what i use for traditional art
Added 2022-03-26 19:21:19 +0000 UTCbrands done really matter for basic sketching stuff, i use any normal school pencils that are available at any gas station/pharmacy, and its nice to have eraser caps to quickly swap back and forth. plastic erasers are good because they dont smudge.
for shading, ive always loved tombow 4b pencils because they are easy to get a wide range of values but work best on paper with a bit of tooth. as for erasers, i kinda just have a variety of ones i got at a stationary/art store near where i live, or depending on what is readily available. i use some "eraser pencils" too which is kinda like a pencil with a hardened eraser so you can erase super fine areas but it isnt that great so i use it sparingly. i use a modified coffee can for pencil shavings that i repeatedly dump out when it gets full, its nice to have on hand. the big brush is an old paint brush that i have repurposed for wiping away eraser shavings because it is fluffy and soft and doesnt leave any hairs. i use a bunch of pencil holders to hold pencil stubs when they get small, so i can use the pencils all the way to the end. i use a simple mechanical egg timer for pacing myself and i use a mitsubishi 10b pencil (the darkest and softest i could find, super rare!) for the darkest areas of a drawing but very sparingly since they are hard to come by. white out is also helpful for fixing mistakes, or whatever can be fixed before scanning and touching up digitally.
because softer lead crumbles easily, for the 10b pencil, colored pencils and the eraser pencil, i often find it safer to use a pencil sharpener with a less acute angle for these so the tips, while not remaining as sharp for long, are less likely to break.
my desk surface is a flat piece of wood that looks like it belonged to a table or counter top that i found in the trash.
