Graphite pencils. I have a box set ranging from 2H to 6B, plus a 4H and 8B. I also keep a boxcutter handy to whittle away the wood. More on that later.
A sanding board. I remember in college that this was included on the list of materials needed for one of my drawing classes, but no one - not even the teacher - really explained how to use it. Thus, I never got in the habit of using it until much later. It's one of those things that is pretty intuitive but as I am the kind of person that prefers demonstrations, I'll explain. The sanding board is used to sharpen the lead to a needlefine point when manual and electric sharpeners just won't do. It also works well on charcoal, conte, and firm erasers.
A kneaded eraser. It comes in a nice, neat flattened rectangular shape wrapped in plastic, but spends the bulk of its life getting stretched, squished, and pinched, all for the sake of removing just the right amount of graphite. The beauty of these erasers is their ability to lift graphite or charcoal with just a little pressure - no potentially damaging rubbing action necessary.
A white plastic eraser. These are used primarily in the early stages of a drawing.
A Tuff Stuff eraser. The same sort as a rectangular white plastic eraser, but only a few millimeters wide. Excellent for erasing fine areas.
A Mono Zero eraser by Tombow. This is just like a Tuff Stuff but even skinnier. Awesome.
A Canson spiralbound sketchbook. I had been telling students that although I usually buy Canson, both that and Strathmore are perfectly fine brands that produce perfectly good drawing and sketch paper. However, I've noticed students struggling with the texture (the tooth) of Strathmore paper. I compared it to Canson and it does seem that Canson is a little smoother, which suits me and the look I'm going for in my finished pieces. Feel free to experiment and see which you prefer - there are also plenty of other brands out there. Note that the only difference between a drawing pad and a sketch pad is the weight of the paper Drawing paper is usually around 100 lbs, as it's intended for finished pieces. Sketch paper is lighter, around 65 lbs, so you get more paper in a pad, which is great for all the practicing and experimentation that sketchbooks are for in the first place.
Anyone else notice a difference in papers? Or is there a drawing tool you have a question about?
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