Drawing Supplies

You will need quality art supplies for each private drawing lesson with LZM Studio. We don’t provide art supply packets or replacement art supplies for private drawing lesson students, however we can plan for & purchase art supplies for your group drawing workshop if preferred. Here are lists of drawing supplies you’ll need for private drawing lessons and our online video curriculum, with sources for buying the items both online and local to Austin, Texas, US.

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.
    • Buy the recycled/wind power paper to minimize our impact on the environment – we will use a lot of paper!
    • I recommend getting the pads labeled “Sketch” over the “Drawing” pads because the paper is thinner, and 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 and the cheap pencils will be frustrating to use as the wood will chip & leads will break when you sharpen them.
    • Pencil brands I do recommend: Tombow Mono Homo, Mitsubishi Hi-Uni, Faber-Castell (student grade Faber Castell Goldfaber or professional-grade Faber Castell 9000– this link has the kneaded eraser included for a good price),  Derwent or Caran d’Ache Grafwood if you’re feeling like a splurge.
    • Pencil brands I don’t recommend: 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.
  • a 6 inch ruler. For adults I recommend a gridded plastic ruler and for younger kids I recommend a rubber or cork-backed non-slip ruler.
  • a 12-24 inch ruler. For adults I recommend a gridded plastic ruler and for younger kids I recommend a rubber or cork-backed non-slip ruler.
  • 1 Kneaded “Gummy” Eraser.
    • Brands I like are Lyra & Faber-Castell.
    • For about 3 years now the Design & Prismacolor brands have often been too hard/crumbly to knead. DON’T buy those brands!
  • 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.
  • 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
    • Having one 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 metal kind (sometimes sold by Derwent) don’t tighten well on pencils without a round barrel

Supplies for the Classroom that Can Be Shared Amongst Students

  • 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 don’t have a flat surface, I recommend the Aftmat PS10 long point manual 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) 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

You’ll often find better prices online, and if you plan ahead, it is worth the small fee in shipping.

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 and may earn a few cents if you purchase from the links I’ve included here.

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

Dick Blick : also reliable, good products and they have fun project ideas if you want to get creative on your own

Cheap Joe’s : I’ve never ordered from them, but their prices are good and lots of my students use them

Local Austin, TX Suppliers

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 and Hobby Lobby are conveniently located, and a good place to go for drawing paper, 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 and do not have a nice quality for shading.