Are you starting out with your art? If you are, you are going to need the best art supplies for drawing. Most artists usually start off with drawing, whether you plan on sticking to this medium or venturing into digital art or even pottery. It all starts with drawing what you are trying to bring to life, what you envision.
The good thing about drawing is, you are going to need very basic items. These things can even be used in other activities and not just art.
What are the best art supplies for drawing?
When it comes to having the best, it’s all about quality. And you don’t have to spend a lot to work on your art. You can opt for cheaper items but you can also splurge depending on your taste, as long as you choose brands that are trusted in the art community.
1. Pencil: Staedtler
It all starts with a pencil. Founded in 1835, Staedtler has been producing high-quality pencils for decades. The Mars Lumograph from the brand is a favorite among new artists and professionals. You can start off with this basic Mars Lumograph set, which has 6 pencils in different shades.
Play around with lines and shapes as well as shadow and depth with these sketch pencils—8B, 7B, 6B, 4B, 2B, and HB. These premium pencils boast amazing break resistance, you can expect longer-lasting leads. Additionally, this set comes in a neat tin case so all your pencils are stored in one place.
There are, of course, other pencils that you can use, this is just a basic option. Other artists prefer mechanical pencils or colored pencils, you can check out different drawing pencils that are more suitable for you.
2. Eraser: Sargent Art
Of course, when you have a pencil, you are going to need an eraser too. Art is not about perfection, it’s okay to make mistakes along the way. Some even use an eraser for reverse drawings, wherein you shade an entire paper with a pencil and use the eraser to “draw.” Erasers also help with lightening graphite and shading, not just erasing.
For erasers, you can always opt for a regular vinyl one. But other artists prefer a kneaded eraser, which is kind of like putty and isn’t as solid. Both erasers have their own purpose and use. You can get both with the Sargent Art eraser set. The vinyl eraser comes in a sleeve while the shapeable kneaded eraser comes in a plastic case.
3. Paper: Strathmore
Another important supply for drawing is paper. Now, if you are just testing out the waters, you can always use scratch paper. But, if you are ready to take your talent and skills to the next level, it’s best to opt for high-quality paper. A good pad to start with is the Sketch paper from Strathmore.
With over a century in the paper industry, Strathmore proves to be one of the best companies producing high-quality pads. The Strathmore 200 Series pad has lightweight sketch paper and is perfect for practicing drawing techniques. It’s even light enough for on-location sketching if you plan on drawing landscapes and whatnot.
4. Pens: Sakura
Now, if you want to finish off your drawing, you are going to need a good pen. This can’t be just any pen (although there are artists who are into ballpoint pen art) but rather one that is designed specifically for drawing. Sakura is one of the best drawing pen brands in the market.
Pens can make your work permanent and look finished. With drawing pens, such as the Sakura Pigma, you can expect a high-quality finish. This means no feathers or smears or even bleed-throughs. Thanks to the archival quality and chemically stable ink of the Sakura Pigma pen, you can deliver fade-resistant and waterproof drawings.
The Sakura Pigma Drawing Kit contains 6 micro pens with different tips (.20mm to .50mm), 1 pigma graphic pen (1mm), and 1 mechanical pencil.
Art Supply Kits for Different Drawings
Now, there are a lot of kinds of drawings and each one has a specific supply or tool that you may need. Below are some of the popular forms of drawing that you may want to get into as well as the kits that you may need:
Best Art Supplies for Drawing Anime: Prismacolor
The history of manga dates back to as early as the 12th century in Japan. Today, manga has become a popular form of drawing all over the world. There is a specific style to creating manga drawings and if you want to try it out, check out the kit from Prismacolor.
The Prismacolor Scholar Manga Drawing Set is a 10 piece kit that contains the basic tools you’ll need for the Japanese art style. You’ll be getting 4 different lead pencils from dark 6B to light 2H plus a black pencil. To finalize your drawings, a fine tip and a brush tip marker are also included. Completing the set is an eraser and erasable blue and crimson red colored pencils. Most importantly, this kit comes with a how-to guide.
Best Art Supplies for Drawing Comics: Faber-Castell
Although there are key similarities between manga and comics, the latter has its own distinct art style. If you plan on drawing comics, you might want to start with Faber-Castell’s Kit. For starters, this set has a beginner’s guide to drawing comics and graphic novels. You’ll get step-by-step instructions on creating characters, from basic shapes to shadows and more.
The Faber-Castell Comics Kit has important supplies to get you set up. This includes an HB graphite pencil and a blue-ink mechanical TK pencil plus an eraser and sharpener. To finalize your comics, the kit also contains Goldfaber color pencils and black artist pens.
Best Art Supplies for Landscape Drawing: Tombow
Maybe you are an artist that isn’t into faces and portraits. Another favorite subject among artists is nature. If you plan on drawing landscapes, you might want to look into colored pencils. It can definitely liven up your masterpiece, give some depth and intensity.
Tombow’s Irojiten pencil set in Woodlands is a good option. You’ll be getting 30 high-quality colored pencils that are wax-based. Each pencil has an enamel finish, a bit of a work of art in itself. These pencils are good for layering and deliver soft to vivid colors. Thanks to its dense lead, the pencil will not be prone to breakage when you sharpen it.
The Woodlands set from Tombow contains colors that you may need for drawing landscapes. This includes Celeste Blue, Terracotta, Moss Green, Straw yellow, and more. The Tombow Woodland Set contains volumes 4, 5, and 6 of the Irojiten Dictionary.
Other Things You Might Need
Now that you have all of your supplies, there are other tools that can help you with your drawings. You might want to grab the following drawing tools:
Sharpener
Unless you exclusively use a mechanical pencil, a sharpener is a must for any artist. It will sharpen all of your graphite or lead pencils as well as your colored pencils. The X-ACTO Ranger is a good option as it can be used for 8 different pencil sizes.
You might think that all pencil sharpeners are the same but that is not always the case. Some models tend to break the lead off of pencils while others are not able to deliver the needed pointiness for precision.
Rulers & Stencils
When you start out drawing, freehand is the way to go. But as you progress, you will find that a ruler is needed at one point. Stencils and rulers are especially helpful if you plan on doing comics or manga. They can be used to make straight panels or draw uniform speech bubbles.
Light
Finally, don’t forget to grab a table lamp for your workspace. Not everyone is lucky enough to enjoy natural light for drawing. The next best thing is a table lamp so you can easily see the details of your work.
Do check out the modern lamp from Xiaomi, which has different lighting modes. You can adjust its color temperature (from 2700K to 6500K) with your smartphone or even Amazon’s Alexa. It also doesn’t hurt that the lamp is sleek and saves space on your desk.
Enjoyed this post on the best art scanner? If so, please check out our other articles, such as the best gel pens for art and the best paint for mandala dotting! Thank you for reading!