mechanical pencils – Artistry By Lisa Marie

Let’s get to basics and start drawing!

Have you ever wondered “What are the basic tools I need to sketch a picture? Like, The ABSOLUTE bare minimum, basic tools?” Well today I am going to quickly show you FOUR basic tools I use in my studio to create sketches for custom portrait orders. And stick around to the end for a BONUS tool everyone forgets to ask about.

My Background…And if you’re new here I’m Lisa Marie, welcome to my studio! I’ve been a professional artist for over a decade. I earned a Master’s in art history in Florence, Italy while studying the renaissance masters. And today I stay pretty busy drawing custom pet portraits and coloring books.

Alright, now that introductions are out of the way let’s jump right into the four essential drawing supplies for serious beginners. (All of these will be listed nicely for you at the bottom of this post as well!)

1. Drawing Paper

Alright, First up is Paper! Yes! If you are going to do a pencil sketch it is fairly common for you to need paper to draw on. But not just ANY paper! I recommend paper with a bit of tooth (or texture) to grab the graphite of the pencil. Also, you want thicker (or heavier) paper that can take lots of layers of graphite and color – otherwise it will tear. So what paper is the best? Well…it depends on what your end goal is!

If you are doing ONLY a sketch in pencil and no other medium is being added to it, then a nice sketch book will do!

I like the Bachmore Sketchbook. It is spiralbound so the pages flip nicely to give you a flat surface to work on AND the binding is at the TOP of the pad. So you can work on it easily if you are right or left handed. (If you’ve see ANY of my drawing videos on YouTube, you know I’m lefty!) The paper is acid-free so it wont yellow over time. Also, the paper weight is 68 pounds – which means it is heavier paper and it’s 9x12 inches so there’s lots of surface are to work with.

Alright, but what if you want paper that can REALLY go the distance and go from sketch to final drawing all in one piece of paper? Then I suggest you check out Canson Watercolor Textured paper. It is NOT just for watercolor! This paper can take pencil, ink, charcoal, pastels and acrylic paint! And at 140 pounds, this is some fantastic thick paper that can take a lot of art mediums. SO MANY LAYERS OF COLOR PENCIL can go on this paper! And yes it is acid free and 9x12 inches – so it won’t yellow and gives you lots of surface area.

2. Drawing Pencil

Next is the Pencil. Yup! If you want to sketch a picture I strongly recommend you get a pencil. And like I said in the beginning, I am keeping this super basic. You DON’T need an entire set of pencils to make a sketch! You need a grand total of…ONE. Yes indeed, just one pencil will do. What you really want is a pencil that’s nice to hold, easy to use and can easily refill on quality graphite – because we’re not wasting time sharpening pencils. We’re going mechanical!

First I suggest the Pentel GraphGear drafting pencil. It’s metallic mesh grip is easy to hold for hours – and yes, I have sketched for hours with this pencil. The .5 millimeter graphite gives you a nice fine point. And it’s weighted at your fingertips to help with precision drawing. The lead is HB – which is the standard medium grade lead – not the darkest and not the lightest. HB grade lead is the same level of darkness as a number 2 pencil. ALSO, if you ever draw an “oops,” there’s a nice little eraser hidden under the silver cap at the top of the pencil.

What’s that? You want to go NEXT LEVEL with your single pencil selection?

Alright, I hear you. You want basic drawing supplies that aren’t TOO basic. Then I suggest the Pentel GraphGear 1000 mechanical pencil. Same brand as the other pencil and also HB lead that makes a nice, clear line. BUT it has a very fancy dual-action retractable tip that protects the lead from breakage. AND it’s extremely comfortable grip has soft padding for the fingers. It’s kind of the Cadillac of basic pencils.

NOW, little disclaimer, I’m not saying these are the only pencils. If you want to go into entire sets of pencils and collecting pencils, that’s a whole other conversation. Today the focus is on bare minimum basics. (Read my review of the NicPro Pencil Set HERE.)

3. Eraser

OK, you have paper and pencil, next you need an Eraser! Because we all make mistakes. But not just that. A lot of drawing style include a subtractive element where you NEED to take away graphite to get the right effect or texture. So you want more than just the basic eraser that comes in the mechanical pencils. And I like the Tombow Mono Zero Eraser. It comes in a few sizes, but I always have the 2.3 millimeter for precision erasing. The eraser is soft enough that it won’t damage the paper and the erasers are refillable.

If you want to cover more surface area for erasing, then get yourself a go old fashion standard Kneaded Rubber Eraser.

If you want to cover more surface area for erasing, then get yourself a go old fashion standard Kneaded Rubber Eraser. They are made of absorbent material to help lift up pencil lead. And they’re easy to clean by simply kneading the eraser between your fingers. AND since they are so malleable, you can squish them into any shape you want for your erasing or highlighting needs. Plus, they don’t leave erasing residue on the paper.

