Drawing Tools I Use
This is a list of drawing tools I use in my realistic pencil drawings. While you don’t require all of these tools in my drawing course, the optional ones may be tools you will consider later on if you are serious about drawing.
Graphite Pencils –The very first thing on your list of drawing tools should be pencils! (So obvious, right)! I use a wide range of pencils brands in my drawing including Staedtler, and Faber Castells. These pencil brands are all professional brand pencils that provide a value range from 9H – 9B). There are also a lot of other brands out there as well that will work just as good. I recommend to my students to buy the set that has pencil degrees between 2H – 8H as they are used the most often in drawings. Some pencils sets come in degrees between 4h – 6B which is fine too.
Mechanical pencils – These are great for fine details such as eyelashes or fine fur strokes. When buying a mechanical pencil they will always come with an HB lead. You can also buy higher grade leads as well for darker strokes. Be careful when using a mechanical pencil because of the thin lead it tends to break very easily.
Embossing Stylus
These are typically used with arts & crafts, but graphite artists have found them great for creating good, clean, indented lines. I use this tool mainly for creating fine white whiskers or fur strokes. You can also use a hard pencil (5H) over transparency paper to create indents in the paper. Be careful because once you have indented your drawing paper, there is no going back. You will see in the example below how I could indent the whiskers and hairs around the lioness’s mouth. When you shade over the indented lines, they will appear.
White Erasers
Every artist needs a white eraser. If you have ever used a pink eraser during public school to erase errors, you will know what I am talking about. Sooner or later, you probably have experienced the pink residue it leaves behind. There is nothing more jaw-dropping than working on an almost completed drawing only to have pink smudges grounded into your drawing. So don’t take the chance and use a white eraser.
Kneaded Eraser
Kneaded erasers, also known as putty erasers, are pliable and used for picking up graphite, charcoal, conte, pastel or coloured pencil debris from your paper. It can also be used to lighten up pencil lines if they are too dark. A kneaded eraser can be shaped by your hand to achieve precise erasing. They are also excellent for bringing out highlighted areas and creating soft effects. Once they are not pliable and become dried out, it’s time to buy a new one. I would recommend storing the kneaded eraser in a sandwich baggie so it doesn’t collect debris from other sources. They can be pressed or pinched into any desirable shape. It won’t damage or leave smears on your paper. To clean, just stretch and fold it into itself, which you are basically ‘kneading’.
Clickable Erasers
There are two favourite clickable erasers I use in my drawings because they are thin and slender. The two I use are Sanford Tuff Stuff Eraser Sticks and Tombow Mono Zero. These are great for bringing out finely detailed highlights in fur and hair and many other details. You can also buy replaceable erasers for them too. To achieve even a finer, thin line, you can clip the ends with scissors or a blade to use the edge of the eraser.
Electric Erasers
These can be a great tool for fine details. The eraser on the right is a USB rechargeable eraser and can be used 600 times before having to charge again, while the eraser on the left is battery-operated. Both of these erasers include 2 eraser holders – 2.3mm and 5mm erasers. I use the larger one for thick highlights and the smaller one for fine details. With electric erasers, you can achieve well-defined, detailed edges. You can change the tip and sharpen it using a sand block. I use these in my graphite and coloured pencil drawings. These are optional in my drawing courses, so if you are able to get one, I highly recommend these ones.
Brush
You would be surprised how much pencil debris can accumulate on a drawing. You can use a soft bristle brush, a makeup brush or any soft brush to gently wipe away debris. Make sure you don’t use a brush that is too stiff or it can end up smearing or scratching your drawing. Having a brush is as important as your paper and pencils. It is absolutely crucial to keep your drawing clean. Where does the debris come from? Every time you sharpen your pencil, you create graphite dust, and if using an eraser, this can leave a residue which, if not brushed away, can stick to your drawing. I would suggest wiping your brush across your drawing as often as you can. I don’t create a drawing without one.
Blending Tools
Tortillons – These tightly woven blenders come in small, medium & large. When blending with tortillons they will make the shading darker and smooth. You can buy tortillons individually or in packages. The proper way to hold a tortillon is slightly on its side. Do not blend with the tortillon being held vertically with the point of the tortillon touching your paper. If you do, sooner or later the tortillon will collapse and fold inwards.
Stumps – These come in various sizes and are great for blending in large backgrounds. Stumps are made from soft paper that is tightly rolled up. Stumps can be sharpened with an Xacto-knife or by using a sandblock. I use blending stumps mainly for large dark backgrounds. While you can still use tortillons to shade in the larger areas of shading, a blending stump will be faster. When using tortillons or stumps you rub it over the pencil shading and it will pick it up. When they have accumulated some of the pencil graphite they can be used on their own to create light tones of grays.
Kleenex
Everyday tissue is an inexpensive way to help achieve a smooth & realistic look to a drawing. Don’t use coloured or perfumed tissue, though, because you do not want to transport it to your drawing. When blending with a tissue, make sure you place the tissue smoothly over your first finger and then blend in the shading. Don’t scrunch it up, as you may not get a smooth blend. You never want to use your fingers when blending as oils from your fingers will transfer onto your drawing and create a permanent mark that any eraser cannot lift off. While a tissue will blend smoothly, it will also lighten up the shading a little bit too.
Mechanical Pencils
Mechanical pencils are essential tools for pencil artists. These pencils can be used for a variety of techniques, to achieve greater details and precise lines. You can control precise details such as fur strokes, eyelashes, grass, architectural buildings, hair, and so much more. Mechanical pencils provide constant width for technical drawings without having to sharpen them. The lead comes in varying sizes from .99mm tip to a .2mm tip. Typically the hardness of the lead will be HB but you can buy different lead types for drawing versatility. It is worth purchasing a high-quality mechanical pencil as they will be more resilient and less prone to break.
Drawing Paper
When at all possible, use acid-free paper as your first choice when drawing. Even if you think you are not going to be creating a masterpiece use acid-free paper. Why? As a kid and not knowing any different, I drew all my drawings on paper that wasn’t acid-free paper, and now they have turned a slight yellow. Acid-free paper has a neutral or basic pH 7 so it helps to preserve artwork or documents to last for years. Exposure to sunlight or heat can break down the molecules in non-acidic paper, so always check and make sure the paper you are using is acid-free. If you were like me and have some drawings on non-acid-free paper, then I would suggest putting them away in a sealed plastic container to protect them further from any environmental exposure. Drawing papers I recommend and have used in my drawings are Strathmore Bristol Vellum, Strathmore Vellum Plate Surface and Canson papers.
Artist Glove
These are the new kids on the block. These gloves were originally designed for digital artists to prevent friction between the screen and the hand and be able to allow the hand to slide over the tablet screen smoothly. However, drawing artists have adopted these too to prevent the hand from sticking or smearing to the drawing surface. It also prevents the side of your hand from getting graphite, pastel or coloured pencil debris on the skin. They are comfortable, will stretch if needed, and can be used on both left or right hands. Be sure to check and see which gloves come in different sizes. The Parblo glove came in one size fits all, but I guess that didn’t include my hand. The Articka glove comes in two different sizes (Small and Large), and mine was small. You can see the difference too!
Pencil Sharpener
A good pencil sharpener is an essential component for pencil artists. This sharpener comes in a variety of colours and sharpens to the perfect point and won’t allow over sharpening.
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