Steve Bolton 

Course Cost: $475

Materials to Bring: 

For our drawing workshop we will need a few things but all these items should be easy to find and reasonably inexpensive. Drawing is quite personal and many people have their own preferences as far as materials go. This is a good thing. So this list is more of a guide than a strict shopping list and is indicative rather than mandatory.

• PAPER

• PENCILS

• GRAPHITE STICKS

• CHARCOAL

• SHARPENER

• ERASERS

PAPER
There is a wide variety of paper available that is great for drawing. Bockingford and Fabriano are a couple of names to look for but your local art shop will also be able to make some good recommendations from their stock. I spoke to Impressions in Richmond and they seemed to have plenty to choose from. You'll want a pad or two for the workshop.

I would suggest:

2x A3 Drawings Pads - A couple of different types will give you choice and variety.

1x A4 Drawing Pad - For studies, smaller drawings and planning things out.

5-10 Larger individual Sheets - Choose something you like or a variety of different papers. A mixed bag can be good and the shop where you're buying paper should be able to guide you and give you some recommendations.

Tip: Avoid choosing a paper that is too hard or shiny. It can be very hard to draw on. Instead go by feel and choose a paper with a softer and more textured feel.

PENCILS, GRAPHITE & CHARCOAL
We'll need pencils, graphite sticks and charcoal for the workshop but apart from the charcoal (which usually comes in a box) everything you need should be able to fit in a normal sized pencil case. Pencils come in a variety of shades and are all marked with a HB 2B 2H style code. H means hard B means Black. Consider a regular HB to be a shopping list style pencil - just a regular middle-of-the-range pencil - and go from there.

PENCILS

You will need a couple of HB Pencils and then as many of the following ones as you like. Their all B's and the higher the number, the softer and darker the pencil will be.

2x HB and some 2Bs, 4Bs, 6Bs etc

Depending on where you're shopping, the numbers could well go higher. If so, be adventurous and grab a few of the really dark ones. They're great to work with. My favourite is a 9B.

GRAPHITE STICKS
These are like pencils but without the wooden sleeve - so solid graphite. They're fantastic to draw with and use the same HB grading system as regular pencils. They cost a bit more but go a lot further and are far more versatile. If you can, treat yourself to a few of these. They're really worth the money. The darker graphite sticks are particularly rewarding to draw with.

CHARCOAL
Charcoal comes in two forms. As Compressed Charcoal and as Natural Charcoal. I prefer the natural as it just seems better to work with. It comes in a variety of sizes but you can usually find a packet of mixed sizes. It is worth noting, there is no HB style grading system with charcoal. It is all equally and intensely black. 

SHARPENERS & ERASERS
SHARPENER
There are plenty of sharpeners to choose from but one with a catcher can be a good idea. It stops you having to go to the bin every time you want to sharpen a pencil - but more importantly, it will collect graphite for use in future drawings.

 ERASERS

1 x plain soft or plastic eraser. Generally used for cleaning up, this can be any eraser that you like. Pick one that you think will suit your style.
1x kneadable eraser. Sticky and used differently to a regular eraser. It is important to have one of these handy as they are more of a drawing tool than a conventional eraser.