Drawing Materials for Beginners: The Complete Starter Kit

Updated on 02/09/2026 by Rita Moreira

Ask what you need to start realistic drawing and you will hear three myths in the first minute: that proper materials are expensive, that they are hard to find, and that nothing good happens without them. All three are wrong, and the third one is wrong in both directions: cheap tools will not stop you, and expensive ones will not save you.

This is the complete kit guide: what each item does, which brands have earned their place, what you should refuse to buy at the start, and the honest signals that an upgrade is finally worth your money.

What drawing materials do beginners actually need?

Beginners need five things for realistic drawing: graded graphite pencils (HB, 2B, 4B and 6B cover the range), paper of around 140 gsm or heavier, a putty rubber, a precision eraser pen and a blending stump, plus a sharpener that keeps a long point. Everything else is optional, and most of it can wait until your technique asks for it.

Here is the full starter kit, in order of importance:

1. Graphite pencils in HB, 2B, 4B and 6B.
2. A pad of drawing paper, 140 gsm or heavier.
3. A kneaded eraser, sold in the UK as a putty rubber.
4. A precision eraser pen for highlights and fine corrections.
5. A blending stump for soft transitions.
6. A sharpener that gives a long point, or a craft knife.
7. A 0.5 mm mechanical pencil with 2B or 4B leads, for hair-fine lines.
8. A soft brush and plain tissue, for moving graphite over large areas.

How do graphite pencil grades work?

Every graphite pencil carries a grade: H means hard, B means black, and HB and F sit in the middle. The lead is a mix of graphite and clay, and the proportion decides the behaviour: more clay gives a harder, paler line that holds its point; more graphite gives a softer, darker stroke that wears down fast. So an H builds pale, controlled layers while a 6B delivers deep shadow.

How many grades exist depends on the maker, not on any universal rule. The Castell 9000 line runs across 16 degrees, while the Staedtler Mars Lumograph 100 stretches to 24, from 12B to 10H. And here is a trap worth knowing: two HBs from different factories are not the same pencil, because each brand mixes its own recipe, and one maker’s HB can behave like another’s 2B.

None of this means you need dozens of pencils. In truth, an HB and a 4B will carry you through your first month; the four-grade kit above simply saves you fighting the paper for your darkest darks.

Which pencils should a beginner buy?

The question I hear most from new students is which brand to trust first, so here is the honest tier list, built on brands whose claims check out:

Whatever you choose, avoid ordinary writing pencils and unbranded bargain leads: gritty specks in the graphite scratch pale lines through careful shading, and no technique compensates for that. When even a 6B cannot reach the black you want, that is the moment to explore charcoal pencils for realistic drawing rather than pressing harder.

What paper should you start with?

Paper decides how refined your finish can be, because every sheet has a texture that the graphite either fills or fails to fill. Textured paper resists the pencil and leaves white speckles in the grain, which reads as a rustic finish; smooth paper, such as Bristol board, lets the graphite settle evenly and gives that polished, photographic look. Neither is wrong, but smooth surfaces flatter realism.

Weight matters just as much. Copier paper sits around 75 gsm and buckles under layered graphite, so keep it for daily practice sheets, and give finished work a pad of 140 gsm or heavier. Winsor & Newton, founded in London in 1832, makes accessible Bristol and cartridge pads, and Fabriano’s smooth papers are the classic upgrade when you want the finish to come faster.

Two habits stretch any paper further: try the back of a textured sheet, which is usually smoother than the front, and test every new paper with your own pencils before trusting it with a portrait. The paper and pencil are a partnership; a harder grade suits a rougher sheet, a softer grade sings on a smooth one.

Which erasers and small tools actually matter?

Plan on two erasers, because they do opposite jobs. The putty rubber is kneaded like dough and pressed onto the paper to lift tone gently, without scrubbing, which protects the surface. The eraser pen, such as the Tombow MONO Zero with its 2.3 mm round tip, draws with light: catchlights in an eye, single bright hairs, the tiny reflections listed among what artists use for white highlights. If faces are where you are heading, my step-by-step guide covers eyes, lips, skin and hair in that exact spirit, so you can learn to draw every feature convincingly.

The blending stump softens transitions between tones, and using it well is a small skill of its own, covered in how to blend graphite. A soft brush and folded tissue do the same job over large areas. And do not underestimate the sharpener: a long, fine point is half the secret of smooth, even shading, which is why many of us sharpen with a craft knife or a crank-handle sharpener rather than a stubby pocket one.

What should you not buy at the start?

Skip the giant imported box set. Buying 24 grades on day one means paying for twenty pencils you will not touch, and the money serves you better as good paper. Skip the drawing table too: any smooth board, even a piece of MDF taped with your sheet, turns a kitchen table into a studio, and tilting it around 15 to 30 degrees spares your neck and steadies your stroke. A real drawing table is a lovely purchase for the artist you will be in a year, not the one starting this week.

The same patience applies to a lightbox, which earns its keep later, and to big coloured sets: colour is a genuine next chapter, with its own guide to realistic coloured pencil drawing, but graphite teaches the values that make colour work. As the saying goes among artists here, someone who truly draws will draw on the back of an envelope; the kit exists to serve the habit, never to start it.

When is an upgrade actually worth it?

Upgrade when you can name the limitation, not before. Struggling to reach deep blacks is a reason to buy a single 8B or a charcoal pencil; losing patience with grainy finishes is a reason to try a smoother, heavier paper; everything else is usually technique, and one more purchase will not fix it. Buy single pencils and loose sheets rather than sets, and let each purchase answer a problem you have actually met.

Proof that skill leads and materials follow: one portrait in our community was drawn on A4 in about four hours using a single HB grade, building every tone through pressure and layering alone. That discipline, far more than any shopping list, is the foundation of realistic pencil drawing.

Where can you buy drawing materials in the UK?

Hobbycraft covers the whole starter kit on the high street, while Cass Art and Jackson’s Art stock the full Derwent, Staedtler and Faber-Castell ranges plus Bristol pads, in shop and online. Amazon.co.uk lists every item mentioned here, including the Tombow MONO Zero, if a single basket is easier.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you draw on printer paper?

Yes, for practice. Printer paper is perfect for daily studies, shading drills and quick sketches, and filling cheap sheets without fear is genuinely good for your progress.

Just do not trust it with finished work. At roughly 75 gsm it buckles under layered graphite, its short fibres shine when burnished, and heavy erasing damages the surface.

The working split is simple: studies on printer paper, final pieces on 140 gsm or heavier, and both habits will serve you for years.

How many pencils do you need for drawing?

Four grades cover realistic drawing comfortably: HB for light construction and pale tones, 2B for midtones, and 4B with 6B for the dark end.

You can go leaner still. An HB and a 4B alone will teach you pressure control beautifully, precisely because they force you to build every value between them by hand.

Full 16 or 24 degree ranges exist for specialists; for a beginner they mostly add cost and decision fatigue. Add single grades later, when a drawing actually demands them.

What do you do when a putty rubber has gone hard?

Warm it up first: knead it firmly between your fingers for a minute, and a slightly stiff putty rubber usually softens back into a usable state.

If it stays crumbly or greasy after kneading, replace it. Putty rubbers age like any soft material, and one saturated with old graphite stops lifting tone and starts smearing it around instead.

They cost little, so keep a fresh one in the kit, stored in its wrapper or a small tin to keep dust and warmth away.