OK, let’s do a recap! You have paper, pencils and an eraser. What else do you need for your basic, bare minimum sketch? Just one more thing. PLUS a super bonus tool!

***And remember, there’s a straightforward bulleted list of all these drawing supplies below!***

4. Paint Brushes

Next up you need Paint Brushes! I’ll bet you didn’t see that coming.

But hear me out. If you want to blend your graphite and smooth out shading, paint brushes are perfect. They’re soft enough to blend without losing the under drawing. PLUS they come in a variety of sizes and shapes, so you can use a brush that conforms to the size and style of your pencil sketch. You may want to get the Bosobo Paint Brush Set. They come as a set of 10, are fairly high quality with durable synthetic nylon bristles and sturdy wooden handles. Easy to clean with warm soapy water and let them air dry. And come in a nice variety of shapes and sizes. And of course, you can also use them with paint! Just in case you decide to turn your sketch into a painting masterpiece.

So what do you think? Do you use paint brushes when you sketch? Or would you try them? Leave a comment below and let me know!

And FINALLY, the bonus tool for your basic sketching needs….drum roll please….

5. BONUS! Maulstick

The Maulstick! Such a random tool but if you do any drawing for extended time you should have it!

These doodads were initially recorded in the 16th century. It’s a German word – roughly translates to “painter-stick”. Which makes sense because it is a stick with a padded ball at one end that painters used. The padded end goes next to the drawing (or painting) on the table or whatever surface your drawing on, the raised stick is where you rest your arm or wrist. THIS IS ALL ABOUT COMFORT AND EASE! The maulstick will help your arm and shoulder relax while you draw. That means less muscle strain and less neck pain. ALSO, it helps prevent your hand from brushing on your drawing – which would cause the dreaded smudging that all artists despise. There’s a nice one with an aluminum rod and artificial leather ball that works well – naturally I’ll put that link for you in the video description.

Alright, so those are your BASIC drawing supplies. And I know some of you are saying that you want to go next level, especially with your pencils and other drawing supplies. Welp there’s a playlist for that! Go check out my playlist on YouTube all about different art supplies from drawing to coloring and more. There’s even a super fun review of the NicPro pencil set you might like.

And if you don’t want to miss the next blog post – OR if you want to have my studio videos and FREE art delivered straight to your inbox, then subscribe to my monthly newsletter!

And as always, STAY CREATIVE!

List of 4 Essential Drawing Supplies For SERIOUS Beginners

👉 MY FAVORITE ART STUDIO SUPPLIES

Ohuhu Markers: https://amzn.to/3CQ0GP8

Prismacolor Pencils: https://amzn.to/3ygINHc

Pan Pastels: https://amzn.to/3llrzoe

Ohuhu 10″x7.6″ Mixed Media Art Sketchbook: https://amzn.to/3zNlHdh

Wood Mahl Stick: https://amzn.to/3wvRn5M

Neenah Vellum Bristol Cardstock Paper: https://amzn.to/3odJa3D

Flymax Paint Marker .7mm White: https://amzn.to/3oNnsDT

Tombow Mono Zero Eraser 2.3mm: https://amzn.to/39YmRtA

Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink: https://amzn.to/3HBc5ba

Some of the links above are affiliated links, at no extra cost to you.

Get ready for an amazing mechanical pencil review!

Who has the time to sharpen pencils?! Certainly not busy pencil artists who draw all the time. We need that crucial time to be creative. And nothing ruins the artist’s inspiration like slowing down to sharpen that HB pencil. So what is the solution to the pencil-sharpening traffic jam? Mechanical pencils! And today I am going to review the very popular NicPro Mechanical Pencil Set.

Not only will I discuss the set itself, I will also show you how the pencils look on paper. ALSO, I will include a link to a video where you can watch me use this set in an actual drawing!

Not only will I discuss the set itself, I will also show you how the pencils look on paper. ALSO, I will include a link to a video where you can watch me use this set in an actual drawing!

So first let’s do a quick run down of everything in this little case.

(ALSO, if you don’t feel like reading this BEAUTIFULLY written blog post, you can watch the review on my YouTube channel HERE)

What’s Included:

FIRST, the mechanical pencils! There’s the size 2.0 pencils (so a bit larger). And we have 2H, HB, and 2B. Next are the grade HB pencils of different sizes: .9, .7 and .5. Eraser refills – I will discuss those more in just a minute. Larger soft erasers. Refills for all the pencils are in the extra little cases. And finally there are two lead pointers – super small and adorable.

What those numbers and letters on drawing pencils mean:

Before I jump over to show how the pencils work, let’s do a quick reminder what all these numbers and letters mean. Pencil lead is a mixture of graphite and clay. The grade, or hardness, of a pencil (which is shown with all those numbers and letters) is due to the proportions of graphite and clay. More graphite makes for a softer lead, and more clay makes for harder lead.

Softer lead makes a darker mark on paper – whereas harder lead makes a lighter mark on paper.

