Supplies

(1)The first thing to do when starting your venture into drawing is buying a good, quality set of graphite drawing pencils. The ones pictured above are from Pentalic. I purchased these from Hobby Lobby for $6.99. They came in a set of 12. (2) Each pencil has a marking towards the bottom which you can see in the second picture. These marking indicate the tone of the pencil. They go from gray to black and vary in intensity. The ones marked with a "H" are gray and the ones marked with a "B" are black. In this particular set, 4H is the lightest and 8B (not pictured) is the darkest. I love using this brand of pencils because they transfer onto the paper easily and they are blend seamlessly when adding depth and shading to a picture as well. (3) The second set of pencils that I would recommend are from the brand Kimberly Premium Graphite Drawing Pencils. I use these mostly as a back up to my other pencils. They are also available at Hobby Lobby for $11.99 and come in a set of 12.

(1)The next item that you should purchase is a drawing pad or sketchbook. It's important to pick the right texture of paper and size for the type of drawing that you will be doing. For portraits, I like to use Master's Touch Fine Art Studio like the one in the first picture. It has a very smooth finish which makes it easy to blend the graphite pencils in a way that makes it look clean and professional. (2) For sketching, I have two recommendations. The first is also by Master's Touch Fine Art Studio. It's an 11 inch x 14 inch wire bound sketchbook. I like to use this sketchbook because it has a much smoother finish than the typical sketchbook. The pages are also perforated so it's easier to tear them out. (3) The second sketchbook that I would recommend purchasing is by Strathmore. It's 11 inches x 14 inches and has a rougher finish to the paper like a traditional sketchbook would have. I like using this sketchbook when I want my finished product to have a more grittier, grungier quality to it.

(1) Aside from a sketchbook and a decent set of graphite drawing pencils, it is also important to have these drawing accessories. The first is a Black Ellipse Pencil Sharpener from KUM . It is important to have a high quality pencil sharpener because you don't want to damage your drawing pencils. Next is a sandpaper pad. I use this to sharpen drawing pencils and to clean my blending stumps. Next is a set of eraser pencils. These are important for cleaning up the edges of your drawing piece, erasing minuscule mistakes and highlighting to create depth. I use the ones from Faber Castell. They are available for purchase from Hobby Lobby for $6.99. Next up are blending stumps and tortillons. These are necessary because it makes it easier to blend when using different graphite pencils. These are available at craft stores like Hobby Lobby and Michaels. (2) To stay organized, I would recommend getting a canvas pencil case like the one pictured above. I purchased it from Hobby Lobby. I like this one because it's neat and I can organize my drawing pencils and stumps by grade and the clear plastic viewing panels makes it easier to see what the item is. However, if organization is not a priority for you, any old pencil box will do. Target has some for as low as $1.99.