A Guide to Mediums
Introduction to mediums
A medium is a substance added to paint in order to alter the way the colour appears and behaves. There are a number of reasons why you might use a medium, including to alter sheen, drying time, texture or transparency. Mediums are available to suit oil, acrylic and watercolour, although they are not compatible across media. Here is a summary of all the different varieties of medium available by media.
Oil painting mediums and solvents
Refined Linseed Oil
- Popular and traditional oil made from seeds of flax plant, used to make mediums for oil painting
- Increases gloss and transparency
- Dries solidly, throughout the oil film, making it very stable and permanent
- Ideal for underpainting/initial layers in a painting
- Dries within 3-5 days
- Very pale light yellow in colour, may have slight colour influence on whites/pale colours
- Alkali refined – impurities have been removed to minimise the yellowing of the oil over time
- Mix with solvents in equal measure (or more oil than solvent depending on your preference) to make a versatile oil painting medium which flows and dries glossy
Alkali Refined Safflower Oil
- Pale coloured alkali refined oil with little tendency to yellow
- Favoured for use with whites and blues
- Longer drying time than linseed oil
Stand Oil
- Paler, more viscous oil than refined linseed oil
- Slows drying
- Gives tough elastic finish
- Mix with turps or white spirit to help colour flow and reduce brush marks
- Is made by heating without air at very high temperatures. This partly polymerises the oil, making thicker in consistency yet maintaining a smoothness that allows it to level brush marks and be the ideal component in a glaze medium. Also its viscosity means one can use it to paint using impasto techniques knowing that the paint will not wrinkle and it will dry in a more stable manner than when just applying the colour thicker or with more regular linseed oil added to it. It yellows less than refined linseed oil and is also slower drying.
Walnut Oil
- Very pale yellow brown oil
- Excellent resistance to yellowing and cracking
- Yellows less than linseed oil over time
- Also works as an effective brush cleaner that helps retain moisture in brush hairs
- Dries faster than safflower and poppy oils but is equally favoured for using with whites and pale blue hues
Purified Poppy Oil
- A clear oil medium to mix with and reduce light colours
- Less inclined to yellow than Linseed Oil, but slower drying
- Enhances gloss and flow, but too high a proportion prevents the colour from thorough drying
- Should only be used for the final layers of a painting, and only in moderation (mixed with solvents)
Cold Pressed Linseed Oil
- High quality, slightly yellow
- Extracted without the use of heat
- Increases gloss and transparency and reduces brush marks
- Highly recommended for grinding pigments
- Cold pressed Linseed oil is the least brittle form of linseed oil, very stable, dries thoroughly, least yellowing but more expensive than regular linseed oil
Alkyd Mediums
Alkyd is a synthetic resin that has come into popular use in colours and mediums within oil painting. The Winsor and Newton Griffin range of colours uses Alkyd resin as its binder. The advantages in doing so lie in the speed at which alkyd resin dries, and also its low cost. Unfortunately alkyd resin does not have the same colour holding capacities as a natural gum resin such as damar might have, which is used by Schmincke in their Mussini oil colour range. This means that the colour depth and brilliance is compromised slightly. However alkyd mediums are perfect for students or beginners, as well as for using when painting out of doors for all levels of ability (ease of use, practical reasons). It is also a good medium to use in the initial layers of a painting (underpainting) as it dries quickly, and one can then continue to work over the top with a medium that is made up of more lustrous, richer ingredients, if one so desires. Remember always the fat over lean rule – this means that the initial layers of oil colour should have less oil content than the layers applied over the top in order to allow the painting to dry solidly throughout the layers – this will give your painting stability and minimise the paint’s ability to absorb water from the air. Alkyd is also used in C. Roberson’s Oil Primers and Jackson’s Thixotropic Alkyd Oil Primer, and this allows these primers do dry a lot faster and be sold at a much lower price than the pure lead primer by Jackson’s. There are many alkyd mediums available, with varying consistencies and by a number of brands – check the details of each individual product for their unique characteristics. Brands Available Include: Jackson’s Fast Drying Oil Painting Medium, Jackson's Alkyd Oil Medium and Jackson's Gloss Gel Medium for Oils Winsor and Newton Liquin (all varieties) Daler Rowney Alkyd Flow Medium.
Traditional Oil Painting Mediums (Pre-Mixed)
There are a number of pre mixed mediums that use traditional, natural ingredients that achieve a greater degree of colour brilliance and depth. Because these mediums replicate the recipes used by painters for hundreds of years, we know the extent of their permanence and stability. If you know you are only going to use a specific ingredient for one purpose, i.e. as part of a particular medium, then buying a pre mixed medium might be the most cost and time effective way of doing so. If you are more likely to want to explore the possibilities with how to alter and manipulate mediums by altering the ingredients and their proportions, then it may be better to buy the ingredients separately to mix yourself.
Some of the Pre-mixed, traditional mediums available:
Jackson's Glaze Medium
- A mixture of Damar resin varnish, stand oil and turpentine
- Achieves lustrous thin glazes
- Ideal for fine detail and smooth brush work
- Increases translucency and flow
- Dries thoroughly throughout, ideal for initial and successive layers of paint
Winsor and Newton Painting Medium
- A petroleum distillate (low odour solvent) based glazing medium mixed with linseed stand oil
- Slow drying
- Gloss
- Ideal for fine detail work, glazing, smoothly blended areas with no brush marks
C. Roberson & Co. Glaze Medium
- Mix with tube oils or pigment to improve flow and translucency
- For thin glazes, fine detail and smooth brushwork technique
- Consists of Turps/Damar/Stand Oil/Cobalt Dryers
C. Roberson & Co. Impasto Hard Edge Oil Medium
- A crack resistant medium for impasto effects
- Retains palette knife & brush strokes
- To retain colour strength mix 1 part medium to 1 part oil colour
- Made of Stand Oil/Damar Resin/Turpentine/Bleached Beeswax
- Ideal for impasto scumbling techniques
Roberson Oil Painting Medium
- Double thick mastic varnish.
