The holidays are right around the corner and we thought we'd pull together the Ultimate Gift Buyers List for the Artist in your family.
SUMMARY
Here are 22 essential supplies to help them create masterpieces:
Gift these supplies to the artist in your life and help them create stunning masterpieces this Black Friday! |
1 | Faber Castell 9000 Series
When I did the drawings of President Carter the brand, these four graphite pencils give me complete reliability and control all these are by far my favorite. My choice of hardness are 6H, 2H,F, 3B pencils. Don't buy the set, there are too many hardnesses that you will never use.
2 | Stadler Mars Lumagraph 6B, 7B, 8B
One of the biggest differences between Charcoal and Graphite is the value of Black. Finally a black graphite pencil which matches the black of Charcoal but with control. The Stadler Mars Lumagraph is the ticket for that control.
3 | Generals Powdered Graphite
Great for soft filler areas especially when used with cotton balls for smearing. Get yourself some nylon material, stuff it with 3 cotton balls, and put a rubber band around it. You are ready to smear. We have a video about that.
4 | Twisterz Small/Short Jar
Get 2. One for powdered charcoal and the other for powdered graphite. I have found out the hard way, the tops of the store bought powdered graphite/charcoals often come off and it goes everywhere! This is the perfect size to throw in a to go kit for drawing on vacation.
5 | Power Me Pencil Sharpener
I love the length of the point that pencil sharpener makes. From someone who has taught a few hundred adult artist a week in a professional art school for thirty years it is strange, I have a favorite Pencil Sharpener -- this is it, hands down.
6 | Mechanical Pencil 0.5mm 4H (hardness)
When I have a small detail and am drawing outside for the times I do not want to bring wooden pencils to have to sharpen. It also doubles when painting on a lightly washed in canvas with a light yellow ochre tone. That keeps the color from getting dirty.
7 | Mechanical Pencil .07mm HB and 4B (hardness)
The rest of your Plein Air Drawing Kit.
8 | Prismacolor Kneaded Eraser
Excellent for removing or highlighting, pencil, chalk, charcoal, and pastel. Most other kneaded eraser are too soft and the are hard to control when I light touch is required. I use an eraser as much as the graphite or charcoal and I actually draw with the eraser.
The complaint with the Prismacolor kneaded eraser is they get hard and the Faber Castell Kneaded Erasers stay soft (because they are in a case). Keep your Prismacolor soft with a case. It's a better eraser.
9 | Small Pill Box 3 pcs, Sukuos Travel Pill Case
Keeps kneaded eraser moist and clean. Buy more than one for multiple erasers- charcoal and graphite -- clean and dirty ones.
10 | Office Clips .75 Medium Binder Clips pack 36
Not the smallest sizes and not the medium sizes, just the smallest / medium size to attach the drawing to the board.
11 | Creative Mark Blending Tortillions - Soft Felts, Blender Set 12 Medium Size
I love the size and the control, there are more expensive but these give me more control. Used for blending graphite and charcoal when you do not want to use you finger. Your fingers have oils on them or worse lotion and either of those will leave brown spots years later! I use my hand to smear all the time, but if the drawing is for a client or in my case The Carter Library has a series of drawings of mine of President Carter these stumps come out.
12 | Charcoal Willow Sizes 5-7MM Loaning Willow Charcoal Sticks, Natural Willow Charcoal
Willow is softer and goes blacker/darker than vine. 120 Grit sand paper from the hardware store to put a point own it. Especially if you also purchase the next thickness size to use for bigger stronger strokes and filling in back grounds. This has the best case for the student who has to transport it. And the charcoal is soft and gives a rich black value. Usually only sold on Amazon.
13 | Vine Charcoal Winsor & Newton Artist Vine Charcoal Sticks, Medium Box of 12
I use this for the beginning stages, when I lay out my drawing and want to keep the marks and shape lighter, to be able to erase. Just remember, there are some very expensive charcoal companies that sell charcoal in various hardnesses. Ever since I have used W.N. Vine Medium, I have been happy with it. Keep in mind burnt vine and burnt willow may not really make a big difference, so why pay four times the price for it?
14 | Charcoal Extender for the pencils
Careful these will make the graphite pencil too heavy and I never use for Graphite. But I do use them for my Vine charcoal for my early sketching stage. But, rarely for the willow charcoal when a careful detailed touch is needed.
15 | General Charcoal Pencil - 4B
Charcoal pencils are made of compressed charcoal and compressed charcoal does not erase. So for me this is a finishing touch tool.
16 | Generals White Charcoal
I love this charcoal especially on colored papers. Have also used it on Graphite drawing on half toned papers. Do not forget the single sided razor blade to sharpen.
17 | Strathmore 300 Series Sketch Paper
Drawing papers have plus and minuses. Some Strathmore papers which are whiter also have a tendency of NOT to erase all of your charcoal, leaving a charcoal residue. So the Whiter the paper there seems to be a need for a Label Warning.
I have noticed with Starthmore 300 series sketch paper does a great job erasing. The higher the number in the Starthmore series the whiter the paper but the less it erases. (Except the 500 Series Charcoal Paper) great archival paper based on the higher the series number, my first choice for charcoal, but is does not erase well, so please plan your drawing out, maybe a sketch drawing on 300 series then the “real drawings”.
18 | Canson Mi-Teintes Charcoal Paper
I only use the smooth side for charcoal drawings when I need a halftone paper that in not made by Strathmore 500 series Charcoal paper. The smooth side unfortunately has the label on it, most of the time.
19 | Rives BFK 250gm Printmaking Paper (The Best Drawing Paper Ever)
Love this paper, we have a video that covers the paper. It's 100% cotton, 100% lignin free, and beautiful paper. This is a great paper to give to someone that is serious about drawing.
20 | Starthmore 500 Series Charcoal Paper
I absolutely love the Ingres weave. It is the same weave you will see on John S. Sargent’s Charcoal drawings. He used this weave the last 15 years of his life when he made do many charcoal portraits. This weave softens the edge similar to softening an oil painting with a bristle brush, similar to Sargent and Rembrandt paintings.
Other Supplies
21 | MDF Drawing Boards (Medium Density Fiber Boards)
From lumber stores. I purchase the pre-cut sizes 1/4" x 24"x48" - ( not 1/8 or 3/16" thicknesses). Please avoid Particle board they emit formaldehyde for 5 years and is harmful to breath. And have them cut the boards for me to three 16" x 24" boards, the take one board and cut it into two 12"x16" boards giving me four boards at a fourth the price as the art store. And I prefer them to any drawing board at the art stores.
22 | Three Cotton Balls: Place Them Inside a Small Nylon Piece of Material and Close with a Rubber Band
Fantastic way to brush in background areas / planes specific values. Incredibly soft affect, think quiet small child sleeping, gentle.
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