What do I need to start drawing? Well for starters you should buy artist quality drawing supplies.
 Follow the suggestions in the list below and build your drawing supply toolbox.
 Pencils & Charcoal Pencils vary in hardness.
 You do not need too many pencils, but you should have a variety of graphite hardness.
 For a good supply choose pencils with a hardness of 2,4,6 and 8b.
 As you practice you will become familiar with which hardness best works for the particular drawing technique you are doing.
 Similar, charcoal comes in varying hardness.
 I suggest purchasing a soft charcoal for quick sketching and shading.
 Watercolour pencils These are designed for use with watercolor techniques but can add color to pencil drawings as well.
The pencils can be used by themselves for sharp, bold lines.
Strokes made by the pencil can also be saturated with water and spread with brushes.
Pastel Pastel sticks or crayons are pure powdered pigment combined with an binder.
The pigment is the color.
 The binder is what holds the stick together.
  Most artist choose soft pastels because the drawing can be blended more easily.
 Soft pastels have the most vibrant colors.
 Hard pastels are similar to colored pencils and can be useful for outlining.
 Erasers Erasers are a very important tool in the artist toolbox.
 A kneadable rubber eraser is used for pencil, charcoal or pastel.
 This type of eraser picks up and absorbs the particles.
 A soft vinyl eraser erases cleanly and is non-abrasive.
Soft vinyl erasers are preferred by some artists because they are gentle on canvas and paper.
 Sharpeners You may not think that a pencil sharpener is that important.
 But consider that as you sharpen your pencils or pastels the powder or pigment that falls to the garbage is waste.
 Therefore purchase a good quality sharpener in the art supply store that is made for the purpose.
 Sharpeners used for number 2 school pencils will not be as sharp and may cause the graphite or pastel to break.
 Sketch pad and drawing paper You can find a selection of artist sketch pads and paper in your art supply store or online.
 I suggest buying a pad with about an 80 lb paper.
This will allow you to use pencil, charcoal, ink and even paint.
   These are the basic for drawing.
 You will surely build your supplies over time.
 Remember even the greatest artists started with the basics.
 Follow the suggestions in the list below and build your drawing supply toolbox.
 Pencils & Charcoal Pencils vary in hardness.
 You do not need too many pencils, but you should have a variety of graphite hardness.
 For a good supply choose pencils with a hardness of 2,4,6 and 8b.
 As you practice you will become familiar with which hardness best works for the particular drawing technique you are doing.
 Similar, charcoal comes in varying hardness.
 I suggest purchasing a soft charcoal for quick sketching and shading.
 Watercolour pencils These are designed for use with watercolor techniques but can add color to pencil drawings as well.
The pencils can be used by themselves for sharp, bold lines.
Strokes made by the pencil can also be saturated with water and spread with brushes.
Pastel Pastel sticks or crayons are pure powdered pigment combined with an binder.
The pigment is the color.
 The binder is what holds the stick together.
  Most artist choose soft pastels because the drawing can be blended more easily.
 Soft pastels have the most vibrant colors.
 Hard pastels are similar to colored pencils and can be useful for outlining.
 Erasers Erasers are a very important tool in the artist toolbox.
 A kneadable rubber eraser is used for pencil, charcoal or pastel.
 This type of eraser picks up and absorbs the particles.
 A soft vinyl eraser erases cleanly and is non-abrasive.
Soft vinyl erasers are preferred by some artists because they are gentle on canvas and paper.
 Sharpeners You may not think that a pencil sharpener is that important.
 But consider that as you sharpen your pencils or pastels the powder or pigment that falls to the garbage is waste.
 Therefore purchase a good quality sharpener in the art supply store that is made for the purpose.
 Sharpeners used for number 2 school pencils will not be as sharp and may cause the graphite or pastel to break.
 Sketch pad and drawing paper You can find a selection of artist sketch pads and paper in your art supply store or online.
 I suggest buying a pad with about an 80 lb paper.
This will allow you to use pencil, charcoal, ink and even paint.
   These are the basic for drawing.
 You will surely build your supplies over time.
 Remember even the greatest artists started with the basics.