- Pale drying linseed oil/synthetic copal varnish.
- Gives flowing quality when mixed with oils in ratio 2:1
- After 8-10 hours drying, gives rich brilliant effect without extra gloss
Zest It Clear Painting Medium
- Facilitates the flow of oil paint, levels out brush strokes and can be used as a glaze
- Can assist the traditional oil painter and the wet on wet artist as well as oil pastel artists
- Made from a mix of Zest It and Linseed Stand Oil
- Accelerates Drying
What is charcoal?
Charcoal is one of the oldest art materials ever used. The first recorded use was discovered in the creation of cave paintings that date back to 23,000 BC. Since then, various technologies and methods have been invented or harnessed to enhance its properties and compensate for its structural weakness. Charcoal’s structure is that of a complex lattice with no distinct or repetitive design. This lack of uniformity causes it to irregularly fold in upon itself creating many little dips and craters within its structure, and therefore, a vast surface area. This lack of uniformity also causes it to be very fragile and fracture oddly on a molecular level, resulting in a dusty, crumbly, matt material that gets caught in the tooth of paper but can be easily wiped away if it is not fixed in some way. The flakey texture enables artists to create a vast array of textures from a dense line when pressure is applied to a faint grey mark when little pressure is used. This is because lots of particles are being deposited to a much gentler, powdery line and the particles are spread out or more diffused. Drawing with charcoal feels rough and slightly catchy because on a molecular level the charcoal is fracturing irregularly.
How is charcoal made?
Charcoal is made by burning natural matter incompletely, such as plants, wood or bone, over a long period of time in a chamber, pot or kiln that has restricted airflow. This leads to the incomplete combustion of the material and production of the form of carbon we know as charcoal.
How can I use charcoal?
Charcoal is a dry medium that can be used in its raw form as a stick or powder, or mixed with a gum or wax binder to make it easier to handle. It can create a wide range of tonal marks from intense matt black to very light greys. Its structure makes it easy to remove from a surface with the brush of a hand, although it can leave some staining due to dust getting trapped in the surface texture. Charcoal is most often used for quick sketches and is especially suitable for life drawing sessions. It is chosen by so many artists because of the immediate response to the artist's hand where the marks can be very bold and heavy or can be blended into soft and subtle shading.
Charcoal pencils are the perfect tool for an artist who desires the traditional effect of a charcoal stick without the associated messy dust. Charcoal pencils are charcoal leads encased in a layer of wood which not only protects the charcoal from snapping, but also guards the fingers from charcoal marks.
Types of artist charcoal
The wood, preparation, binders, and format dramatically change the texture and application of different forms of charcoal.
Vine and willow charcoal are both made by heating actual vines and pieces of willow in a kiln or chamber. These sticks tend to be fairly long and thin and are always slightly irregular, restricting some of the marks you can make. The different wood produces a different charcoal, with vine charcoal creating a dark grey and willow charcoal creating a rich, deep almost velvety black.
Willow charcoal tends to have a more uniformed, consistent mark and finer particles than vine charcoal. It is available in a range of widths, usually named ‘thin’, ‘medium’, ‘thick’ and ‘chunky’ or ‘jumbo’. These vary between 3mm to 24mm. Often the willow used for artist charcoal grows quickly and only needs a single growing system. The sticks are usually heated over a period of 3 days to make them suitable for artistic use. Vine charcoal tends to be easy to dust or erase making it perfect for life drawing, quick sketches or compositions that need constant reworking. Vine charcoal is also available naturally in a range of hardness including soft, medium and hard. Linden is also a wood commonly used to create stick charcoal. It is also possible to make charcoal yourself using ovens that are on for a long time at a high temperature with a completely sealed casserole dish or similar however this is a fairly lengthy and involved process.
Powdered charcoal is literally charcoal in powdered form. It can be made by crushing up the dust of willow or vine charcoal or be bought as a separate product. It can be combined with other charcoal products or used wet with watercolour to create areas of dark rich black in artworks. You might find it doesn’t create as dark a mark as compressed charcoal so using a combination of forms in a piece can be useful, however, it can be perfect for toning a whole surface or area of a surface. This can be done by using a variety of sized brushes with dry powder and blowing away excess dust or by mixing the charcoal with a small amount of water on a palette. It is worth practising if you plan to use wet charcoal as the wrong ratio of water to charcoal can create a muddy effect. Wet charcoal will dry to have the same appearance as applied dry charcoal, meaning you can use multiple application techniques on a work to create a seamless, unified finish. If using wet charcoal you will need a suitable absorbent surface and will still need to fix it as you do with any charcoal piece.
Compressed charcoal breaks much less easily than vine charcoal and is harder to erase. You can also use the side of the stick to create broad consistent strokes, which is difficult while using vine charcoal due to its irregular shape. Compressed charcoal is made by combining charcoal powder with a gum binder and pressing it into sticks. The hardness of the sticks can be increased or decreased depending on the amount of binder added. This also affects the consistency and the shade of each block and stick. The range of hardnesses is fairly wide going from HB, B, 2B, 3B, 4B to occasionally 6B or alternatively referred to as extra soft, soft, medium, and hard.
Compressed charcoal also allows larger sticks to be produced than those available as raw material. These can then be sharpened into a point and are less messy than raw charcoal (due to the binder), allowing for a range of marks in deep black or subtle, controlled gradations.
Charcoal pencils are the perfect tool for an artist who desires the traditional effect of a charcoal stick without the associated messy dust. Charcoal pencils are charcoal leads encased in a layer of wood which not only protects the charcoal from snapping, but also guards the fingers from charcoal marks. The most common wood used for the charcoal pencil is cedar. Charcoal pencils are ideal for producing fine, clean and crisp drawings that you could produce with graphite pencils but with the added benefit that you can produce very deep black matt areas.
Charcoal pencils are available in the same variety of hardnesses as compressed charcoal, ranging from extra soft to hard, also referred to as 6B to HB.
