When we are just starting to sketch, deciding what tools of the trade, or media, to use can be a daunting task. Eventually most artists find some tools they are more comfortable with than others, just from using different media while sketching.

Obviously, this can become a little expensive. Few of us has the money to run out and buy one of everything, so let me give you some helpful pointers.

As I said in an earlier post, someone who really loves to sketch, and has developed some basic skills can probably create a sketch out of a poor ball point pen and the back of a receipt. If you love to draw, tools should never stop you. I even posted a picture I did using cheap school markers on the fly. You can always take your sketch, and use it to later create a more finished drawing in the medium of your choice.

With that said, when looking for tools, there is one thing I look for. The best tools you can use are those that allow you to keep your sketching loose. Let me explain.

The biggest problem that most beginning sketchers face is they wrongly feel the need to complete details on every individual segment of the sketch before moving on to the next space. If they are trying to draw a person, an inexperienced artist may start with the eyes, and try to complete the eyes to the point of perfection before moving to the nose and mouth. This is not how you sketch. Sketching involves getting as much information down on paper in a short amount of time, and then going back in to tighten things up, add details, and build on your sketch. The reason for this, especially in nature drawing, is that animals, plants in the breeze, and nature in general doesn’t stay still for us. We need to observe as well as we can, then get as much information down on paper, and add details later.

The second reason is because focusing in on one small area without having the basic framework of your drawing in place causes your entire drawing to look a little skewed when you are done. Unless you are trying to draw a Picasso-style portrait, this isn’t going to work well for sketching.

One of the assignments I had in a sketching class when I was younger involved using ONLY a hunk of carpenter’s chalk, which was about the size of a tennis ball cut in half. At first I wasn’t sure how I’d be able to draw anything with such an awkward piece of chalk. However, I found it was great for doing large, quick gesture drawings. It wouldn’t be convenient for a nature notebook, but it did help me to loosen up when sketching.

I find, for right now, a regular #2 office pencil (preferably one from Dixon Ticonderoga, which I find have nice leads, break less, have a great eraser, and are widely available) is the optimal starting tool, no matter how you are going to finish off your drawing’s details. You can find these is nearly every store in the USA, and if you can’t find a Ticonderoga, you’ll likely find some other #2 pencil which will work well too.

I like to do watercolor washes, but I rarely do a watercolor painting without first doing a very light pencil sketch, usually with a 4H Graphite Pencil, which is very light and erases easily. Watercolor is only a good medium to use if you are already pretty confident in sketching techniques. I find it much too frustrating for the beginner. If you’re like me, you get sketchbook envy looking at The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady, but I can assure you that such a sketchbook came after years of sketching and watercolor experience. That was not likely her first attempt. I am also sure that if we were to look closer at her originals, we’d probably see the hint of faint pencil outlines.

When I add water color washes, I usually like to do an outline with some kind of waterproof black marker. An Acid Free, Archival marker will ensure your drawings stay around for years to come, and don’t fade. If you are just starting out, this is not as urgent. Making sure the marker is waterproof is important, because you cannot paint over a non-water-resistant marker without bleeds.

The Conte crayons can be a great tool to use, as they do lend themselves to loose sketching. However if you are going to obsess about color more than getting a good foundation of sketching skills, you may want to put a full color set away for the time being. A black, a grey, and a white Conte crayon could be useful.

You need something that you can comfortably hold onto, control loosely, and which you feel comfortable using after working with it for a time. For most people, the trusty #2 pencil is hard to beat.

Most of the guidelines I posted earlier for Preschoolers and Early Elementary still apply here, particularly what I wrote about paint brushes and water color paper, still apply here.

Really, what do you need to learn to draw? Just a pencil and a piece of paper. We don’t need fancy tools to work with as much as we need to develop our skills with what we have available. This is true of most areas of life. In cooking, you need to focus on your own skill, not acquiring gadgets and toys in the hopes that they will turn you into a great cook. With sewing, you need to focus on learning how to sew, not getting gadgets to make up for a lack of skill. In art, you also need to focus on acquiring skills, instead of expecting new tools and gadgets to make up for your lack. Though  I probably run the risk of being dropped as an affiliate for art suppliers, I’m going to say this anyway: someone who develops a love for art and sketching should be able to create a sketch on the back of a McDonald’s receipt with a half-empty Bic pen just as easily as sketching in a notebook with an expensive drawing pencil. I’ll be reinforcing this idea of skill over fancy tools in my lessons. There are benefits to having a sketchbook, of course, but don’t let a lack of sketchbook keep you from drawing.

