Materials to start drawing

A common question among those just starting out is which art materials to buy . Many people think it's better to buy the highest-quality materials right away so they don't have to spend more money later, but this post is to show that it's not always worth making that kind of investment right away.

I consider myself something of an artistic nomad. I love learning new techniques and experimenting with different materials , but I also happen to be an Aries (sign, ascendant, and sun): I get excited about something new as quickly as I get discouraged, and then quickly get excited about something else. In almost every new process I've tried to learn, I've fallen into the trap of wanting to buy the best materials I could find—and the problem wasn't even related to their quality (they were truly incredible), but rather to how often I used them (or, in my case, didn't use them).

I stopped using my first R$180 watercolor kit (yes, I know) simply because I discovered I didn't connect with the technique as much as I thought I would, and because I was afraid of wasting expensive paint on a "normal" drawing. If we start a drawing with fear, we're already starting in the wrong place. To learn a new technique, we need to allow ourselves to make mistakes and gain experience without the fear of wasting materials and money.

So, I made a list of art supplies for those who are starting to draw, separated by category, with some options for those who have decided to prioritize cost-benefit:

Pencil

Anyone who says a pencil is all you need to start drawing isn't wrong. In fact, a pencil is a powerful tool for both sketching before painting and for creating complete works or studies of perspective, light, and shadow.

When I use graphite to make the first lines that I'll later paint over with another material , I usually prefer mechanical pencils because they're easier to smooth and don't leave such a deep deformation in the paper. My favorites for this are Pentel's 0.5mm techniques, which aren't too expensive (the model I use typically costs between 20 and 30 reais) and give a very "erasable" result.

Pentel Technical Mechanical Pencil 0.5mm

If your goal is to create a complete work using only graphite , Faber Castell's line of HB pencils (yes, the ones you usually ask for at school) and a blending brush will be your best friends. Besides being inexpensive, they also provide greater control over the line, color, and smoothing. The size of the blending brush can be chosen according to the type of drawing you want to do: for drawings with small details, buy thinner blending brushes.

Faber Castell HB Pencil Line

Trident Smudge Stick

Rubber

The eraser you choose also depends on the type of design you want to create. While they all look the same, some leave residue or textures that can get in the way when applying another material, or they simply aren't strong enough to remove certain types of pigment.

The one I usually use is also from Pentel (Hi-Polymer Soft) because, besides being inexpensive, it leaves little residue and, when it does, it's easy to remove. I've never had any problems with it when applying a colored pencil over it, for example, even with a more waxy finish - in fact, for small stains, it softens colored pencil lines quite a bit too.

Pentel Hi-Polymer Rubber

Pen

Besides the simple blue ballpoint pen (which can also be used in many incredible works on its own), there are other types of pens that can add a different touch to a drawing or help when adding details.

My favorites, by far, are the India ink pens. Besides having super-strong pigment, they're easy to control precisely because they come in the shape of a regular pen. I've tried pens from Sakura (which are the best-known) and Uni (which is from Mitsubishi), and between the two, I found that the Uni ones lasted longer and worked better over colored pencils. Having a 0.05, a 0.2, and a 0.8 is enough to work with a wide variety of drawings.

Uni Pin India ink pens

Another type of pen that can be very useful, especially for those who enjoy coloring with colored pencils and/or on colored paper, is white gel pens. They're used to create those contour details and highlights that make your drawing stand out. The one I use and think is wonderful is from the Signo line, also from Uni.

Uni Signo white gel pens

Paper

As expected, the paper will also depend on a few factors, especially the type of material you'll be using most often. Stronger pigments like markers or more liquid ones like watercolors will require a heavier paper weight to avoid damaging the paper or bleeding through. For colored pencil drawings, it may make more sense to buy pads or single sheets of other colors (such as kraft paper or black) to highlight the pigment in the material.

Canson's white paper pads are usually very affordable and come in a wide range of weights, with their proper use already indicated on the cover sheet.

Canson drawing pad

Here in Brazil, pads in other shades tend to be a bit more expensive, but if you have the opportunity to buy supplies in the United States, whether on a trip or from a close relative or friend, Strathmore's Toned Tan notebook is wonderful for colored pencils (it's the one that usually appears in Pinterest drawings).

Regardless of your preferred material, it's always a good idea to have a sketchbook handy to jot down your ideas and test out the first drafts of any drawing. Of course, I couldn't fail to mention our Creative Passport Sketchbook , which is a great option both for its appearance (let's face it, it's beautiful) and for the quality of the sheets and the materials they hold (a marker, for example, barely bleeds through).

Sketchbook Creative Passport

Colored Pencils

I'm a little suspicious when it comes to talking about colored pencils, considering that my preference gravitates towards those "waxed" drawings that appear on Pinterest and I only know one brand that does that: Prismacolor.

Because of the unique pigment material, Prismacolor pencils are easily blendable, resulting in a unique finish, especially on kraft and colored paper. The only drawback to these pencils is the price (here in Brazil, the 36-color kit is almost R$200), but if you enjoy coloring with colored pencils, I'd say they're a very worthwhile investment, especially if you have the opportunity to buy them abroad.

Prismacolor colored pencils

Of course, because of the price, purchasing this brand isn't always viable. There are other domestically produced options that are also of good quality, such as the Faber Castell and Steadler lines, although they don't have the same finish as Prismacolor.

Watercolor

Probably because of the trauma of the horrible watercolors we saw in magazines as children, we're often tempted to buy super-expensive brands when it comes to this material. While there are cheap kits that aren't very good, there are also reasonably priced kits that are affordable.

Faber's entry-level watercolor line, which typically comes in a box of 12 colors and ranges from 20 to 30 reais, is already good enough for beginners. I made the paintings below using only this kit:

Painting with Faber's entry-level watercolor range

Now, if you've already decided that watercolor is your forte, then I would recommend investing in higher-quality materials. Koi's tablet kit is very good and comes in several sizes, making it a bit more affordable despite being a fairly expensive brand (on Mercado Livre, kits with 24 colors start at R$160).

Koi Watercolor Tablet Kit

Markers

When it comes to markers, there's no doubt that Copic is the best on the market. The high price is justified, not only for the tip texture, but also for the ease of blending colors, as well as the durability and final appearance of the drawing.

However, there are other brands that can be useful for beginners. One of them (which I use) is TouchNew. It's a Chinese brand I imported from Aliexpress, and despite some drawbacks (the drawings fade after a while, some pens are defective, and they dry out relatively quickly when not in use), I consider it a valid option, mainly due to the cost.

To get an idea of ​​the result, I colored the drawing below with markers from this brand (and it has already faded a lot over time):

Painting with TouchNew markers

Another great brand is Magic Color (the line with the gold barrel). Its pigment is very strong, and this is both a plus and a minus for the brand. The ink easily bleeds through to the other side of the paper, but if you use a thicker paper weight and reinforced protection, you'll likely have no problems and end up with a beautiful drawing.

Magic Color Markers

Find out more...

Fe has already posted a video on YouTube giving a tour of all the drawing materials she uses, and this can be another good starting point for discovering new materials and thinking about what you'll actually need before making any kind of investment.

Even after all these tips, I think I couldn't help but say that here at Empório, we believe that it's not the material that makes the artist . You can create incredible work with absolutely any material, including the ones you have lying around the house. So, know that if you can't afford or simply don't want to invest in the best materials available, you too can (and will) be a brilliant artist simply because we are all naturally creative and magical beings.

With love,
Re