Tinted charcoal is a mix of natural charcoal particles with a small amount of colour pigment and clay. They are ideal for covering large areas quickly and smoothly. Unwanted colour can be lifted out quickly with a kneadable putty eraser or plastic eraser, while the natural watersolubility of the pencil creates delicate wash effects. And because this unique medium is wood-cased, it is clean, and easy to use.
White charcoal pencils have no relation to traditional charcoal. In fact, they normally contain titanium white pigment or calcium carbonate with a clay binder or alternative binder inside a wood sheath. White charcoal does legitimately also exist; it is a Japanese variety also known as ‘Binchōtan’. This charcoal is a lot lighter than traditional charcoal but is more of a light grey ashen colour rather than white.
What is graphite?
Graphite is a slightly shiny grey material that is used commonly in pencils and sticks for most writing and drawing applications. Compared to charcoal, graphite produces far less dust when being used and adheres to surfaces easier without much need for fixative. Graphite has a uniform, layered structure; while the atoms within each layer are bonded very securely, resulting in very stable sheets of graphite, the bonds between the layers are weak, allowing the stable sheets to slip and slide easily over one another (imagine a box of dry lasagna sheets). When drawing with graphite, the layers easily slip off one another, and therefore off the pencil, allowing the tool to glide effortlessly across the paper, leaving perfectly structured sheets of graphite behind. This explains why graphite is less crumbly and easier to control than charcoal, and produces smoother, less dusty marks.
A fascinating fact that proves how closely related these carbon allotropes are is that if you heat charcoal to 2982 degrees Celsius, it turns into graphite!
Graphite is a soft yet brittle substance, so unless used as a drawing material in powder form, it requires a protective shell or a binder. It is often mixed with other ingredients to enhance its composition, strength, hardness, or hue. Many artists find graphite essential to produce sketches, final pieces and work on final details. It can be buffed, smudged, or erased to create different effects and can be sharpened to a very neat fine point or be bought in a soft hardness that can be easily manipulated.
How is graphite made?
Modern pencils are made by creating a paste of clay, purified graphite, and water, that is partially dried through a filtration process. This is then extruded and fired at 1038 degrees Celsius. These porous strands are then soaked and filled with wax allowing a smoother line and better adherence. These are the leads that are typically used in a pencil or a lead holder.
The first appearance of graphite encased in wood dates from around 1565, close to the time natural graphite was first discovered in Cumbria. Other natural sources exist in Siberia, Germany, and the USA. However, graphite is now artificially produced by heating cokes (another carbon allotrope) at high temperatures.
This synthetic graphite tends to be less reflective than mineral ‘flake’ graphite. Additionally, synthetic graphite’s grey hue can be altered by changing the size of the particles that make it up. The shape and size of the particles affect the reflectivity and textural differences of the marks and thus the final piece. This explains the effect of different pencils and how they can be used to build up a piece. It also tends to be slightly more granular and less flaky than its natural counterpart and this means it has a slightly different texture when used as a drawing material.
Types of artist graphite
Like charcoal, graphite is available in many different forms. Some forms are more suitable for control and detail while others are useful for shading, bold marks, gradation or quick expression.
Graphite pencils can be used for writing, drawing, and technical drawing. They allow you to make very controlled, precise, and detailed marks.
It is said that Nicolas-Jacques Conté (namesake of the Conté brand) made the first modern pencil for Napoleon in 1795. This pencil was made by roasting clay, purified graphite, and water in a kiln and then encasing it in a wood sheath. Joseph Hardmuth then improved the technique by discovering he could change the hardness of the pencil by varying the amount of clay used.
The degrees of hardness that apply to artist pencils are completely down to the amount of clay added. The more clay the harder the lead, and the less graphite, so the lighter the overall line. You can use these different hardnesses to create detail, change the appearance of line or create dark and light areas. The ‘hardness’ of a graphite lead is measured using the HB scale. The letter ‘H’ denotes a hard pencil and the letter ‘B’ indicates the ‘blackness’ of the pencil mark. A combination of letters such as ‘HB’ is used to show that a pencil is both hard and black. For example, a 9B pencil is very soft, whereas a 9H is very hard. Some scales include an F as the middle of the gradations, standing for ‘firm’. A variety of tonal marks can be achieved by combining different hard and soft pencils. Pressing down on the paper with a harder pencil will leave an impression in the paper that will be still visible even after the graphite is erased. The graphite mark from a harder pencil is easier to fully erase than a softer, blacker one.
Graphite blocks and sticks
While our modern graphite sticks are fairly new, graphite was originally sold in pieces for marking stone and sheep. Later it was shaped into sticks, which resembled today’s artists’ graphite sticks. Today’s sticks, however, are not pure graphite, but a mixture of powdered graphite and clay that has been fired at a very high temperature. The amount of clay present determines the degree of hardness; the more clay, the harder the stick. The variety of hardnesses is a lot smaller than that of pencils, ranging between 2B and 6B.
Graphite sticks come in a range of sizes varying from a block to those in the shape and size of a pencil, which you can use a sharpener with. Brands of ‘woodless pencil’ are also made using a similar procedure but with a heavy resin coating around the outside that needs to be sharpened away like you would with a standard pencil. One of the advantages of graphite sticks is that you can create broad strokes, rubbings and distinctive dark lines easily.
Graphite powder is primarily designed for use as a dry pigment. Mixed with a binder, it will give a completely lightfast greyish black, but it can also be used dry directly on to a surface such as paper. The powder can be rubbed into the surface of the drawing and then coated with a spray fixative. Due to the fine particles, it is recommended that a mask is worn when handling dry powders and pigments.
Tinted graphite allows you to introduce some colour to your graphite drawings. Used dry, tinted graphite pencils provide just a hint of colour, but adding water literally transforms the tint into rich, vibrant colour. Derwent manufactures Graphitint pencils and also Graphite XL sticks - pure tinted graphite that is watersoluble.
