ART MATERIAL SUPPLY STORE
BELOW YOU WILL FIND LINKS TO ALL THE ART MATERIALS I USE
I've listed all the art supplies I use right here, so if you aren't sure what you need then just click on the link here to see it. Even if you don't purchase from these Amazon links, I find it helps to actually see a picture of the product so I know what to look for myself.
Soft Pastel Supplies
Soft Sticks
I recommend and own all 3 of the below soft pastel sticks, each brand is high quality and the softness that I like. I also advise that if you want to buy a set, then stick with the half stick sets like these because you get double the amount of colours for the same price and pastels last a very long time so a half stick is plenty. If you don't want to buy a whole set then both of the Australian stores I recommend sell each pastel separately. Your local art shop should also sell most of the brands I recommend.
If you click on the photos you will be taken to the website that I bought my sets from www.softpastels.com.au, they are an Australian store in Newcastle, NSW.
Make sure you look around because you may find them at a better price elsewhere.
Schmincke
Sennelier
Pastel Pencils
I would say I use pastel pencils the most because I like the detail I can get and more precision.
Stabilo Carbothellos are my favourite but the Faber Castel Pit's come in a close second. I only have a couple of Derwents and they feel quite nice as well and are another good brand. I do have Caran D'Ache pastel pencils but I haven't listed them here as I am not really a fan of them, they are too soft for my liking.
Pastel Papers
My favourite saying is "It's all about the paper". So if you only have a small amount of money to spend, then I suggest you use it on the pastel paper. If you don't have the right paper then you will really struggle with layering the pastel which is what we need to do to achieve realism in our paintings. I used to use Mi Teintes Touch and Colourfix Original a lot but now I love Pastelmat for it's layering ability. I do however recommend heavily sanded papers if you can't get pastelmat. Such as Uart 600, Sennelier Pastel Card or even at a pinch you could use Colourfix Original.
Clairefontaine
Pastelmat
Uart 600
Extra Pastel Supplies
The below items are things I sometimes use in my pastel drawings but are not a necessity, more a luxury.
2mm MDF Board
I use this for backing my pastel paper to make it more rigid and easier to move around
Paper Stumps
Paper blending stumps are a great way to blend your pastels when your fingers are a bit big to get to that really small spot
Pan Pastels
Beautiful fine pastel pigment, ideal for blocking in under colours that won't clog your paper. Work with sofft tools.
Sticky Tape
I find plain old sticky tape the best for taping any pastel papers to the MDF backing board.
Charcoal Supplies
Charcoals
These are the different charcoals I use, you won't find willow or vine charcoal here as I don't use it in my style of work. I prefer the darker, heavier charcoals such as the pencils and compressed sticks, and my favourite pencil brand is General's in a 2B. I've never had any problems sharpening them or finding hard bits in them.
I use the charcoal powder for backgrounds and the white charcoal pencil for highlights.
Generals 2B
Charcoal Pencil
Generals are my favourite charcoal pencil brand because I've never had any trouble with hard gritty bits in them, and 2B is perfect for everything
Generals White
Charcoal Pencil
White charcoal pencils are my go to for adding highlights, again I prefer the Generals brand
Compressed
Charcoal Stick
I use the compressed sticks for covering large areas quicker than I can with the pencils
Charcoal
Powder
Charcoal Powder is what I do most of my backgrounds with. This rubbed over the background using a paper towel is all that is needed.
Paper Stumps
I use paper stumps for blending and adding grey areas, they are also used for find detail
Kneadable Eraser
I prefer kneadable erasers over others because you can form them into any shape. You use a dab and lift motion rather than rubbing and I use them to pull charcoal out of the lighter areas.
Glassine Paper
This paper is ideal for both charcoal and pastel work for protecting your art from your hand resting on it, as well as a great covering when storing your work.
Charcoal Papers
I really only use one main paper for my charcoal drawings which is a watercolour paper, Arches Hot Pressed. I love the hot pressed because it is smooth and i like the feel of how the charcoal goes onto it. It is also good for blending the charcoal powder background. I have also used smooth matt board, yep that's right, matt board that you frame with. It is archival and a great way to get a mid tone colour background. Another one that I have been told about but haven't used yet is Colourfix Smooth Pastel Paper. Apparently this is a great charcoal paper which I will be trying myself soon.
Arches Paper HP
My favourite paper for both charcoal and graphite drawings. I love the HP (hot pressed) for the smoothness of it.
Matt Board
I use matt board a lot in various different ways throughout my art practice, but a smooth matt board is great as a drawing surface for charcoal as it is archival and already tinted to a colour
Colourfix Smooth
The smooth Colourfix is a great surface for charcoal and you can find a lovely midtone colour to create a great effect if you didn't want just a black and white drawing.
Additional Art Supplies
I've listed here additional items that I use in my art practice. I highly recommend the Caran D'ache Grafwood pencils for graphite drawings.
Caran D'ache Grafwood Pencils
I absolutely adore these graphite pencils, they are so soft and smooth and you can achieve some beautiful shading with them, I've never had any hard gritty bits in them either.
Cutting Matt
This is a must have in any art or craft studio to cut on plus to protect your table.
Sanding Block
It's handy to have either sand paper or a sanding block to sharpen the points of your pastel pencils and charcoals
Hobby Knife
I use my knife for many different things and is a must have in my studio. It is also great for sharpening pastel pencils.
Frog Tape Masking Tape
This is a low tack painters tape that won't rip your paper when pulling it back off. I use it to hold down my Arches Drawing Paper to my MDF board.
Tombow MonoZero Eraser
This little retractable eraser is the perfect size for removing unwanted graphite or charcoal in small areas. It is also an ideal size for creating fur strokes.
Logan Matt Board Cutter
This is one of the handiest pieces of equipment I have ever bought. It is ideal for cutting matt boards and gives you that nice 45 degree edge.
Pencil Extender
These pencil extenders make it easier to use your pencils right until the end with ease.
Colour Wheel
No explanation needed, very handy to have so you can determine complimentary colours, values etc.
Tracing Paper
I like to use a good quality tracing paper for creating my line art. The easier you can see through it the better.
5mm Foam Board
I use foam board to create my storage folders for my art. Also a great way to post your work.
A3 LED Lightbox
Forget having to hold you reference image against the window to trace, this handy little light pad is perfect for that.
Table Easel
This is the easel I use for all my workshops. It's pretty sturdy and is great if your using soft pastel sticks because all the dust can drop down.
FC Matt Graphite
These are new graphite pencils from Faber Castell.
They are all the B range and are designed to create darks without the shine normally associated with graphite
Scale Tool
Scale Tool for drawing in proportions. A must have if your learning how to draw freehand.
