8 DRAWING SUPPLIES for Beginners

My recommended drawing supplies for beginners. You don't need to have all these tools to start (you really only need a pencil and paper), but having more tools can enhance your work and make the drawing process more efficient and easy!

Here's a little more info on some of the tools mentioned:

Paper Weight: This number is not the actual weight of the sketchbook or drawing pad. It is the weight of 500 sheets. The average copy paper or printer paper is around 20-30lbs (pounds).

Drawing Pad: I find that the thicker it is, the better because thicker sheets can hold up to a lot more wear and tear, especially when I'm working on a portrait drawing that takes hours of work. For me, 70lbs works great. Keep into consideration that I'm light to medium handed. If you draw using a lot of pressure, I'd recommend a drawing pad that's at least 80lbs.

Kneaded Eraser: When you first buy it, the eraser will NEED to be molded until it becomes SOFT. To speed up this process, scribble on your sketchpad to create a lot of graphite DUST. Then press your eraser onto the page, allowing it to pick up the graphite. Then knead the eraser so it envelops the graphite (knead it well). Basically, the more you use the eraser, the softer and more pliable it will become. You'll also notice the color turn darker (which is why the packaged eraser in my left hand looks so light in color).
To clean a kneaded eraser, just fold it in on itself a few times.

Tissues: The brand I use is Scotties.

✅ RELATED TUTORIALS

✏️ TOOLS
- Blending Tool (Make or buy):

⏰ SKIP TO TIMESTAMP ⏰
00:00 - Intro
00:04 - Sketchbook
00:46 - Drawing Pad
01:29 - Pencils
02:25 - Erasers
03:08 - Sharpener
03:31 - Ruler
03:45 - Smudge Guard
04:15 - Blending Tool

🧰 MY CAMERA EQUIPMENT
Camera and lens for Macro Closeups from the side (Sony a 5000):

👕 RFA STORE:

DISCLAIMER
This content contains affiliate links. If you decide to make a purchase through the link, I will make a small commission at no additional cost to you. This helps fund free tutorials on the RFA channel and website. Thank you for your support!

[RapidFireArt]

✏️ TOOLS
- Blending Tool (Make or buy):

[soozt]

I am 58 and was under the impression my entire life that I could not draw/paint, totally unartistic. Lock-down gave me a reason to HAVE A GO. I did the eye tutorial and was blown away with what I created. Thanks for such detailed instructions and list of supplies. I have been to art shops that I never knew existed under my very nose.

[drdumbgoggles]

This video really help me Starting out

[haidersart]

I would also recommend a tombow mono eraser for tiny detail you wanna erase,
Which I personally think works better than a beaded eraser (due to the fact that it up lightens up your sketch, not erase it)

[mykoo_]

Cool, ill try them out tomorrow. No more procrastinating for me :)

[johngalvin]

As always, good advice for beginners and potentially good artists

[artbymeema-abstractart]

techniques . Will surely try them all. 🎨👏😁

[nasio]

Your voice is very soothing to listen to (not being creepy here) and your tutorials are very informative and very easy to follow. Love it

[souravpadhan]

Drawing is good timepass in the lockdown.

[mikecardenas]

Why is this the most perfect YT vidro ever? Thank you.

[julianacoots]

Most people: yea good video
Me: write that down WRITE THAT DOWN

[cory]

So, I do cartoonish stuff a lot, so get an array of fineliners, and try to buy some alcohol-based markers, they don't always have to be copics.

[rajinidevarajan]

Thank you so much. Have watched many of your videos and have truly benefitted in correcting many of my mistakes

[jabbarwaleed]

you are such a great artist.. you are very helpful for me...now a days i am watching all your videos and practicing. i am beginner and sketching faces..thanks a lot..

[esanti]

Love your videos. Thnk u. You are very inspiring. Brought back my middle school technics as an middle age adult.

[LisaIngArt]

Woua incredible work !! Really beautiful !

[jamesaritchie]

I use several woodcase pencils, but I also use mechanical pencils. They're very handy, never need sharpening, and you can get soft lead for them just as you can for woo0dcase pencils. Some even draw with no lead extended, and this pretty much eliminates breakage, even with the softest lead, or with 0.3 lead which is great for very fine detail, or for fine crosshatching.

I think many beginners don't realize you can buy several grades of lead for mechanical pencils, or that they can be used for art. I know pro artists who almost never use anything else. I use ones that keep writing until the lead runs out, such as the Uniball 207, and a couple of others that don't need lead extended in order to draw, though you can extend the lead if needed.

But I also use drafting pencils. I love the extended pipe because it helps me see exactly what I'm doing. My favorite is a very cheap one. It's the Pentel 200 series. One wonderful artist called these the light sabers of the mechanical pencil world, and I think he's right. They're wonderful. I use a slip on grip with mine because I don't like thin plastic grips, but I also often use a slip on grip with woodcase pencils, though far more often with mechanical pencils.

Whiler not a must, one tool I found handy when I first started drawing was a stick. I still use the, The ones I use most are rectangular and half an inch wide on the sides. I can cover a very large area by lying one flat on the paper, but I can also wear each corner down to different degrees of flatness and get as many as eight different lines, along with a point that's very sharp.

I found this extremely useful for quick sketches. I have several grades of graphite from HB to 8B, and doing very quick sketches is eawsier for me than using a pencil of any kind.

[susanlivesley]

Absolutely loved this you made it so easy

[calubels]

Thank you so much for your tips! Loved it

[ninjaniedsg]

Thanks for this video. Very helpful for me