Watersoluble graphite pencils can be dipped in water and applied to the drawing surface in order to get deep, dark, bold marks. If you need to blend edges of existing marks, use a wet brush or your finger to move the graphite around in order to blend. You can achieve gentle marks by using a wet brush to extract the graphite from your pencil or stick and then paint with the watersoluble graphite, almost as if you were working with watercolour.
Carbon pencils are sometimes mentioned in the same breath as charcoal products. However, these are made of a different form of carbon than either charcoal or graphite. They are made with lamp black pigment - a pigment made by gathering up the soot left over from burning oil. They have a more even consistency than charcoal since the material is purer and smoother and they are available in the same variety of hardnesses as compressed charcoal and charcoal pencils.
Sticks of soft pastel are made from pure pigment powder blended in a clay binder. They are essentially lightly compressed sticks of powder with the ability to deposit strokes of intense colour. Because of the lack of need for brushes or tools, they are the most tactile and immediate colour form that artists can use. When using certain purpose-made surfaces, pastel can be built up in layers on a surface, allowing you to control blends and textures.
Soft pastels are usually applied to textured paper or card by hand, and can be blended with fingers, a paper stump or a colour shaper. A variety of liquids can be applied to soft pastel to aid blending, including water, rubbing alcohol, acetone, and oil painting solvents. However problems may arise if the surface you work on is not resistant to your blending liquid, so it is always worth checking before you start work.
You can apply fixative to protect layers while you are working, and also to finished work. Unlike oil, acrylic, or watercolour paint, there is no way to pre-mix colours prior to applying it to your work; modifications to colours are made through layering different shades over one another on the work itself.
Hard pastels make more crisp marks than soft pastels. They are better for creating fine lines and details as they do not crumble or smudge as easily. However, they will not blend as easily as soft pastels and you may find it harder to layer colours over one another to quite the same extent as is achievable with soft pastels.
One of the most famous ranges of hard pastel is the Conté Carré range – Carré in French means ‘square’ – so they are literally square pastels. Conté Carrés are baked with kaolin clay. They are synonymous with drawing classes, as they are a perfect medium with which to create sharp, bold expressive marks, and therefore ideal for students wishing to become more confident with their drawing technique. The sticks measure 2.5in x 0.25in. The edges of the cuboid will create fine lines and the sides of the square will allow you to draw broad strokes of colour. The Conté Carré range is most famous for its selection of earthy red-brown shades, but they also offer a full colour spectrum in some of their other sets. Sets are hugely diverse and range from 4 colour sets to 84 colour sets! The colours are blendable with one another and quite opaque – they work very well on darker sheets of paper.
Pastel Pencils are a popular medium in their own right as well as being used to add intricate, controlled detail to conventional soft pastel paintings. Pastel pencils are water soluble, so colour can be blended to appear flatter and less chalky and textured than when applied dry. Pastel Pencils have the advantage of being wood cased so that you do not get dusty fingers, which helps to avoid smudging and marking work inadvertently. Colours can be blended with one another by layering and using a colour shaper, brush, or your finger. The pastel pencils available at Jackson’s Art Supplies are all relatively comparable in terms of quality, although there are differences in colour range and consistency – for example, the Pitt Pastel pencils from Faber-Castell are thought to be a little harder than the others.
Conté pastel pencils should not be confused with Conté crayons; these are pastel pencils that offer an effective tool for adding fine lines to a soft pastel painting. They have a slightly harder consistency than conventional soft pastels. Conté pastels are not designed to be layered or blended one another – they are best used as pure individual colour. If colours need to be blended then a hatching technique is suggested for the best results, as this will avoid any dulling in your colours.
Conté sketching pencils are very useful for expressive life drawing, and other monotone drawings. They come in the traditional hues of sanguine, sepia, black and white, and can easily be blended with one another. The sanguine hue is a rich, terracotta colour and is made with a transparent pigment, so marks allow the texture of the paper to show through. Mix the sanguine with the white pencil and you will find a sensitive flesh-like hue. The sepia pencil is a darker pencil akin to burnt umber, and is ideal for rough sketches both indoors and outdoors. The white pencil is perfect for use on dark paper, or as a means of lightening the other pencils in the range and blending.
Brush pens can vary widely – from their width to the quality of line and colour. A proportion of these originate from Far East Asia, where a strong tradition of both calligraphy and manga art demands pens that offer intensely black ink and expressive strokes.
This article explains how Eastern and Western pens vary, and which are best suited to your way of working, whether your passion is sketching, calligraphy, watercolour line and wash or technical drawing.
The Difference Between Eastern and Western Pens
Kuretake, Pentel, Shin Han, Akashiya, Sakura, and Tombow are all well known Eastern brush pen manufacturers, while Winsor & Newton and Faber-Castell are examples of Western brush manufacturers. Western pens tend to have a felt nib, while Eastern pens tend to have a nib made of fine synthetic hairs. Such brush pens therefore perform more like a brush than a conventional pen. This means that when applying very quick vigorous strokes, you can see the individual hairs in the marks as you lift the pen. Additionally, when these pens are used on cold pressed or rough watercolour paper, the strokes tend to break up and show the dimples of the paper, whereas felt pens tend to offer a much more even coverage.
Some of the names you may come across when browsing Kuretake pens indicate the kind of pen it is, for example fude means brush in Japanese, fudegokochi means a brush that is comfortable to hold, and bimoji means beautiful characters, suggesting the pen is ideal for Japanese calligraphy. The literal translation of fudenosuke is ‘brush assistant’ – literally assisting you with your beautiful drawings and writing!
Coloured pencils
There are many advantages to using coloured pencils; they are less toxic to use than many materials and don’t generally present a dust-breathing hazard; you don’t have to wait for them to dry; they take up little space and are not messy or smelly; and they are easily portable. Using a variety of techniques such as dry, wet, with solvent, burnished, embossing the paper, and more, you can find a method that works for what you are trying to create.
Coloured pencils are generally divided into three groups based on the core of the pencil: oil/wax, watersoluble, and pastel. The types can be combined with each other and with other media. Watersoluble pencils can be used dry or only partially wetted. Pastel artists might use soft pastel for the majority of a painting but then use pastel pencil for intricate areas where they need more control. Artists-quality coloured pencils will state the lightfast rating, either on the pencil or on a colour chart, as each pigment will be different.