The middle of the road, medium pencil is HB. Softer leads get a B grading with a number to tell you just how soft the lead is. SO 2B is soft, 3B is even MORE soft. And a 5B is REALLY soft. BUT soft lead also crumbles easily so be gentle when you use it.

Leads harder than HB get an H rating. And they are numbered the same way as those soft B pencils. So 2H is a hard lead. A 9H is a REALLY hard lead.

How the mechanical pencils work:

Alright, back to these new pencils!

So how do mechanical pencils work? Quite easily! Just press the back button on the pencil and the graphite will come out on the other end. But be warned! In the NicPro mechanical pencil size 2, you must press the back button gently and tilt the pencil up or the graphite can just fly out. (Yes, I’ve accidentally turned lead into projectile objects in my studio…) At the end of the pencil with the graphite there is a “claw system” that opens when you press the back button to release the lead. To put the lead back, just press that back button to open the claw system again and gently press the lead back in.

The HB pencils are super easy to use than the size 2 pencils in this set. Press that back button the get the lead out. Re-press the back button and press gently to put the lead back in. BUT WAIT, there’s more! OK, so if you take off the cover of that back button you will find an eraser. And that’s where all those eraser refills will go!

Feeling inspired? You Can Buy NicPro Mechanical Pencils HERE

Now it’s time to play with these pencils on paper!

So I grabbed my handy sketch book to take a look at that all these different leads look like on paper.

And at this point you might be asking why. Why scribble graphite on paper? For a few reasons.

It’s fun to scribble.
It’s a great way to test the quality of the graphite and see how smooth it is.
To experience the mechanics of this mechanical pencil set.

OK so I started with the size 2, grade 2H pencil. And as I’m making mark on the paper, I pressed harder and lighter, to show you how it looks with different pressure.

Then I moved on to the other pencils in this set.

Next I tested those erasers. The ones in the mechanical pencil and the larger, soft eraser. Both erasers did their job well enough. They weren’t the BEST erasers I’ve ever used and certainly didn’t remove all markings on the paper.

And finally, the lead pointer, I’d use on the size 2 pencils. These are very small pointers. Not sure if I’d use them much. But they are nice to have. Not really the strongest feature in this set for me.

Here’s an image of my glorious scribbling. Ah yes, another drawing masterpiece.

Alright, NEXT! I used these on an actual drawing in the studio!

Here’s a picture of me hard at work in the studio, trying out the NicPro mechanical pencil set. If you want to actually watch me in action, you can click the link to this drawing video HERE.

4 Factors I Use To Judge Mechanical Pencils Sets:

So there are 4 factors that matter to me as a pencil artist when using this mechanical set: Ease of use, quality of graphite, blend-ability, and quality of accessories – such as erasers and lead pointers.

Ease of Use: The set is fairly easy to use. The pencils and refills are well-labeled. The mechanics of the pencil are straight forward. For the larger pencils, the size 2’s, the lead can come out quickly if I am too fast or angle the pencil the wrong way. So that’s something to be aware of when drawing.
Quality: The graphite quality is very nice. When scribbling test samples and while drawing and actual work of art, the graphite went smoothly onto the paper. It layered well. There was no serious crumbling. The pencils themselves are well made and pleasant to hold.
Blend-ability: This is a factor for me because of my drawing style. I blend much of my pencil art with paint brushes. The graphite in this set blended fairly well. Naturally, the softer graphite (grade B) blended better than the harder (grade H) options in the set.
Accessories: The erasers worked well enough. I would prefer a finer point eraser for some of the detail work that I do. But the small eraser in the mechanical pencils worked OK (had a little wiggle if I pressed too hard). The larger eraser would be more useful for taking care of a large surface area – but wouldn’t completely get rid of ALL pencil marks. So use erasers with caution.

The other accessory, the lead pointer is only useful on the larger leads (the size 2). And you have to be very careful and precise while using it. However, if you want a very fine point it is an extremely useful tool once you get the hang of it.

Final Verdict Of the NicPro Mechanical Pencil Set:

Overall, this is a lovely mechanical pencil set. It is easy to use, has nice quality materials and leads and the accessories are useful. This doesn’t fulfill ALL my drawing needs – but it’s certainly a delightful addition to my studio!

What about YOU? Have you tried this pencil set? Is there a different pencil set you absolutely adore? (I’m always on the lookout for more drawing supplies!) Leave a comment below and let me know!

OK, that’s it for today! Thank you for joining me in the studio. Remember to subscribe to my monthly newsletter so you don’t miss the next posts and videos!

About Me:

Hi everyone I’m Lisa Marie from Artistry by Lisa Marie. For those of you who don’t know me, I’ve been a professional artist for over a decade. When I was 15 years old I apprenticed in an artist’s studio for several years then earned a Masters in Art History in Florence, Italy while studying the techniques of the Renaissance masters. Today I create custom portraits and coloring books and pages.