Art Supply List

Recommended Drawing Supplies

• Strathmore Sketch Paper Pad, recommended size 11 x 14 inches or 14 x 17 inches,

  • Smaller children can use the 11in x 14in size, as it is easier for them to carry.

  • I recommend getting the pads labeled “Sketch” over the “Drawing” pads because the paper is thinner, & you can get 60-100 pages for about the same price as 20-30 pages.

• Variety of Graphite Artists Pencils. Buy at least five different hardnesses so that you can learn how to use them in different situations. 1 of each: 8B, 4B, 2B, HB, 2H for example, or buy a pre-packaged set that includes a range of hardnesses. You really do get what you pay for! The cheap pencils will be frustrating to use as the wood will chip & leads will break when you sharpen them & you’ll find snaggy hard parts in the leads as you shade (not fun!).

  • Pencil brands I do recommend: Tombow Mono Homo, Mitsubishi Hi-Uni, Faber Castell 9000,  or Caran d’Ache Grafwood if you're feeling like a splurge- the cool thing about the Caran D’Ache is the darker pencils are painted darker & the lighter ones are painted lighter so it’s easy to learn what number is what value! The bad thing about Caran d’Ache pencils is they only fit in this kind of adjustable opening pencil sharpener

  • Pencil brands I don’t recommend: All the random never heard of brands on Amazon, Amazon Basics, Staedtler Mars Lumograph (they aren't pure graphite), Raffine, General, Blick, Prismacolor (Premier Turquoise, Sanford Design Graphite Pencils), Cretacolor, The Fine Touch,  Pacific Arc, Koh-I-Noor, Pro-Art, any brand of woodless pencils (only because they break easily), regular pencils from an office supply or grocery store, yellow pencils with the eraser top. Pencils from Michael’s & Hobby Lobby are typically inexpensive brands that are significantly lesser quality & will break/be hard to sharpen.

• 6 inch ruler. For adults I recommend a gridded plastic ruler & for younger kids I recommend a cork-backed non-slip ruler.

• 12-24 inch ruler. For adults I recommend a gridded plastic ruler & for younger kids I recommend a cork-backed non-slip ruler.

• 1 Kneaded “Gummy” Eraser.

  • Brands I like are Lyra & Faber-Castell as they are consistant & come with a protective case.

  • For about 10 years now the Design & Prismacolor brands have often been too hard/crumbly to knead. DON'T buy those brands as they are not useable!

• 1 General’s Factis BM2 Eraser stick and eraser refill

  • These used to be the Papermate Tuff Stuff Eraser Stick, but are now being produced by a different manufacturer.

  • *Note* Don’t buy this for more than $6-15 online (it will cost more if it includes refills of the eraser), as you will see some for sale for $25-35 each. This was from when the manufacturing was stopped temporarily & people took advantage by increasing the price of the Papermate Tuff Stuff Eraser Stick.

• 1 Tombow MonoZero Round 2.3mm Eraser and eraser refill

  • This is best for adults, or kids ages 10 and up. Younger kids often press so hard they keep breaking this teeny eraser wasting big chunks of it at a time.

• Pencil Extenders (set)

  • Having some of these will come in handy once you've used your pencils for a while, so you can use the entire pencil up. Buy the kind with a wooden/metal handle

  • The all metal variety (sometimes sold by Derwent) don’t tighten well on pencils without a round barrel so I don’t recommend them

• Pencil Sharpener

  • I prefer the X-Acto Bulldog Vacuum Mount sharpener that suctions onto a tabletop if you have a flat surface (glass, stone, melamine). It sharpens pencils to a fine point & lasts for years even with heavy use & is often only $6! If you prefer an electric sharpener I like this Riyo Electric Sharpener. And if you buy oversized pencils like the Caran D'ache Grafwoods, I've heard the Dahle long point sharpener is good from other pencil collectors. For sharpening on the go while sketching outdoors or at home I use the KUM Long Point travel pencil sharpener with replacement blades

• Drawing Dusting Brush for removing eraser crumbs from your drawings without smearing the graphite.

Optional Supplies

• (optional) Glassine to protect your shaded drawings from smudging. I will supply some in the studio, if you want more for home then purchase more

• (optional) This desktop vacuum also saves me from needing to vacuum the floor as much- which I adore!

• (optional) If you don't have a smooth table surface, you may wish to get a drawing board for smoothness. If you are hoping to save your neck/back from pain, I use the Martin Pro Drafting Board to raise my surface up enabling me not to lean over as much. I've seen this for as little as $60 and as much as $200+ on Amazon- so search around.

• (optional) Red Plexiglass for one lesson on values, then you will be able to use it again anytime you need to see values.

• (optional) Nasco White Foam Geometric Solids which aren't currently available on Amazon or this set of Geometric Solids on Amazon

• (optional) Spotlight to show values & shadows on Geometric Solids

Online Retailers

Amazon.com is a client favorite. Occasionally, supplies are more expensive on Amazon. It doesn’t hurt to cross-check costs on multiple sites or check at different times of year (ie supplies are more expensive at the holidays). I am an Amazon Affiliate & may earn a few cents per product if you purchase from the links I've included here.

Utrecht : reliable, good products & their own brand of things so often less expensive

Blick : also reliable, good products & great customer service

Cheap Joe’s : good prices & lots of my students use them

Local Austin, TX Art Supplies

Jerry’s Artarama : Jerry’s has good prices, but their stock is often not replenished, so it is hit and miss if you can get these supplies there.

University Coop: Parking is a challenge, but this is another local option.

Michael’s & Hobby Lobby are conveniently located, but they often have very cheap graphite pencils that are of poor quality. You want to pay the extra few dollars for the higher quality brand pencils, because the cheap ones will break more, sharpen poorly & do not have a nice quality for shading.