Watersoluble pencils
Watercolour pencils and watersoluble coloured pencils can be used on their own or with other drawing and painting media. They can be used just like regular coloured pencils, drawn straight onto paper without the use of any water, and generally you would not know the difference between a watercolour pencil and a regular coloured pencil. The only difference is that the binder used in a watersoluble pencil can be dissolved in water and is not wax-based. When dry they can be easily blended with non-watersoluble pencils.
They can be drawn on dry and then worked over with a brush that has been dipped in clean water – you will see the colours applied to the paper come alive – the pigment appears a lot more luminous and vibrant as the grain of the pencil marks is replaced by fluid colour. You can also drag your brush away from the marks that were initially made by the pencil to achieve more translucent and watery marks, and you can blend blocks of colour together, blurring the solid lines between shapes by literally dissolving them in water.
For the boldest marks with watercolour pencils, try dipping the pencil straight into water before drawing. The water breaks down the pigment and then crumbles onto the paper you are working on, allowing you to deposit the greatest possible amount of pigment and achieving bold, expressive marks. These can then be diluted or stained across the paper surface by dragging a brush over the top of them, however remember that watercolour pencil colour is surprisingly permanent and will not dilute in water once it has dried to the paper – this is because the watersoluble binder will have already been broken down by the water, and there will be nothing left to break down further. The amount of re-wetting and colour lifting that is possible will vary from brand to brand.
Clutch pencils
Clutch pencils are barrels made of wood or plastic which can hold sticks of lead. The diameter of the lead that can be accommodated will vary according to brand. Clutch pencils are often favoured by those who create technical drawings as it is easy to sharpen the lead (with the use of a sanding block or a piece of sand or glass paper). As the lead is used up you can push the remaining lead further down the barrel with the use of the button at the end of the pencil. It is a good tool for artists who like to work only with the tip of the pencil. With a 2mm or 5mm clutch pencil you can extend the lead out and use the side, so it is much easier to get broad marks than with a standard wood pencil. A lead holder can vary from a fine lead with a metal tip for running along a straight edge, to a 2mm thick lead often used for sketching and life drawing, to a thick 5mm lead that can be very expressive and is easier to use for large drawings than a standard, thin pencil. Clutch pencils have many advantages over wood pencils: the pencil stays the same size as it is used up and so remains balanced in the hand, they are environmentally sound because they are refillable, and you don’t have to remove wood for them to be usable - they are always ready.
Read more about clutch pencils in our blog post Why Use a Clutch Pencil?
Marker pens
Marker pens are a really easy and accessible way of adding tone and colour to your line drawings. They’re not quite as intimidating as traditional media such as watercolour or gouache and not only do they allow lots of scope to experiment with adding tonality, they can be used to create serious depth of tone often associated with paint.
For more information about the different categories of pens for drawing, including marker pens, brush pens, dip pens, fineliners (disposable) and technical pens (refillable or cartridge), have a look at our blog post Drawing Pens and Papers Compared.
Dip pens and drawing ink
Modern fountain pens do not have the same characteristics and don’t really prepare you for the experience of drawing with a dip pen. Most dip pens will only draw downwards strokes, and they will invariably run dry halfway through a long, smooth stroke. Rembrandt will have used a pen with these limitations every day. Modern dip pens are capable of producing a variety of textures, from long, sinuous lines to scratchy, hasty-looking scribbles. Unlike many of the quills or pens of the past, some can even make upward strokes as well as downward.
You can get started with a dip pin with a couple of nibs (drawing and mapping nibs are a good place to start for drawing), a pen handle which can hold the nibs you have chosen, ink, and the appropriate paper. Another option is to go for one of the Joseph Gillott nib and handle sets made by William Mitchell Calligraphy, which come in Drawing and Mapping varieties.
Most dip pen nibs come coated in wax, to stop them tarnishing in storage. To draw with them, you will need to submerge them in boiling or just-boiled water for half a minute or so, which melts the wax and allows ink to flow freely from the nib onto the page. (Your nib should also be washed clean and dried completely after every use to stop it rusting.)
It’s helpful to have a sheet of paper just for doodling when you first pick up the pen or change nibs. Practice hatching or laying down tints; large areas of uniformly spaced lines which describe the shape of an object. This will give you a sense of how the ink flows from the nib, what colour the ink is, and how the width of the line varies with pressure. Try cross-hatching, too, drawing quickly to make your strokes more decisive.
Traditional drawing inks are made with shellac, so they dry to a water-resistant finish (though do be aware that they aren’t vegan). Sennelier so a range of traditional light-resistant drawing inks that are ideal for dip pens. Winsor & Newton Drawing Inks come in a range of colours, though they do have a major drawback; the only lightfast inks in the range are the Black and Liquid Indian Inks, and the White. All of the colour inks are made with fugitive dyes, which means the colour will fade over time. ADD
Read more about Dip Pens in our blog post A Guide to Dip Pens and Drawing Ink.
Bamboo pens
Also called reed pens, bamboo pens are made of dried bamboo sticks that are hollow so that the pen can be dipped into ink and then dragged across the surface on which you are working. The lines created with these bamboo pens are expressive and vibrant. Because they do not hold a lot of ink they need frequent dipping – they are not designed to create long unbroken lines, so are best used for relatively short lines where blotchiness and variation in the width of the line created does not matter too much. They are available with a flat nib and a pointed nib; the flat nib can be used to make a wider range of marks, but the pointed nib will produce finer marks. Once the ink starts to run out they are capable of making dry, textured marks which can also be very interesting.
