Are you new to drawing?
I was too! As a child, I always loved drawing and painting, but I never went to an art school. For many years I wished I had, but after talking to so many artists and my mentors, I finally realized that I could be good at it if I put in the effort and the time. When I finally started learning, I brought a lot of art materials for drawing, believing that they would improve my drawings. But you do not need anything fancy to create a drawing like this
So let’s get started! Here’s what you’ll need:
1. Charcoal
And they come in many forms to confuse us, newbies! You can buy them as pencils, or charcoal powder, which can be moved around using a brush. They are also available as sticks, such as vine charcoal, which are pretty easy to use and control. However, vine charcoal should only be used during the initial sketching phase since it does not leave a strong mark. Therefore it is useful when you are not sure about the placement of your subject or are just experimenting.
So start with some vine charcoal, in different shapes and sizes. The big ones are quite helpful for adding a quick background.
Also, buy some white charcoal for highlights! This is super important for the light area too, if you are sketching on dark-colored paper.
The next thing you will need is some charcoal pencils, such as from Generals, to make marks during the final phase of your drawing, such as adding a crease of the eyelid. They have a gooey substance in them though that cannot be erased easily, so don't use them during the early phase of a drawing.
2. Kneaded Eraser
Next, you’ll need something to erase the wrong marks you just created. You have multiple options for that, such as kneaded erasers, mono erasers, gum erasers, and so on... (to confuse us more)!
All you need is a kneaded eraser. That’s it, and it serves multiple purposes too! Firstly, it helps you erase the parts of your drawing you do not need. Secondly, it helps you pick out the light areas when you are further in your drawing phase. Lastly, it helps you erase a thin layer of your drawing if you just roll it like a dough on your drawing. Pretty cool, right?!
3. Paper
This one is important - please buy a heavy weighted paper! No sketch paper or drawing pads from dollar stores, as you will be unable to create the layers needed for a good drawing, as the grooves of the paper will quickly fill up. Experiment with what works best for you, but at the very least, buy paper that weighs 300 gsm and above (that’s how they measure the thickness of the paper; it stands for grams per square meter)
4. Other things to buy
Paper towels, such as Viva, to move the charcoal around
2. Stumps in different sizes
3. Sandpaper, if you want to sharpen your charcoal. If you have charcoal pencils, then buy a sharpener instead
4. Board to hold your drawing. Use an artist’s tape to stick the paper on that board
5. Artists Tape
And some Tips to save you money!
Buy big rolls of good quality paper. They are cheaper overall compared to those individual sheets
For sandpaper, you can visit your local hardware store and buy a pack of different grits sandpaper. This is a cheaper option. If you can afford a better product, then choose sandpaper blocs such as this one from Nitram
When you sharpen your charcoal, sharpen it in a ziplock bag to save the charcoal dust for later. It can be used for adding the background later with a brush
Brands that I prefer
Charcoal Sticks and Pencils: I use Nitram sticks and Generals' Pencils, which I found create the best marks:
Nitram Sticks in multiple softness (B, H, HB) and sizes
Paper: Stonehenge Paper by Legion. You can buy 22x30" sheets and cut them into the size that you like
Sanding block:
Eraser: I use different types of erasers for different stages
Extras:
That’s all I had! Thanks for reading, and now I turn it over to you! Which tools are you going to try to create your first charcoal drawing? Let me know by leaving a comment below.
PS: You can also find me on Instagram and on my Youtube channel
#charcoaldrawing #drawingsupplylist #artsupplies