Once you've decided you want to be an artist, the process of starting out can seem pretty daunting. There are so many different flashy materials to choose from! The truth of the matter is, however, that you don't really need any of that stuff when you are just starting out. If you would like to learn how to draw (animals) in the cheapest and most practical way possible, stick around and read my posts and maybe learn a thing a two that I have picked up on my own over the years!
Let's start with the most important material of all - paper. I am going to go over a few of my favorite types as well as my least favorite. One thing I always heard when I was starting out was "Don't use lined paper because it will ruin the credibility of your drawing." NO. Ignore that advice if you ever see it. Lined paper is some of my favorite paper to use as a beginner! Following my steps, the goal is to eventually have one or two rough sketches, and then we will move on to the final, line-free rendering later.
PAPER
Grid Paper
If you already have some art experience under your belt, Grid Paper is a good option if you find your anatomy slanting to the left or right as you sketch. You can use the lines to guide your shapes. Grid Paper will also be handy later on fro practicing shapes when I get to the first actual sketching exercise.
Lined Paper
Sometimes I use lined paper when I am drawing a character standing or sitting straight up. Lines help me keep my feet and elbows ect. in order.
Tracing Paper
Nothing erases like tracing paper! If you find yourself being heavy handed when you sketch, this may be a good option for you. Tracing Paper is also handy to have around for when you need to quickly trace a base pose (ALWAYS have permission before tracing!) or transfer your completed sketch to a new page.
Walmart Cardstock
I find the cardstock from Walmart in particular to be the smoothest and best for erasing I have come across. I am sure other cardstocks work fine as well! If you have a light hand, your graphite will erase much the same as it would with the tracing paper (we will go over cheap pencil options later).
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Now let's go over paper I would absolutely suggest avoiding!
Cheap Walmart Sketchbooks ect.
I don't care how much sketching experience you have - these books are awful for erasing! If you find yourself easily frustrated with learning new techniques, I highly advise against starting one of these as your main sketchbook. They are great for messy planning, however.
Bristol Board, Watercolor Paper, Marker Paper ect.
Don't waste your money sketching on anything fancy like these. Save these materials for later when you are more ready to practice other art mediums!
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PENCILS
Let's move on to sketching utensils! You might be tempted to pick up whatever item you have laying around, but I advise against that! Take a good look at what you have on hand and see if you have any of the following, preferably.
WHAT TO AVOID
Dollar Store Pencils
Dollar store pencils are horrible! The lead is softer - which is nice, but the trade off is poor eraser quality that will smear and destroy your work. Paired with bad paper choice, this can be a disaster and very frustrating!
Soft Graphite Pencils
Unless graphite is what you are planning to learn (and you won't learn how to use it here), stay away from soft graphite pencil sets! They do not erase well and leave smears on your sketches. Once again - paired with the wrong paper choice, this can be a very frustrating obstacle for someone trying to learn how to draw!
So what should you use?
These are my most favorite tools, in no particular order! I try to keep extras of each on hand so I never run out. Many of my drawings start as sketches using one of the following :
Paper Mate Lead Pencils
I keep these on hand in both the 7mm and 9mm size. Paper Mate lead is great and their erasers are excellent!
Ticonderoga Pencils
These truly are the world's best pencil - and they come in black!
Markers and Pens
As strange as it may sound, there is something very inhibiting about not caring about your lines and going wild with a marker! You can always go right back over a lighter color with a pen or pencil after and make things just right before transferring your final sketch to a new page!
And that's it! I hope this post helps you a small bit with choosing your first drawing items, and I hope you come back soon to check out Part Two, where I will discuss other fun art accessories I like to have on hand! Thanks for reading!
-CSPlushies
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