Metalpoint
The drawing pencils we know today are made of graphite which became popular as a material for drawing towards the end of the 16th century. Before then, drawings were made using a variety of metal sticks. Many of the drawings of the Renaissance period were created using these ‘metal points’. A metalpoint drawing is made by drawing with a metal point onto a surface prepared with a ground. Preparation generally involves coating a wood panel or support with a gesso-like ground. Gesso panels can be used, or gypsum (or calcium carbonate) with rabbit skin glue applied to any type of paper. Today, prepared metalpoint paper and pre-made grounds are available. As the metal point is moved across the textured ground, tiny particles of the metal are deposited, creating a mark. With silver, the mark is initially a very light grey, but over time tarnishes to a red-brown colour.
An abrasive surface is used to allow the metal to leave a trail of itself. Metalpoint drawings are difficult to erase but they also do not easily smear. It is best suited to a delicate style of line drawing, a sensitive hand and a confidence that doesn’t use erasure. You can use the end of the metal as a rounded tip or you can sharpen it on a sharpening stone, with sandpaper or using metal cutters. A very sharp point will leave indents in the drawing surface.
Lead point was the easiest of metals for the artist to use because it didn’t require the paper to be coated with a slightly toothy surface like silver point did. The drawback is that lead is a very soft metal which blunts very easily so the point must be re-shaped often. It was often alloyed with tin to make it harder and reduce the need for constant re-shaping.
Lead point stylus
This stick of solid lead is quite heavy for its size. It comes wrapped in tape.
Because it is the softest metal it makes the darkest grey line of the metal points.
Will make a mark on any paper.
Lead-tin point stylus
This solid stick of lead-tin alloy is nearly as heavy as the lead point. It comes wrapped in tape.
Because the lead is alloyed with tin it is a bit harder so it blunts less quickly and it makes a slightly lighter coloured grey line than the lead stylus.
Will make a mark on any paper.
Silverpoint
These 100% silver rods and wires need to be held in a clutch holder which is purchased separately or they come in a ‘pencil’ that is a wood body with a silver wire glued in the tip.
The thin wires fit into the wire holder and the 2mm rods fit any of our 2mm clutch lead holders.
The silver marks of the drawing will tarnish over months or years and become a darker, more brown colour, this is one of the effects desired by artists.
The silver is the hardest metal and requires a smooth yet somewhat toothy surface that can be achieved by preparing your surface with gesso primer, Golden Silverpoint Ground, or by using a toothy pastel paper such as Mi Teintes Touch paper and card or Clairefontaine Pastelmat papers. When testing, the 2mm silver rod was found similar to a 3H pencil hardness.
Gold point stylus
This 9ct gold wire fits a wire holder.
The gold is softer than silver but still works best on a coated ground the same as silverpoint does. The colour is a warm grey to a golden colour, with a golden sheen.
The gold does not tarnish so the drawing colour will not change.
Silverpoint ground
Many artists enjoy drawing on a surface of an illustration board coated with silverpoint ground. The thickness of the board means the moisture from applying the ground will not curl the paper.
Read more about metal point drawing in our blog post Traditional Metal Point Drawing Materials.
What mediums can I use for drawing?
Zest-It Pencil Blend
Zest-It Pencil Blend is ideal for blending coloured pencils and laying down colour on the paper. It is a solvent that can break down the oil and wax content of pencils, allowing pencil marks to be blended together to create a smooth, uniform layer of colour. Only a small amount of the medium is needed and it leaves no residue. Use with a brush, tortillion, or paper stump.
What drawing tools can I use?
Stumps and tortillions
Stumps and tortillions save your fingers from the pain and mess of rubbing your paper to blend areas. They also offer more control, being smaller than your finger so they can get into smaller areas and can also press harder. A stump is a solid piece of paper pulp and is a bit softer than a tortillion which is made from a rolled long strip of paper.
Sandpaper block
A sandpaper block is useful for pointing pencils or shaping charcoal and pastels. It is especially useful for drawing implements that do not fit in a standard pencil sharpener but with it you can also create different shapes at the end of your pencil or stick and you can save the ground up colour for powdery uses.
Erasers
Erasers remove graphite and charcoal, as well as coloured crayon marks. An eraser is as valuable as the drawing implement in creating forms within a drawing – it can help establish the negative spaces within a composition. Putty erasers are malleable and can be moulded so that very small areas can be erased – their softness is sympathetic to soft paper surfaces and you are less likely to damage paper with a soft eraser. Plastic erasers are a little more rigid, and they cannot be moulded into different shapes. They are less likely to smudge marks than a putty eraser when used lightly. Jackson’s also offers a couple of electric erasers that help you remove drawing marks with remarkable ease.
Read more about erasers on our blog post Choosing A Rubber: Comparing Erasers.
Blenders, burnishers, and colour shapers
Particularly useful for artists working in coloured pencil, pastel pencil or even charcoal and pastels, these tools tend to be used once colour has been applied to the drawing surface. Blenders will blend colours together, and paper stumps and tortillions can also do this to an extent. Derwent and Caran d'Ache have blender pencils, which are wax pencils without colour, that you can use over the top of layers of colour to mix and smooth them. There are also blender pens, made with solvent.
Colour shapers can be used to blend colours, and they can also burnish if used to push deposited colour further into the paper. This closes the gaps between the deposited pigment particles and allows it to appear more saturated and brilliant.
Chamois leather is another useful blending tool, and can also be used to lift colour when more pressure is applied.
Colour shapers, tortillions, paper stumps, and blenders all work on the same principle. These are tools that will move colour around, push it further into the surface, and allow you to blend colours together. With these tools you can create incredibly smooth effects and the subtlest of blending.
All of these tools can also be dipped in water to help aid blending. Alternatively, Tim Fisher’s Soft Pastel Liquefier is an alcohol-based, fast evaporating medium that allows you to create watercolour effects with your soft pastel when lightly sprayed over marks.
Sharpeners
A sharp point to a pencil is vital for crisp, fresh vibrant lines and marks. You can decide between a simple sharpener, one that collects the sharpenings, or one that is battery operated making it a 100% effortless task. Or, you might choose to buy a craft knife or sandpaper block instead!
Read all about sharpeners on our blog post A Guide to Manual and Electric Pencil Sharpeners.
