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GRAPHITE AND COLORED PENCIL
DRAWING TOOLS
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Most of my graphite drawings are created with mechanical pencils. My pencil of choice is the Flexfit by Pentel, in 0.5mm and 0.9 mm sizes. They use leads in 2H, HB, and 2B. For darker and larger areas of the drawing, I use Design pencils in grades ranging from 2H to 6B. For the darkest areas (like the pupil of the eye), I often use General's charcoal pencil.
The best eraser for your graphite drawings is the Design kneaded eraser. It leaves no residue and can be bent and twisted into any shape you desire.
Acid-free artist's masking tape is good for a variety of uses, from masking an area to taping the drawing to a drawing board.
For drawings on regular paper, I leave the lightest areas untouched. For drawings on tinted paper, I use General's white charcoal pencil for highlights. |
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For my colored pencil drawings and my mixed media drawings, I use a large assortment of colored pencils in all kinds of colors and lead grades - regular Prismacolor pencils (soft leads), Berol Verithin (hard leads), Prang (medium-soft leads), Faber-Castell Plychromos, and Karat watercolor pencils.
I highlight my drawings with Golden liquid acrylic in titanium white (pictured above), and outline with Golden liquid acrylic in burnt umber, by diluting them with a little water and using a number 0 brush. The latter is also great for underpainting and ink drawings. The brown acrylic creates a soft, warm outline that's not too obvious (such as in this drawing). But occasionally, the drawing calls for a bolder, darker outline (such as here), and in those cases I use pigment ink pens in 0.5mm. Copic Multiliner and Pigma Micron are my favorites.
Not pictured here: there's a point when a pencil gets too short to work with comfortably, and this is where Koh-I-Noor pencil lengthener is a lifesaver. It can significantly extend the life of your pencils. |
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PAINTING TOOLS
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I have used many different brands of oil paints before settling on Winton oil colors by Winsor & Newton. An aluminum palette is best for oil painting (not pictured here on the account of its untimely death thanks to my youngest son's curiosity). If you use a plastic palette, make sure to clean it thoroughly between painting sessions. I put my solvent in small jars (old baby food jars are the best), and use a soft cotton cloth to wipe brushes. More on solvents later.
Also pictured here are a steel palette knife by Dick Blick, a large hog hair brush by Loews-Cornell (for priming the painting surface), and an assortment of brushes, sizes 0 to 16 (not all sizes are pictured, obviously). I use purest red sable handmade brushes from Trekell, a great little company in California. |
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Although I don't do a lot of pure watercolor painting (nor do I use watercolors the way art purists insist they must be used), I do find this medium incredibly helpful when creating mixed media drawings and paintings. I have used St. Petersburg pan watercolors by Yarka since I was a kid, and I still think they're some of the best out there.
As far as brushes go, I like Dick Blick's purest red sable Masterstroke series. None of my paintings are too large, and they usually have a lot of detail, so I hardly ever use a brush larger than size 3. For the smallest details, I use Robert Simmons craft liner brush. |
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DRAWING AND PAINTING
SURFACES |
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My number one choice of paper for graphite drawings is Bristol (vellum) drawing paper by Strathmore (comes in pads). It is thick and has just enough texture. For my colored pencil and mixed media drawings, I use the smooth version.
For my tinted drawings, I use Canson's Me-Teintes double-sided drawing papers (in Moonstone, Light Blue, and Felt Gray). Fabriano Tiziano pastel papers are also a good choice, but the downside is that they come in really large sheets and have to be cut.
For oil paintings, I prefer to use #1 cold press, 40-ply, extra heavyweight illustration board by Crescent. However, this particular illustration board is not always available in stores. Dick Blick online store seems to have them in steady supply, though.
Not pictured here: Strathmore 500 series cold press illustration board, which I use for watercolor paintings. |
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PRIMERS AND SOLVENTS |
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To prime my boards for oil painting, I use professional gesso by Utrecht. I apply 3 light coats with a large hog hair brush (good for texture). Each layer is applied in a different direction (horizontal, vertical, and diagonal). This also adds texture, and helps the paint cling better. So does underpainting in acrylic (for which I use Golden liquid acrylic in burnt umber).
I don't like to paint to the edge, so I leave a 1" border around my painting surface. To avoid getting the paint onto the white border, I mask it with artist's tape (any brand will do, as long as it's acid-free).
Odorless oil paint thinner by Grumbacher is my preferred solvent for oil paintings. |
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FINISHING TOUCHES |
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No drawing or painting is truly complete without a protective coat. Graphite can smudge, and paint can fade and crack overtime. I protect my finished work with a workable fixatif by Krylon (for drawings and mixed media work) and with Damar Varnish by Winsor & Newton (for oil paintings). With oils, I usually wait at least a year after completion of a painting before I apply the varnish.
And last but not least, clean your tools after each use if you want them to last. I clean all my oil brushes and palettes immediately after painting with warm water and Original Brush Cleaner And Preserver by B&J. |
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