Drawing Accessories

Drawing Accessories

The budding, amateur or professional artist will always be in need of a great set of drawing accessories. There are plenty to choose from depending on the individual discipline, from drawing instruments themselves to mediums to draw on and items to assist. There are plenty of types of artists' pencils and charcoal, paper to draw on and erasers to remove mistakes.

One of the simplest methods of drawing, charcoal is almost primitive in its simplicity, yet the drawings produced can be extremely rich, detailed and full of shade and texture. Depending on the intensity applied, charcoal can produce soft shading or strong harsh lines. The monochrome black-and-white drawings can bring focus into detail and dimension. In order to create charcoal drawings, you will need paper and a stick of charcoal. Charcoal sticks and pencils come in a range of styles themselves. Vine charcoal is a long thin stick, produced in an airless kiln, and appreciated for the fact that it's easy to erase where required. Charcoal pencils are fine sticks of charcoal encased in wood, and protect the user's hands from getting smudged, as charcoal is notoriously prone to smearing and marking.

By far the most common material for artists to draw on is paper, yet not all papers are created the same. Rough textured papers are popular for charcoal drawing as they allow more charcoal to adhere to the surface. Cotton paper is very popular for artists' paper and sketch pads, as it's not only much stronger than paper produced from wood cellulose, but it's acid-free, meaning that your work will not deteriorate as quickly as papers that contain acid. Tracing and sketch papers are lightweight for fast work.

Pastels are known for the stunning drawings they can create. Oil and soft pastels create thick lines, and the result is somewhat like a painting, whilst hard pastels have a chalky texture and are perfect for drawings and sketches. They are smudgy, similar to charcoal, and can produce very soft effects.

There are lots of other accessories to support and assist artists. A good eraser is essential in order to remove any mistakes. Folios and sleeves to store and protect work from damage are important, and a good sharpener or craft knife is vital to keep pencils from getting too blunted.