Pencil cases
There are a number of options of how you might choose to store your pencils. A pencil wrap allows you to carry a large number of pencils with no real extra weight added, and rolls to a very compact and practical cylinder. Pencil tins and various sizes of zip up pencil cases are available.
Other drawing accessories
Other drawing accessories include telescopic tubes which are ideal for taking large life drawings home from class, and pencil extenders and grippers which help with holding drawing media even if you’ve sharpened or used most of it away, allowing you to get the most out of your drawing materials. Drawing boards give you a hard, smooth surface you can move around. There are a variety of clips, clamps and pins for attaching your paper to a drawing board.
What are the best papers to use for drawing?
Cartridge paper is a high quality type of heavy paper used for illustration and drawing. It comes in a variety of smooth textures. It is available in loose sheets, pads (glued or spiral), hardbound and softbound sketchbooks and rolls.
Cartridge paper is so called because it was originally used for making paper cartridges for firearms. Today artists use it primarily for drawing and printmaking. Cartridge paper is most commonly made of woodfree cellulose and is primarily made for dry drawing media such as graphite and charcoal. However, heavier cartridge papers (200gsm and heavier) will take some watercolour and ink with minimal buckling. It is available in a variety of weights and shades of white. Quality cartridge paper will have a slight texture to it - this is known as grain or tooth, and provides the resistance needed to hold marks in place and increases the depth of range achievable with graphite or charcoal.
Bristol board is a wood-free cellulose, multi-ply drawing paper that is strong and durable. It is available with either a completely smooth or vellum surface. The smooth surface is suited to ink pens of all varieties; the lack of texture is sympathetic to delicate nibs whether they’re made of metal or felt. The vellum surface offers a slight tooth that is suited to dry media such as coloured pencil, graphite and charcoal.
Marker pad paper is an acid-free wood pulp paper. Some papers are as light as 70gsm (sometimes called layout paper), while others are heavier, around 220gsm. Marker pen papers serve two main functions - either as a drafting paper for quick sketches and ideas, or for more laboured, layered drawings. The ultra smooth, satin sheen surface accentuates crisp edges and vibrant marks without bleeding or feathering. It is usually bright white in colour.
Layout paper is even thinner than marker pad paper, at only 45-50gsm. It is semi-transparent and also designed to minimise bleed-through. It is the white, lightweight paper that is often used in illustration and design sketches.
Tracing paper is made of wood-free cellulose that has been pulped repeatedly to the point where the fibres are made so short and so compressed the internal reflection of light is removed, allowing it to appear clear. The shortness of the fibres is the reason why tracing paper is so brittle and only suitable for dry and very quick drying wet media, such as ink and acrylic.
Pastel papers are textured so that they can hold layers of pastel pigment. They are also ideal for charcoal drawing. The wide variety of textures cater for every kind of approach to the medium. They are either coated or have an imprint of texture. The paper you choose to work on will greatly affect the marks you are able to make and the final look of your pastel painting or drawing. Pastel paper tends to be available in a wider range of colours than other papers, as the paper is often visible between the marks.
Ingres paper is named after the French painter Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres (1780-1867) and has a faint grid texture (‘laid’, the lengthwise, closer lines, and ‘chain’, the less frequent lines running across its width) due to the impression taken from the screen of the mould. It is usually lighter in weight than other pastel paper and has a more subtle tooth. Ingres paper will only hold a few thin layers of colour so is suited to work with a lighter touch and quick sketches. It will take light applications of wet media such as blending liquids or watercolour. The texture of the paper will show through your marks as either faint lines or dots.
Watercolour paper is ideal for combining drawing with washes of watercolour or acrylic, although the sizing that stops the paper from being too absorbent can cause felt nibs of acrylic marker pens to wear out quickly. Additionally, any texture can sometimes make it difficult to apply thin technical pen lines with precision. Watercolour paper is made of cotton, acid-free wood pulp, linen, or a mix. Linen and cotton papers are more robust - you can scrub and scratch the surface without necessarily making a hole, while acid-free wood pulp papers are less forgiving of such treatment because the fibres that they are made of are shorter, resulting in a comparatively less resilient paper.
Watercolour board is essentially watercolour paper mounted onto a rigid lightweight board, and will not buckle or warp as a result of heavy applications of paint or water. Watercolour boards and watercolour paper are available in three textures - hot press (completely smooth), NOT surface (slight tooth) and rough (heavy tooth).
Drawing pads with texture and character
There are a number of pads that may be better suited to fine artists as the texture or tooth of the paper will influence the overall look of the work made on the paper. This is likely to suit the needs of fine artists or those who are not intending on reproducing their work. It also suits some fine artists because the unfamiliarity of a unique and characterful surface on which to work can lend itself well to a higher degree of experimentation during the creative process.
Khadi Paperback Pads – these pads are made with the famous Khadi handmade paper; a 100% cotton rag paper which is particularly absorbent and textured. A recommended surface for those who create bold drawings, and enjoy working with materials that possess qualities that play a prominent role in the overall look of your work.
Hahnemuehle Sumi-e Japanese Ink Paper Pads – 80gsm, available in 30 x 40cm and 24 x 32cm. This paper is unique to Far Eastern painting traditions. It is very absorbent and semi-transparent, and feels very soft as a result of the lack of sizing. Its surface is dappled with undulations in the opacity of the paper which makes it very pleasing to the eye. It is best suited to freestyle ink and watercolour painting as indicated by the cover design. Sumi-e is the name of the traditional Japanese approach to freestyle ink painting, which usually is highly impressionistic with minimal marks to describe the subject. It derives from Chinese Calligraphy, which dates back as far as the 5th Century B.C.
