AS1801

ESSENTIAL DRAWING MATERIALS

Drawing Mediums (Gheno, 2017)

Graphite
Because of this early familiarity, graphite pencils remain the most comfortable and safe choice for many artists
until they start taking art classes. Known mostly as a linear medium, graphite is more flexible than many artists
and teachers give it credit for. You can get some very fluid and painterly effects with it — for instance, by
applying powdered graphite to the paper with a brush or chamois. Graphite also comes in sticks of various
shapes, sizes and hardness. This allows for a variety of delicately blended masses or broad, assertively
expressive strokes. The main drawback to graphite is its inability to achieve the intensity of darkness you can
get from compressed charcoal or paint.
When graphite was first developed as an artistic medium by the English in the mid-1500s, it was promoted as
an easier, more practical and more fluid alternative to metalpoint for detailed, analytical drawing. Graphite
doesn’t drag on the paper like metalpoint does. With graphite, artists can apply value masses in a more natural,
fluid manner. But one thing missing from graphite is metalpoint’s varied depth of line, which can seem to pulsate
in a three-dimensional manner.

Colored Pencil
Colored pencil combines the strengths of graphite and metalpoint. Some brands of colored pencils impart a
similar delicacy and depth of line as metalpoint. And although colored pencils aren’t quite as erasable as
graphite, brands such as Stabilo Original and Caran d’Ache have much of graphite’s potential for revision and
sensitive ease of application. Colored pencils are particularly suited to exacting linework. Many brands of this
medium can be sharpened to pinpoint precision using a razor blade.
This medium can require a gentle touch. Colored Pencils are often fragile and prone to snapping in mid-stroke
if you press too hard, leaving an unerasable skid mark on the paper. If you try to push your values too dark all
at once, they will become dense and shiny. With certain colors the hue may even change with heavy pressure
or when you let your pencil point get too short, allowing the wood casing to chafe your linework.

Chalk & Charcoal

Charcoal pencils come in several grades of hardness, like graphite. Softer charcoal is often good for building
up masses on large, expressive drawings; whereas harder compressed charcoal or carbon pencils, such as H
and HB, are more suited to line work on a smaller scale. Hard charcoal pencils, which are easy to sharpen to
long, sharp points, can be used to quickly render thick and thin lines by varying the position of your hand. And
you can build toward your dark value masses with a rapid weaving of strokes.
Broad, lineless tones are possible as well. Holding the pencil to the side, you can glide the long portion of the
charcoal shaft across the page, gradually building up the tone into a broad value mass, much as you would
when using a colored pencil. When working in compressed charcoal or in graphite, keep to a limited range of
pencil hardness to maintain evenness and texture harmony in your toning. Jumping between divergent grades
— for instance from an HB to a much softer 6B — can result in a distracting cacophony of rough and smooth
textures.

Crayon
This medium offers a compromise between the darkness achievable with softer chalks and pastels, and the
smoothness of colored pencil and graphite. It is not recommended to mix and combine different brands of crayon
in one drawing. Hues differ greatly between manufacturers.

Ink & Ballpoint

Fountain pens are used to render the finer lines and a felt brush marker to wash in the big value masses. In
comparison, ballpoint pens replicate fine, etch-like lines. Ink and ballpoint are great training tools. Because it is
irrevocable, it reinforces the habit of thinking before you put down a line.

