Something about drawing materials

Drawing materials-

Water colours-

First we should take decision whether we are going to use water colours in painting. In a variety of forms, pure water colours are available, such as dry cakes, pans and half pans. These cakes are available in small blocks of  solid colours. And the same colours in concentrated form are found in small tubes and bottles also. Tubes and bottles of colours are good for laying larger areas of wash.
Gouache is a similar as pure water colour but it contains a proportion of chalk which gives it an opaque quality.

Palettes-

Palettes are available in plastic and ceramic. But we can use egg-cups and saucers of the kitchen instead of palettes.

Brushes-

The best water colour brushes are available in market, made from the hair of the tail of the Siberian minks, from the hair of squirrels often called camel hair. The synthetic brushes for this purpose are also available. It requires careful selection of brushes in small, medium and large sizes. Flat brushes for laying washes, round brushes for expression strokes and small brushes for making fine details are used.

Drawing papers-

According to your preference you may select smooth, medium and rough finished water colour paper. Light  weight papers are soaked before use and then needs to be stretched out on a board to dry. This process does not let backing when heavy washes are applied.

Pencil made of graphite (lead)-

Graphite pencil are the most cheapest and common drawing tools (pencil). They are grated as 8H (the hardest) and 8B (the softest), the pencils are used according to the paper used.
The clutch and propelling pencils are also available. These can be extended and used to avoid sharpening the pencils.

Other equipments-

Use a sharp knife or a safety blade for sharpening pencils; avoid cheap pencil sharpener. For erasing, kneadable putty erasers are used.

                                                                                    Coloured pencils-

Coloured pencils are used in drawing. But now-a-days water colour pencils are also available in the market. You can get water colour pencils which may partially be dissolved with water before they are used.

Pastel colours-

The pastel colours are also used in drawing. These are made from powder pigment bound with resin/gum to hold them together in stick form. The pastels may be round or square. They are found in three grades- soft, medium and hard. The hard pastels are mixed with extra gum or binder which detract from the colour brilliance and this is why the softest pastels are brightest.

Selection of paper for pastels-

It is very crucial to select papers for pastels. The colours of the support will become an essential part of the finished picture. The paper should be chosen to match the subject. For pastels, a slightly textured surface paper or a mat are the best. Smooth papers are not suitable.