When i first started drawing there was no clear guidance as to what materials other artists were using to acheive such high quality results, so for the most part i used to sit and stare at their work scratching my head in frustration!

Therefore.... I won't leave anybody who is interested in the blue and i will explain what i use in as much detail as possible.

Before i begin i must say that having no time to go to the shops is no excuse! :-) for those of you who struggle to find time - eBay is an undiscovered gem for artists everwhere!! i find the user 'artyfolks' (in the uk) has everything i need, although there will probably be an eBayer nearer you with good art stocks. It is cheap too!

So... without much further ado...

Paper

Probably the most important material you can use in graphite art is the paper you draw on, the texture of the paper will dictate how the pencil strokes come out regardless of your talent or method. When i was younger i used to prefer rough paper but now i have embraced art as more than just something i do when i'm bored, i have moved on to very smooth bristol board paper. in my opinion there is no better paper that enables you to have full control over your pencil strokes.

This paper usually costs around £5

Pencils

I simply couldn't live without mechanical pencils and i use these more than any other pencil form. Mechanical pencils for those of you who are thinking i've gone mad are pencil leads within a barrel and a click top, much like a pen. the difference with these pencils are that they always stay sharp, and this i find vitally important! especially for hair! There is no particular fancy mech pencil i use, in fact i use a regular Bic pencil.

As for leads, i am only able to find 0.5mm leads in an Hb and 2b - again i buy the 2b leads off eBay and the Hb are Bics own! if anyone does find softer leads, please let me know :-) Having said that you will be surprised how dark a 2b mech pencil will actually go! These mech pencils and leads are available for literally pennys!

When it comes to softer pencils i always use Derwent. without a doubt they are the best artist pencil going and the range of softness is unbeatable going all the way down to a 9b! Ridiculously soft! this pencil lasts about a day!

The last time i bought these, they cost me £4. (eBay again!)

Eraser

Where would i be without my trusty kneadable eraser?! the difference between this eraser and a regular one is that you can mould it into any shape you like depending on what you would like to erase, the quality of the eraser is superb as well, leaving no trace of graphite on the paper (unless you have pressed down really hard, which you shouldn't really do!) I highly recommend one of these, if you really can't get hold of one then blu tac does the trick too.

As for cost? the postage will probably cost more than the actual eraser!!

Blending

For blending i use q tips/ear buds. i get through these like my dog goes through a sausage! make sure you have a constant handy and clean supply, they are amazing for blending, if you use them lightly in small circular motions you should end up with incredibly smooth shading - see the circulism tutorial  for more info on blending.

These are available from most chemists!

Well, that's it for now, as i think of more i will add them but i hope this has been of some use!