When it comes to pencils, I like regular Ticonderoga #2 pencils, because their leads are of a good quality, their erasers don’t make ugly pink marks on my paper, and they are American made (helping our local economy). This is not an “art” pencil or a “drawing” pencil; you can find it in the office supply section of most stores. It’s a great all purpose pencil.

For drawing pencils, there is not a huge difference in the quality of the different student brands. Usually, a set of graphite drawing pencils has an assortment of the various kinds of pencils, and works well for students. Some sketchers eventually develop a preference for certain hardnesses of drawing pencil, and in that case, you can buy individual pencils in the hardness of your choice. You’ll need to first understand what the different letters and numbers mean.

• H stands for Hard, and the pencils with an H after them (2H, 3H, 4H) are increasing in lead hardness. A harder lead means that the lines will be fainter. These kinds of pencils are good for very light, detailed lines, and for creating guidelines you plan to erase later. I use these when I sketch out my cartoons or when I am blocking out a composition, deciding where to place different items in a sketch.
• B, on the other hand, stands for Bold, and the pencils with a B after their name (2B, 3B, 4B, etc.) have increasingly softer leads. A softer lead means darker lines, and these pencils are ideal for shading, shadows, and giving a picture good contrast. Many artists prefer to do their first sketch with a soft lead pencil. I’m different in that regard, because I usually just use a regular #2 pencil from Dixon Ticonderoga.

Colored pencils are also very nice to have for sketching. I have found that most of the brands are pretty good. Crayola is a good student brand, of course. Prismacolor is better quality for a more serious student up to professional. Even if you use Crayola pencils, buying a white pencil in Prismacolor is very useful for blending techniques. I’m not sure why only Prismacolor’s white pencil blends as nicely as it does, but I’ve not been able to get the same effect with a Crayola. You can buy individual pencils from a catalog like Cheap Joes. Watercolor pencils are also nice to use in sketches and drawings.

When buying a sketchbook, you need to know what you plan to use it with. If you are just planning to sketch with pencils, then any sketchbook will do. If you are going to use any sort of wet media (such as ink washes or water color washes, including water color pencils) then you will need a sketchbook that says it can handle light washes or that says it is for “all media”.

A hard bound sketchbook obviously looks really cool, and has an old world feel to it, however there are problems with using a hardbound book:

• A hardbound book doesn’t always lay open flat
• Removing pages are obvious should you need to rip something out
• Hardbound sketch books cost more

A spiral bound sketchbook is good for starting off, though it doesn’t look as classic as a hardbound sketchbook. It has other pros too: :

• Spiral bound is usually less expensive
• Spiral bound sketchbooks can be folded for use, and they open perfectly flat
• If you must rip something out of your sketchbook (which I do’nt recommend but it happens), it will not be as obvious.

I find the smaller sketchbooks, while a convenient size, are not so practical for drawing in, especially for a beginner. Most sketchers find they prefer a larger sketchbook, about 9 x 12 inches, or 11 x 14. For a younger artist, anything larger for a sketchbook may be harder to hold on to. Any artist should get a size which they can comfortably draw in without being scrunched up while drawing. Sketching involves your hand moving in a very fluid motion across the page to draw the basic form of your subject quickly, before adding additional details, and you’ll need room to move on the page. I think 9 x 12 is the ideal size for this.

For water color washes, a koi water brush (see the picture <—) is very useful for field sketching. These brushes allow you to fill them up with water, instead of dipping them into water. I like to use mine with watercolor pencils.

If you have an older child or young person that is really into water color sketching, a field kit may also be a good buy for them. These range in price from $20 up to about $60, and contain pans of water color paints in common colors, a place to mix colors, usually some kind of water well for rinsing your brushes, and a folding compact brush. Also useful is some kind of small water squeeze bottle (often sold in art supply stores, or in the kitchen department) for wetting your paints.

Other media such as pastels (soft chalks) or Conte (harder sticks) are also useful for more advanced users. For just starting out, really pencils and a good sketchbook are a good starting point, and maybe some water color supplies. The Koi Water Brush is a fun gift with many uses, especially for a water color enthusiast.