. Or just buy a tablet PC, it’s almost the same price!
Scanners
If you need to bridge the gap between traditional and digital media, then you’re in the market for a scanner. They’re pretty common these days- which is both good, and bad. Avoid the cheapest models, like the ultra-slim LED scanners. Scanner/fax/copier combos usually have poor performance as well. You’ll get the best image quality from the older, bulkier technology. My current pick is Canon, the quality is good and the software has lots of nice options for artists.
Software
Software for digital art really depends on your budget and personal preferences. As I mentioned above, you’ll get a coupon for Photoshop and Painter when you buy a Wacom tablet. It’s a good deal! Another option is student versions of these programs, if you’re in school. The Adobe student license is great- you can still profit from art made with the student edition of Photoshop, and you don’t need to upgrade when you graduate.
Some software options:
Adobe Photoshop: the industry standard for image editing. Newer editions been adding more tools for the digital painter and illustrator. Also includes tools for vector art, web graphics and animation. CS3 introduced 3D integration. It’s very pricey! But a nice all-in-one tool, and essential knowledge if you wanna go ‘pro’.
Corel Painter: the best software for simulating natural media. Has better painting tools than Photoshop, but lacks many PS utilities. Nested menus are often confusing, and Painter IX is particularly notorious for crashing and corrupting saved files. Some effects require major amounts of RAM. Takes some time to learn, but one of the best programs if you just want to sit down and paint, digitally.
OpenCanvas: the early beta is floating around online, and is popular since it allows artists to chat and collaborate on the same canvas. The latest OC has major improvements, and a lot of the features that make Photoshop and Painter so handy. The color blending option is more user-friendly than Painter, and Photoshop lacks it entirely. At under $100, it’s a worthwhile investment for frugal artists. You can learn more about the beta and download it here.
ArtRage2: this software is optimal for tablet PCs, but works well with tablets too. Cross-platform compatibility is a plus. It has some nice natural media features like Painter, but lacks a lot of utilitarian options. The full version is $20, so it’s a cheap option for sketching or brainstorming before moving into a more powerful program.
And there are dozens of free or affordable programs you can try, like GIMP, oekaki, PaintShop, and more. Most offer demos, so give them a try and see which runs best on your computer, and feels right for drawing and sketching.
Check out the Digital art tutorials if you’ve got all the gear, but aren’t sure how to proceed or need some tips.
Good luck and happy drawing!
Topics: Drawing tutorials, Tips and tricks | 24 Comments »
August 23rd, 2010 at 1:31 am
in the basic drawing supplies you should add micron pens for inking if they are doing it by hand. i have found them very useful.
July 29th, 2010 at 1:23 pm
Paint.NET is also good for general image editing. Anyone other than MS Paint is great ;)
http://getpaint.net/
January 25th, 2010 at 3:04 pm
i have one comment about the tablet PC thing. Usually tablet PC’s arent pressure sensitive, which lets you do all kinds of neat tricks like the Bamboo, Cintiq, intous, or graphire.
January 7th, 2010 at 1:46 am
I just recently got a bamboo, works real good, but since its my first one im still trying to figure it out. Thanks alot for the list of supplies you use, gave me some ideas on what to get next time i get to the craft store.