Best Drawing Materials!

Welcome to my new addition to my website where I hope to review materials, artists and exhibitions locally and worldwide! 

Commencing my first post, I'd like to share with you my recent love of a collection of drawing materials which I feel are the magic combination when drawing in pencil, or at least for me! Over the years, I've gone through many combinations of materials trying to find the perfect match to achieve the best results in my work. I've found several combinations for different types of drawings but lately, I've fallen in love with specifically Strathmore 400 series paper combined with Faber-Castell 4B pencils and a selection of Stumps - not the rolled Tortillions, but the actual compressed paper pointed stump that really helps to create super delicious drawings. I have experimented with all kinds of pencils but the best for me is Faber-Castell 4B because it just has the best consistency and the lead is soft but strong enough to survive multiple sharpenings. The paper is key, it has to be smooth and preferably off white as it just adds to the textures and tones in a pencil drawing. Stumps are so nice to use as you can sharpen them with a blade and they are far superior to the rolled Tortillion in my opinion. They offer a greater control over tone which I really like. 

Best places at least in London to buy these materials is Cass Art. The only place I can find the paper is on Amazon for some reason. It's cheaper too but I wish it was easier to buy than having to wait on a delivery! 

I've have a lot of messages from beginner artists wanting to know what I draw with so I hope this has helped in some way. The links I've added go straight to the materials on the Cass Art website as well as Amazon, so you can see easily how to get these materials for yourself. 

*Please stay tuned every Monday for reviews on art materials, Exhibition reviews on Thursdays and Artist Interviews on Fridays.