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Drawing Tools

Paper/Surface
A drawing can be made on any surface, but the quality of that surface is sometimes just as important as the
medium that it is used upon it. There are a few considerations for choosing a drawing surface that will affect the
finished result.
1. The “Tooth” – The “tooth” of the surface is the texture of the paper. The texture of the paper plays a
role in how the drawing material is accepted on the surface. Heavier textures will produces lines that
may appear “broken”, while smoother textures will produce smoother lines and gradations of
value. Some artists will prefer heavier textures while others will prefer a smoother surface.
2. Paper Weight – The weight of the paper refers to how much a ream (500 sheets) of that paper
weighs. For most papers, the weight of the paper will be directly related to the thickness of the paper.
For example, 80 lb. paper will typically be thicker than 60 lb. paper, while 100 lb. paper will be heavier
than 80 lb. paper.
3. Acid Free – Paper that is “acid free”, without going into al of the technical details, will stand “the test of
time”. This paper is will not yellow over time and is more resistant to fading that can occur when
exposed to UV light. Here are few recommended papers that you might experiment with:
• Drawing Paper – Medium tooth paper that is suited for drawing with a variety of drawing media
including graphite, charcoal, and colored pencils.
• Charcoal paper – Heavier tooth paper that is lightweight – almost semi-transparent. Excellent for
creating texture. (A variety of media can be used on charcoal paper – not just charcoal)
• Bristol Paper – Smooth tooth paper that is heavier (think cardstock). Excellent for creating smooth
gradations of value, or detailed line work with ink.

Eraser
Erasers are not all created equal. The best type of eraser can vary depending on the media and paper you’re
using. Each eraser creates a different mark and should be used as necessary according to the specific drawing
medium.
1. Rubber Eraser – Your standard eraser for erasing graphite. This eraser uses friction to remove any
material from the surface.
2. Kneaded Eraser – This eraser lifts material from the surface, instead of using friction to remove it. It
can be pulled and fashioned into different forms to create specific marks. This eraser gets dirty over
time, but can be cleaned by pulling and “kneading” it.
3. Gum Eraser – “The Crumbler”. This eraser is great for removing media from surfaces that are sensitive
to tearing. A gum eraser removes the medium through friction, but crumbles as it does so – preserving
the surface.
4. Vinyl or Plastic Erasers – This eraser is the toughest of the bunch. It can erase almost anything. But
this eraser can tear the paper if you’re not careful.

Sharpeners - Pencils need to be sharpened with a quality pencil sharpener. Use a poor-quality sharpener and
you could be out of a pencil in a matter of moments. Pencil sharpeners generally fall into two categories –
Manual and electric.

Stencil - The stencil is a template for making pictures or texts by just applying it to the printing surface ant
coloring it. This form of printing and coloring is used from stone ages, and it is still used today by artists, military,
government and many others.

Ruler - A ruler is a tool which helps people to measure, draw straight lines and do other stuff. It is used by
carpenters, masons, drawers and many other. First rulers were made more than four thousand years ago.

Protractor - Protractors are the tools that help humans to measure angles. Throughout history, protractors were
also used to help sailors to navigate at sea. The first protractor was invented in 16th century, and it is still used
today.

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Caliper and Vernier Scale - A caliper is a tool which is used for a measurement of some objects. Throughout
history, calipers have many forms, and they are still in usage today. One of the types of the caliper is a vernier
scale, which is used for very precise measurement.

Drawing Compass - Drawing compass is a tool for drawing circles on a specific material but also for
navigational help and measuring distances. Humans use it ever since ancient times. There are many types of
a drawing compasses for different purposes.

Blending Stumps / Tortillions

Blending stumps are essential for the artist wanting to smudge or move material around on the surface. A
blending stump allows the artist to create gradations in value without introducing the oils of the finger (through
finger smudging) which can make a drawing look dirty or uncontrolled. These also allow the artist to create
gradations and smooth applications of value in areas of detail that may be hard to get to otherwise.

References:
“Drawing Tools - What are the drawing pencils and other tools of drafting?”. (2018). Retrieved from
http://www.historyofpencils.com/drawing-tools/
Fussel, M. (2014). “10 Essential Drawing Materials and Tools for Beginners”. In Virtual Instructor. Retrieved
from https://thevirtualinstructor.com/blog/10-essential-drawing-materials-and-tools-for-beginners
Gheno, D. (2017). “How different materials affect your drawing process”. In Artist Network. Retrieved from
https://www.artistsnetwork.com/art-mediums/drawing/different-materials-affect-drawing-process/
Hammond, L. (2017). “Drawing: What Kind of Paper Should You Use?”. In Artist Network. Retrieved from
https://www.artistsnetwork.com/art-mediums/drawing-what-kind-of-paper-should-you-use/

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