Questions about paper and pencils...

[ruben_g_ramos]

I was wondering, what type of paper and pencils do you all use for sketching?

Is a smooth paper better then a rough paper?
Serveral HB pencils or just a #2 pencil?

Also, as a side note, I would like to buy the DVD from Marko Djurdjevic: Character Ideation, but I'm not sure if it will actually benifit me. Has anyone seen it? What does it teach/show you?

[Elwell]

I prefer smooth paper to rough.
An HB pencil is a #2 pencil.
There is a whole threads about Marko's DVD here.

[Meli Hitchcock]

I also like smoother paper and I primarily buy Strathmore's 400 series Sketch pads. Pencils I just use my trusty mechanical pencil with HB lead. Most of the time I get a good value range with the HB lead alone that I don't have to use any other lead hardness.

[rpace]

I like a smoother paper -- I do like to feel something when I draw, so I prefer vellum finish when I pencil on bristol board, though when using company brands of paper I'm okay with their ultra-smooth plate finish since I have to take an inker into consideration.

I don't like going harder than an HB lead in a clutch pencil for most of what I do, though I always seem to be working with 5B woods in my sketchbook. My sketchbook is invariably an 8.5x11" black hardcover bought in bulk from Curry's.

I also draw on bond in pads a helluva lot.

For drawing from the model I either go for jumbo charcoal and very smooth newsprint or compressed charcoal sticks or HB conté when using newsprint with some tooth.

~Richard

[Grief]

i'm echoing rpace and meli but yeah... mostly strathmore sketchpads 60lb weight.

if i want to go fancy and i'll use strathmore bristol smooth finish (if you work with technical pens i'd suggest smooth finish otherwise the pen tip may rip the fibers of the paper)

for printmaking, pretty much anything, bfk, sommerset, hosho, mulberry, etc. depends what sort of look i need (or how much my budget will allow)

for pencils i use a 5H or 6H with nearly no pressure (the weight of the pencil itself usually) if i'm going to go over the image in ink. for illustrating in graphite 2H is as hard as i go, usually err on the B side, HB-2B and lots of 4B-6B for deeper values

you don't need fancy pencils or perfect paper for art, but if youre an art nerd what else are you going to spend money on?

[ruben_g_ramos]

Ok, awesome! Thank-you so much everyone. I just bought the Strathmore 400 series Sketchpad and I'm just using an HB pencil.

It actually has helped so much already because I can go over things without having to worry about the paper getting all messed up from my eraser.

I'm not very good with varying values, so, I guess I'll just use HB until I get better at it.

Also, thank-you Elwell, that thread was informative. I'm going to be buying the DVD as soon as I have some extra money to spare.

[dose]

I mostly use a staedtler lead holder with either non-photo blue lead or H lead. I'm a recent convert to the non-photo blue lead. It's also fun and educational to switch it up occasionally too.

For paper, I'm mostly concerned about size. I keep several different pads of different sizes and use them for different things. My most used right now is 5"x7", because it's quite conducive to sketching on the subway.

[squidmonk3j]

for rough sketching, and compositional planning i use copy paper. i have a box of 2000 sheets that cost me about as much as a moleskin sketchbook...mebbe even less. for finer sketching, i prefer *some* grain...the light resistance works as sort of a leash for my impatient pencil!

i recommend you try out as many types of paper as possible, tho. find the type(s) that fit you. some like it smooth, some rough...it depends on what you want to achieve and how you go about achieving it - there's no overall "better".

happy hunting