Drawing Tools for Beginners: Pencil Grades and Paper

Buy little at first

Walk into an art shop and you will see dozens of pencils, papers, erasers, blending stumps and fixatives. A beginner needs far less than that. Owning lots of tools often scatters your practice, because you are never sure which one to use when. Start with three pencils, one sketchbook and two kinds of eraser, draw for a few weeks, and then add only what you have actually missed. You save money and learn exactly what each tool does. The difference between expensive artist-grade products and ordinary stationery usually becomes noticeable only after your skills have grown.

Reading pencil grades

The H and B printed on a pencil describe its core. H stands for hardness: the higher the number, the harder and paler the mark. B stands for blackness: the higher the number, the softer and darker the mark. HB sits in the middle, and some makers place an F between HB and H. The same grade can vary a little between brands, so if you mix makers, shade a small patch with each to compare. For a beginner, the three pencils below cover most exercises.

• HB: underdrawing, light lines and searching for shapes
• 2B: firming up outlines and laying in middle tones
• 4B: the darkest areas and lines you want to stress
• Add 6B or softer, or a 2H, when you find you need them

Sharpening and holding

Drawing pencils are often sharpened with a knife, cutting the wood back to expose close to a centimetre of lead. A long exposed lead lets you lay the pencil down and shade wide areas with the side of the core. A sharpener works too, but learning to use a knife is worthwhile if you want to practise side shading. Use two grips and switch between them. Holding the pencil as if writing gives you control for precise lines, while holding it from above, tucked under the palm, lets you draw long smooth lines with the whole arm and cover broad areas. The overhand grip feels awkward at first, but it is far better for blocking in large shapes.

Choosing paper

Judge paper by its weight and its surface together. Weight is usually given as grams per square metre; the higher the figure, the thicker the sheet and the better it stands up to erasing and reworking. Surface, or tooth, is the slight roughness you feel when you run a hand across it. Paper with tooth grips graphite and gives dark tones easily, while smooth paper suits fine lines and soft gradients. A useful split is cheap, thin sketch pads for high-volume practice and a heavier drawing sketchbook for pieces you will refine over a long time.

• Quick practice: thin pads with plenty of sheets
• Longer studies: heavier paper with a little tooth
• If you plan to use water: proper watercolor paper
• Size: a medium sheet, not too small, encourages using your arm

Erasers and helpers

Two erasers working together are handy. A plastic eraser removes lines cleanly, while a kneaded eraser lifts tone gently or brings back light areas. Rather than rubbing, press a kneaded eraser onto the paper and lift it away to pick up graphite; you can also shape it to a point for thin highlights. A blending stump made of rolled paper smooths tones, but relying on it early cuts down the practice of building tone with pencil strokes, so use it sparingly. Fixative, sprayed on finished pencil work to stop smudging, has a strong smell, so use it outdoors or somewhere well ventilated.

First shopping checklist

With just the items below you can follow every exercise in the other guides of this topic.

• One each of HB, 2B and 4B pencils
• A craft knife or a pencil sharpener
• A practice sketch pad
• A plastic eraser and a kneaded eraser
• A firm board to rest the paper on

What to settle before the tools

Once you have your tools, the next step is to decide where and when you will draw. Leaving the sketchbook and pencils out on the desk lowers the effort of starting and makes a daily habit much easier. Graphite tends to collect on the side of your hand and smear the sheet, so rest your drawing hand on a clean scrap of paper. If you are right-handed, working from top left to bottom right also reduces smudging. Write the date on each drawing. Only by comparing with work you did a month ago using the same tools can you tell whether you have improved or whether it is time to try something new.