Essential Reading Lists And Equipment

[christudor]

Hey, I'm new to this forum and also pretty new to drawing too. Although I can draw cartoons and doodles and things like that, I really want to take my drawing to another, perhaps professional level. I know it will take time and dedication, both of which I have, but I would also like to know which books and equipment would be useful to buy, or essential to buy if I wanted to really improve my art, as at the moment, I'm drawing from pictures in books with a HB pencil on printer paper.

So, what's first? A decent sketchbook? A set of drawing pencils?

[Petra]

I have a few good sketchbooks with beautiful paper, and most of them rarely get used.

I still draw on printer paper and in scrapbooks when I'm trying something new or learning a new technique or just doodling away or sketching out a design. If you're in a learning and growth stage (which is pretty much never ending) keep tearing through your printer paper and just draw, draw, draw. It's easier to get over tossing out a piece of paper with a picture on it that just didn't turn out right when the paper cost 1 cent rather than $1 a page. Do buy yourself a small sketchbook though, that you can throw into a bag or carry around with you so you've always got something to draw on when you're out and about and something inspires you.

Do get yourself some more pencils and pens or markers and just draw and experiment. Again, if you're new to it, don't feel like you have to go out and buy the best of the best and then be too afraid to use them. Work with your budget and try for something of reasonable quality that you won't feel bad about when you've sharpened it down to a nub in 2 weeks or its run dry in a month.

Remember, it's the artist that makes the tools work, not the other way around.

- Petra -