Coloured paper drawing pads
Daler Rowney Canford Assorted Coloured Pads and Clairefontaine’s Maya Coloured Drawing Paper Pad are our choices for coloured drawing paper pads. Both contain artist’s quality paper in a range of brilliant, matte colours, and the paper is of a far superior quality to sugar paper. The pads can be used for drawing, or for other creative applications such as collage or paper sculpture. Daler Rowney Canson Assorted colour paper pads are 150gsm and heavy enough to cut, curve, crease, and emboss: in other words, an ideal material to use when making greeting cards. The Daler Rowney Canford pads have 8 different colours and 30 sheets in each pad, and are available in A4 and A3 sizes. The Clairefontaine Maya Coloured Drawing Pads are only available in A4 size and contain 10 colours, 2 sheets of each. Canford paper is also available in a pad of black paper, which is best used with light coloured drawing media.
In addition to bright colours, drawing paper is also available in more muted colours called toned papers. Toned papers are often used with light and dark coloured drawing media, leaving the colour of the paper visible as the mid tone. Toned papers are available from Strathmore and Rembrandt.
Drawing pads as a visual journal
The most common use for a drawing pad is to record ideas, preparatory sketches, and quick observational drawings that may develop into ideas for other works of art. A good sketchbook for such use is likely to have paper with a bit of weight (100gsm or more). Drawing pads that are intended to be taken to classes, to the studio, or with your wherever will ideally have a hard cover to help protect the work within. They may also have a spiral binding to help the book stay open when working.
Paper for dip pens
The ideal paper for using dip pens will be a quality cartridge paper or Bristol board with a smooth or vellum finish. This is because dip pens, especially the smaller nibs, will scratch the surface of rough, textured or low-quality papers, tearing at the fibres. These sodden fibres can then lodge in the nib, either blocking the flow of ink or causing droplets to splatter over your drawing. These Strathmore 300 Series Smooth Bristol pads will all provide a really great surface for pen and ink work, as will the slightly higher quality 400 Series. All purpose cartridge paper is fine for sketching and testing your pen.
Drawing pads for the environmentally conscious
The Fabriano Eco Pads are made of 100% recycled cellulose paper. They are acid-free, but not 100% cotton. They are made in Italy with Hydro or water power, i.e. the energy derived from falling water. The manufacture of these Eco pads saves 15 trees for every ton of paper produced. Eco paper pads are available in 120gsm or 200gsm, each weight paper is available in both an A4 and A3 sized pad.
Hahnemuhle Sugar Cane Multi Media Block, 280gsm, 20 sheets per pad is available in the following sizes: 24cm x 32cm, 30 x 40cm, 36 x 48cm, and 42 x 56cm. The production of these sugar cane multi-media blocks is powered by renewable energy, and the paper itself is made from the materials extracted from sugar cane production waste as well as recycled cotton fibres. The paper is substantially heavy at 280gsm and is strong enough to withstand wet and dry media.
Jackson’s Eco Hardback Recycled Pads are handmade with 100% cotton Eco paper that is very absorbent and is full of character. It does not have as much sizing as some other watercolour papers, but to many artists this lends an interesting dynamic to the paper as a surface for watercolour and gouache painting, as well as drawing in other wet and dry media. The Eco paper pads come in an A4 casebound pad which holds 92 pages, and a spiral bound pad which holds 50 pages. The paper weighs 130gsm.
Can I prepare my drawing surface with a ground?
Acrylic ground for dry materials
Golden Acrylic Ground for Pastels is a 100% acrylic medium designed to prepare surfaces for the application of pastels, charcoal and other art media where a coarse tooth is desired. It contains finely ground sand (silica) in a pure acrylic emulsion. It can be applied to paper, canvas, wood or any primed support. This allows almost limitless applications for media typically confined to standard papers.
Acrylic ground for silverpoint
Golden Silverpoint/Drawing Ground is a liquid acrylic used for the preparation of supports for drawing media. The ground is designed for the achievement of fine detailed lines on a permanent, lightfast, flexible ground. The ground is ideal for use with metal styli or other drawing tools. It is formulated with 100% acrylic polymer emulsion, a low viscosity fluid that contains high levels of titanium dioxide and prepares surfaces to readily accept marks from a metal stylus.
How can I protect my work with fixative?
Fixative is a clear liquid similar to varnish usually sprayed onto a dry media artwork to stabilise the pigment or graphite on the surface and to protect finished artwork from dust. Most fixatives are available in an aerosol spray. Work can be fixed throughout various levels of completion. The work should be placed on a flat surface and excess dust removed. Spray the fixative using an even amount of pressure and the same distance over the whole work. Fixatives are sometimes available in bottles without aerosol. When this is the case the fixative can be applied using a mouth operated spray diffuser or a pump spray bottle.
Fixatives are known to sometimes darken colours. Those who wish to protect their work without using fixatives are advised to keep their work in a sketchbook between layers of glassine paper or display behind glass.
What is the best way to protect finished work?
There are three main ways to protect drawings:
Fixative – for protecting work while in progress
Fixative is sprayed onto a drawing to stabilise the media, hold it in place and protect the surface from dust. A variety of coatings, including various resins and casein (milk protein), are used in spray fixatives. They are usually dissolved in a solvent, often alcohol. And they usually have a strong odour, so should be used in a well-ventilated space. The exception is the Spectrafix Degas Fixative, which is water-based, in a pump bottle with no propellant, so it is odourless. It is a very popular fixative, especially for coloured pencil drawings. For a comprehensive comparison of a variety of fixatives read Fixatives are not all the same.
Fixatives can darken the appearance of colours but are useful in securing marks throughout the picture making process, as well as a final protective coat.
Glassine – for protecting work in storage
Glassine is a glossy greaseproof paper that is designed to protect artworks from smudging. It is used to interleave sheets in some pastel paper pads, such as those made by Sennelier. Loose sheets of glassine can be purchased in packs or singularly and are useful to keep in supply, for interleaving between stored works, or for wrapping works on paper prior to posting them.
Glass – for protecting and presenting finished works
Arguably the most secure way to protect a drawing is by framing it behind glass, although of course this is also likely to be the most space consuming solution as well. As with all work on paper, it is best to have a gap between the work and the glass, to allow any humidity to circulate away from the work, and prevent any shifts in the position of the glass smudging the work. A window mount offers a good solution to this, or alternatively the use of spacers in your frame.