I want to start drawing, but I don't know what kind of supplies to get.

[liliaceae]

I know nothing about art, but I took an art class in high school and really enjoyed drawing with charcoal pencils. Are there colored pencils that have the same kind of texture as charcoal pencils? If I'm remembering correctly, charcoal pencils can make sharp lines, but you can also smudge it on the paper to do shading and stuff. Hopefully someone knows what I'm talking about. Also, what kind of paper would be good to use with something like that?

I'd appreciate any advice you can give me!

[ms.shell]

I haven't used charcoals, so i am not sure. but i started drawing with watercolor pencils and they

can make sharp lines, but you can also smudge it on the paper to do shading and stuff.

....so i guess they are similar? you need to use water over your drawing to smudge them, tho. I like the Kimberly brand of watercolor pencils; I got mine at Michaels. I have used watercolor paper with them, but usually I just use an Academie spiral sketch book.

Have fun!

[liliaceae]

Thanks! I'll have to check those out. I'm also wondering if pastels might be what I'm looking for.....has anyone worked with those?

[no5no5]

Originally Posted by liliaceae

I'm also wondering if pastels might be what I'm looking for.....has anyone worked with those?

Yep. Just make sure you don't end up with oil pastels, which are not much like charcoal. You want the ones that are basically chalk.

[HeliMom]

You can still get charcoal pencils too for your black and white work. ( I love unwrapping them!) Or vine charcoal is a cheaper alternative you don't mind your hands getting a bit dirty. Conte come in some subtle earth tones too, they are a firmer than most pastels but are still smudgey

You'll want to get paper that is a little toothy. If you are just looking to practice for a bit and want to keep costs down you should get a pad of newsprint paper. For stuff you'll want to keep you can invest in acid free charcoal or pastel paper. A cheap altnative is drawing on gessoed wood ( if you have scrap wood lying about, sand it a bit if it's really rough)

Safety: Although non-toxic charcoal and pastels will do damage to your lungs if you work with them often enough. You can minimize how much dust you inhale by keeping your drawing surface vertical with a wet towel or paper towel underneath it to catch the drifting dust that falls.

Have fun!