1. Art supplies you should keep at home Supplies can be purchased online from dickblick.com

2. 9” x 12” Sketch Pads, glue bound, left, or wire bound, right.

3. Three pencils will suit your drawing needs - hard (4H), medium (HB or #2), and soft (6B, 7B) ✔ ✔ ✔ Hard (lighter) Soft (darker) H means hard, B means black. The higher the number, the greater the degree. For example, A 6B is softer than a 2B, a 4H is harder than a 2H.

4. 4H, hard, good for light, precise lines and light layout #2, the same as HB, good for half tones 6B (or 7B) are soft for dark, velvety values. Ebony pencils are also soft for dark values. They wear down fast, so get a few.

5. X-acto knife with safety cap Much better than a pencil sharpener! Kneaded eraser A new eraser, left. A full eraser, right, should be discarded when it starts to leaves marks.

6. Vine or willow charcoal sticks and soft chamois (shammy) are great for loose drawings that are easy to lift or change. It’s best to buy soft chamois at an auto parts store (Pep Boys).

7. Black and white charcoal pencils work wonders on toned paper. Only one 4B soft and one white are necessary, but sets are available, too. This set include 2B, 4B, 6B, white, and a kneaded eraser

8. Get any one of these WORKABLE FIXATIVE cans for keeping drawings from smudging. It should be MATTE (non-glossy). I prefer Blick.

9. Faber-Castell Pitt Artist Pens are filled with permanent India ink that does not smudge. Look for the “S” that means “Superfine”

10. Premier Prismacolor have rich pigments stored in a durable storage tin.