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Sketching Materials

Firstly let me say there are no rights or wrongs in art.. just different styles

The basics, to start with you will need a rough pad or even, if you intend to do a lot of sketching, invest in a ream (500 sheets) of photo copying paper. The thing if you are starting out is not to worry about making mistakes. We all make mistakes and it is important not to be worrying about the costs of sketching in the early days

A set of Sketching pencils I would recommend the Derwent Graphic set which ranges from HB - B9. pencil wise that should cover all your needs, in combination with a medium Putty Rubber

Once you feel you have practiced enough and feel ready to progress to finished work you will need a good quality pad or individual sheets of paper. I would recommend a weight of paper of at least 160 grams though personally I like paper of a weight of around 300 grams+. Using the heavier paper if you feel you need to use colour you have that option without the paper buckling too much.

Paper.

As in sketching use cheep paper for experiments, then progress to better quality when you feel you are ready. If you intend to use a lot of water on the paper it might be a good idea to stretch the paper. This is done by immersing in water, a bath tub is useful with big sheets of paper, laying on a drawing board and fixing down with gummed tape. This you let to dry out. This will keep the paper flatter. Alternatively use thicker paper to prevent the paper buckling.

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