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Pencil Drawing Kit [FREE NATURE DRAWING LESSON]

Byhikeanddrawnyc

Starting a pencil can be overwhelming at first, but having the right tools will help you start on the right foot. This cohesive list of the art supplies will help you build a pencil drawing kit that is ideal for your future projects.

Please note that some of the art supply links in this article are Amazon Associate links. You can help support Hike And Draw by using these links.

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There’s more to a pencil drawing kit than one would suspect. At minimum you’ll need a decent mid-range pencil to help you get a wide range of light values, a good quality paper that won’t show signs of wear and tear while you’re drawing, and a good eraser that will help keep your work clean without creating pink smudges on the paper.

Pencil Drawing Kit

Remember those yellow No. 2 pencils from school? They might be handy for filling in a multiple choice bubble, but they aren’t the best for drawing. Artist pencils come in a wide variety of thickness, graphite cores, and even colors, each with its own special function. In fact, here’s a handy scale that helps illustrate that point. A good pencil drawing kit is more than just finding the right pencil for your work, however. In this article, we’ll dive into the different elements that make a pencil drawing kit versatile and effective.

The Hero of Your Pencil Drawing Kit

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Don't laugh! The electric eraser will remove the toughest marks if used correctly.

Everyone knows that the hero’s job is to save the day. The same can be said about the indispensable eraser. Erasers obviously come in all shapes and sizes, but what material is best? 

The Kneadable Eraser

  • The best kind of eraser for drawing with pencil. Not only can you mold it into a variety of shapes to suit your needs, they can be used for years
  • The only downside is that you need to protect them from lint and dust, so keep your kneadable eraser in a plastic container when it’s not in use
  • I recommend the Faber-Castell Large Kneaded Eraser

Pro Tip:

"You can use a kneadable eraser to add incredible textures to your work, soften hard edges, and create smooth gradients."

The Micro Eraser

  • Great for precision removal in small areas that the kneadable eraser can’t pinpoint neatly
  • Handy for adding fine details like highlights and textures
  • I recommend the very portable Tombow Mono Zero Eraser

The Electric Eraser

  • An important tool for removing dark graphite form the page after pressing too hard. This brings you back from the dreaded “point of no return”
  • I recommend the rechargeable AFMAT Electric Eraser

Premium Pencil Drawing Paper

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Never underestimate how much your work will be effected by the quality of the paper

When it comes to drawing with pencil, never be underestimate how much your work will be effected by the quality of the paper. Newsprint is the cheapest quality paper on the market, which is why it’s sold in massive quantities to art students for the purpose of rapid charcoal studies. Printer paper is slightly better and ranges in quality, but has more limitations than benefits. Below are a few suggestions for much better options.

Hot Press Watercolor Paper

Illustration Board

  • Traditionally used by professionals for multimedia projects, illustration board is a tough, durable surface to work on
  • The coating on illustration board makes erasing less ideal, but it allows you to add layers of paint over your pencil work if you prep the board correctly
  • I recommend Crescent Hot Press Illustration Board

Bristol

The Almighty Drawing Pencil

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A combination of a mechancial and regular pencil is necessary to create feather textures

A good drawing pencil is the foundation of your drawing and field sketching kit. Depending on your objective, you may require only one kind or many. Here are some recommendations based on the pencils I use in my professional work.

2B Pencil

8B Pencil

  • Soft, workable graphite creates bold, dark values. Great for adding dynamic range to drawings with high contrast
  • Smudges very easily. Protect your work by using a piece of scrap paper to rest your hand on 
  • I recommend Faber-Castell 8B Pencils

9B Graphite Powder

Blending Tools for Pencil Drawing

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You can sculpt realistic forms in graphite with blending tools

I arrived lated to the game where blending tools are concerned. Now they are a crucial element of my kit that help me take my pencil drawings to a higher level.

Blending Stumps

  • Blends graphite to create smooth transitions between textures and value ranges
  • Can be used as a delicate pencil when saturated with graphite
  • I recommend Norocme Blending Stumps

Brushes

Next Steps for Building Your Pencil Drawing Kit

I hope you found this article helpful! Your next step is to experiment. Subscribe and you’ll get access to one of my pencil drawing tutorials for FREE.

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