The need to express their thoughts and emotions through painting was inherent in man throughout his existence. However, unlike the ancient authors of cave paintings, the modern artist has a much wider arsenal of materials for creativity. This, on the one hand, facilitates his task, but on the other hand, confronts him with a choice that is not easy for a newcomer to cope with. Anyone taking the first steps in painting, wonders what is needed for drawing in the technique of interest to him. In this article, we will look at two of them - pencil and oil drawing - and find out what materials are needed to work.
Pencil drawing
The range of accessories for such a technique is quite large, but, to summarize, all that is needed for drawing for beginners is:
- pencils;
- paper;
- eraser;
- knife for sharpening pencils.
How to choose a pencil
Simple pencils differ primarily in hardness, and their choice depends on what you are going to draw.
If this is a sketch, which is later planned to be covered with paint, it is better to use a hard pencil (indicated by the letter H). To create thick shadows or rich blacks, it is better to use very soft pencils (4B, 8B). For ordinary drawings and sketches, pencils of medium softness (2B, HB, B) are suitable. Hardness and softness are determined by the ratio of graphite and clay in the stylus. The more clay, the harder the pencil.
Other pencil drawing materials
As we already found out, the list of what you need to draw with a pencil includes other items:
- Paper. For drawing, it should not be too soft, otherwise it will wrinkle and tear under the influence of an eraser, so an ordinary office one will not work. It is best to use whatman paper with a density of 160–180 g / m 2 . Most often, it is sold in sheets of A1, but it is worth starting with A4 and gradually switching to larger paper.
- Eraser. An item that needs to be taken very seriously. If the eraser is old, it can ruin the paper by scratching and dirtying it, so you need to use a new one. It is also good if there are two rubber bands: one is usually hard, to erase thick lines, the second is soft, plastic, which is convenient to remove small parts.
- Knife for sharpening pencils. It seems that from the list of what you need to draw, this item is not the most important. Nevertheless, experts say that a lot depends on the correct sharpening of the pencil and categorically do not recommend the use of sharpeners.
First you need to sharpen the shaft to 30–38 mm, while the stylus should be exposed by about 1 cm. Then we clean the stylus so that the tip becomes thin. When sharpened correctly, the shaft (cut wooden part) forms a very sharp angle, which allows you to hold the pencil almost flat during hatching.
Oil painting
Most of the masterpieces of world painting were created using this technique. No wonder she attracts so many. So, let's look at what you need for oil painting:
- paints;
- canvas;
- brushes;
- diluent;
- palette.
How to choose oil paints
Today there is a huge selection of paints both in color and in composition. A novice artist can be advised of water-soluble paints - in this case he will not have difficulties with a thinner. They include additional fluid, which promotes the interaction of water and oil. As for flowers, for a start it is better to take about ten to twelve tubes, and then look at which paints are consumed faster and slower, which unexpectedly arose, and which are still intact. It should be noted that the consumption of white is usually much more than other colors.
Other oil painting materials
- Canvas. Canvases vary in composition (can be made from linen and cotton), as well as in the degree of granularity (fine-grained, medium-grained and coarse-grained). It is believed that fine-grained are more suitable for paintings with detailed details, while coarse-grained ones are better for drawing with wide strokes. However, only experience will help determine what you need for drawing specifically for you. It is better to buy canvas already ready and primed, since it will be very difficult for a beginner to prepare it on his own. To begin with, it is better to choose a canvas on cardboard, they are cheaper and it is easier to choose a frame for it. Canvases on a stretcher are more expensive, but can do without a frame at all, and also exist in more sizes.
- Brushes. The oil paint brushes should be fairly stiff, the pile should spring. Products with natural bristles are best kept in shape, but they are more expensive. There are many forms of brushes, and their choice depends entirely on your artistic tasks. For starters, you can buy a ready-made kit (for example, manufacturers Pinax or "Malevich"), and then purchase as needed. It is very important to properly care for the brushes - immediately after use, wipe with a cloth and wash thoroughly with soap until the water becomes clean.
- Diluent. As a diluent, you can use linseed oil, petroleum or a tee (a mixture of dammar, linseed oil and turpentine). It is needed in order to make paints more liquid, if, for example, they are thickened on the palette. Just dip a brush into it and then add this liquid to the paint. In addition, thinner can be used to remove paint from brushes.
- Palette. Typically, palettes are made of glass, plexiglass and wood. Before use, the wooden palette should be greased with linseed oil and wiped dry, and immediately after work - thoroughly washed. Plexiglas also requires washing immediately after use. The glass palette is easier to care for, the paint from it can be removed after drying.
This is all that is needed for drawing at the initial stage. Further depends only on your inspiration.