Drawing
Do you want to become a better drawer and sharpen your creative skills? Are you looking for a gift for a good friend who loves to draw? Either way, this guide will help give you the lowdown on the standard and not so standard drawing supplies for that special artiste in you. For some help with the little ones, please see our guide to Drawing for Kids.
Gifts for Adults
Art supplies make great gifts, hands down. They are fun and enriching, as well as great way to get someone started on a new hobby. In order to best shop for whomever you have in mind, think about thier skills and interest level. Here are some suggestions for basic pencil and pastel kits. For some more help, browse through our Gift Guides or take a look at Gifts for Artistic People.
Buying the Right Kind of Paper
The two most common types of paper for this craft are sketch paper  and drawing paper. The differences are in the paper's quality and weight. Drawing paper is higher quality and generally costs more. Sketch paper is usually used by children or those looking to just practice. Drawing paper is for more seasoned professionals. When choosing papers, you're also going to want to consider its weight. A thin 10lb paper, like tracing paper, is too thin. A think 100lb drawing paper will be good for most drawing mediums. If you will be painting with watercolors, you will need an excess of 100lb paper. When using charcoals, you'll need at least a 60lb paper.
Texture of paper also is important. The smoother the texture of the paper, the straighter and smoother a line you'll be able to make. It might seem like the less texture the better, and that is true for when using pencils and ink. However, when using many colors, texture is a great way to add multiple layers to the piece. Little texture will allow the colors to bleed, which is not a desired effect. Also, charcoals and heavier mediums of the like will require a more textured paper.
The shape of the pad is also important. Consider all of the factors. lf you're going to be drawing on a flat surface, then you might want to not have a spiral binding. If you are going to be drawing mostly landscapes, then you might not want to purchase a portrait shaped drawing pad.
Here are some different types of drwing pads you might like:
Colored Pencils
Canson Sketchbook
Rising Stonehenge
Fabiano Quadrato Artists Journal
Daler-Rowney Sketch Pads
Michael Rodgers Sketchbook
Richeson Sketch Pad
Strathmore Drawing Pad
Colored pencils are harder to shop for than it seems. There are many different brands and types, which can make this exhausting. Some of the best are Faber-Castell, Derwent, and Prismacolor. The more you spend, the higher quality color and brightness you will get. For beginners or for people in need of a freshen up, a large kit with tons of colors is the best way to start to build up a variety of colors to work with. After you gain more experience, you can purchase pencils individually if you wish.
Graphite and Charcoal Pencils
Graphite and charcoal pencils are perfect tools for sketching. Graphite pencils range in hardness from 9H to 9B with H being the strongest and B being the lightest. Charcoal pencils mostly range from hard, medium, to soft. Think of it this way-the harder and more rigid the pencil, the stronger and thicker lines that you will be able to draw. Softer pencils might be better for fine lines and shading.
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