With many types of drawing materials on the market it can be difficult to know what to buy. In my over 20 years of sketching I've come across some favorites I've listed below.

Drawing Pencils

Derwent Graphic Pencils are a good quality pencil that I've used for years. They have a wide variety of types from 9H to 9B. HB is my most-used pencil, but I'll use up to 3H for a hard pencil and 6B for a soft. You can buy individual pencils or a set here at Blick Art Materials.

Another great option that I really like is woodless graphite pencils. They can be sharpened like a pencil, but instead of being mostly wood surrounding a thin piece of graphite, the entire cylinder is graphite. You can get nice thick strokes by using the side of the pencil as well as razor-thin lines when it's sharpened well. They can break easily when dropped, so be careful. They are available at Blick Art Materials.

Vine Charcoal

Soft vine charcoal is a very forgiving medium that I use extensively. It makes up the majority of my charcoal drawings. I love the tremendous range of values and very soft blending that can be achieved! I usually work upright by clamping the paper to a board and placing it on my easel. This, along with working from left to right (I'm right-handed) keeps it from getting messy. (see my demo on YouTube)

I prefer soft charcoal as hard charcoal can be abrasive and even difficult to erase if applied with significant pressure. I also prefer a variety of thicknesses for different techniques. Windsor Newton makes great charcoal which is available at Blick Art Materials.

Nitram Charcoal

Nitram is a newer addition to my arsenal, but so far I'm really liking this charcoal! It's less messy, produces less residue, and best of all it hugs the paper a little more when blending which results in a much smoother blend than what you can achieve with regular vine charcoal. It costs more than most regular vine charcoal but it's well worth it. Get Nitram Charcoal here is Blick Art Materials.

Compressed Charcoal

Compressed charcoal is denser than vine. The marks it leaves are more permanent and it's less messy. I like it for detailed drawing. There are compressed charcoal sticks and charcoal pencils.

My absolute favorite hands down are woodless charcoal pencils (see above). As with woodless graphite, they can be sharpened like a pencil, but instead of being mostly wood surrounding a thin piece of charcoal, the entire cylinder is charcoal. You can get nice thick strokes by using the side of the pencil as well as razor-thin lines when it's sharpened well. They can break easily when dropped, so be careful. They are available at Blick Art Materials.

I also use compressed white charcoal in many of my drawings. Since I usually draw on toned paper, the white charcoal provides a great highlight. It does not work well over black charcoal so make sure you use it on pure, or almost pure paper. I use it in both pencil (Blick Art Materials) and stick, (Blick Art Materials).

Charcoal Powder

This stuff is great for special effects you cannot get with charcoal sticks or pencils! You can literally paint it dry onto your paper with a regular make-up sponge (one of my favorite techniques, see demo in my YouTube video about 24 minutes in) or with a soft brush. It's also very easy to erase back into for even more effects. Available at Blick Art Supplies.

Nitram Sharpening Bloc

This works very well for sanding down your vine charcoal into a fine point. It's handy having the large solid area for support and it comes with a couple replacement sanding pads. Get it here at Blick Art Materials.

Sakura Cordless Electric Eraser

I have found this tool so useful in my drawings. It's incredible for erasing out small things such as grass or anatomical details. I will sharpen the eraser tip on sandpaper which gives me the ability to erase very fine lines. It's also very good at erasing marks that a kneaded eraser cannot. And I've yet to have it tear or wear down the paper. This eraser is usually priced around $50. Check Blick Art Materials for the current price or to see other options they have that may be lower in price.

Kneaded Eraser

Kneaded erasers are renowned for their gentleness (they will not tear your paper or rub off the fibers), shaping ability, longevity and erasing ability. They are my main eraser. Available at Blick Art Supplies.

Strathmore Toned Paper

This is my favorite paper for doing final drawings, especially in charcoal (though it works just as well for graphite). It comes in tan, grey, and blue; I use the tan color most since it fits well with my subject matter and has a look that is reminiscent of old 19th-century photographs. It has a very smooth texture for fine detail and it erases very easily.

It comes in a lighter-weight sketch paper and a heavier multi-media paper. I like the heavier paper for final drawings as it's less prone to bending, but I also use the sketch paper for sketches and drawings. Click here for Multi-Media (Blick Art Supplies) and Sketch (Blick Art Supplies).

Strathmore Softcover Sketch Artist Journal

One of my favorite sketchbooks for field use is the Strathmore Softcover 400 Series Sketch Artist Journal. It's a nice compromise between a case-bound and a wire-bound book. The pages are securely bound, yet you can get them very flat. The softcover has enough support for the pages you are drawing on and it has a great classic feel. They come in white and toned paper. Click here for Toned (Blick Art Supplies) and White (Blick Art Supplies).

Blending Stumps

Blending stumps are an absolute if you want to blend pencil or charcoal effectively. I also use them to slightly lighten the value of areas in my charcoal drawings. I use both small and large stumps depending on the area I'm blending. Available at Blick Art Supplies.

Natural Chamois

Chamois isn't just used for drying cars, it's a great blending tool for drawings. I use it to blend larger areas of charcoal and it gives a slightly different result than a blending stump. Available at Blick Art Supplies.

Pencil Box

I used to use small tackle boxes as a pencil box since they were more economical. However, Artbin now makes the same thing for an even more reasonable price, around $5 (see Blick Art Materials for current price) and it comes with foam inserts to protect your pencil tips.

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Jason Tako is a nationally known fine artist who specializes in western, wildlife, plein air, and Historical Native American subject matter. He spent his learning years sketching the wetlands and wooded areas of rural Minnesota. He has been featured in Plein Air Magazine and Western Art Collector Magazine and he was the Featured Artist for the 2020 Southeastern Wildlife Expo. See his work at www.JasonTako.com and his demonstrations on his YouTube Channel.