The SL Guide To Starting A Hobby: Painting & Drawing

FIND THE RIGHT MATERIALS

Matt Fussell – aka The Virtual Instructor – breaks down the essentials…

Sketchbook

“Since a sketchbook is recommended for daily practice, it is important to choose one that is durable and has plenty of pages for all of your ideas. I suggest a sketchbook that has a hard cover so that it will stand up to repeated use and travel. A hardcover keeps the corners of the pages inside nice and clean and will help keep the pages flat if you use mixed media applications.”

TRY THIS: Seawhite Euro Portrait Sketchbook, from £3.95, Cass Art

Graphite Pencils

“Pencil sets usually come packaged in nice tins and can be great because they often include the full spectrum of graphite grades. Many sets include pencils with harder graphite (9H) through softer graphite (6B).  Harder graphite makes lighter marks and keeps a sharp tip longer, while softer graphite makes a darker mark, but needs constant re-sharpening. These sets give the artist the ability to work with many different values and varieties of mark.” 

TRY THIS: Koh-I-Noor Graphite Pencils 8b-2h Set Of 12, £8.95 (were £10.38), Cass Art

Eraser

“Erasers aren’t just for mistakes – they can also be a great mark-making tool. Each eraser creates a different mark and should be used as necessary according to the specific drawing medium. Rubber erasers are standard when it comes to erasing graphite. It uses friction to remove any material from the surface. A kneaded eraser lifts material from the surface, instead of using friction to remove it and can be pulled and fashioned into different forms to create specific marks. A gum eraser is great for removing media from surfaces that are sensitive to tearing, while vinyl or plastic erasers are the toughest of the bunch. They can erase almost anything, but be warned, they can tear the paper if you’re not careful.”

TRY THIS: Lyra Kneadable Eraser, £1.75, Cass Art or Cretacolor Monolith Eraser, £1.75, Cass Art

Coloured Pencils

“You can buy coloured pencils just about anywhere. But this doesn’t mean that every brand out there will get the best results. Quality matters and so does the type of coloured pencil that you choose. Wax-based pencils are soft and buttery, allowing the artist to layer colours to build up a solid application that often compares to a painting. Faber-Castell Polychromos pencils are oil-based and behave slightly differently from wax-based pencils. These pencils require several layers to build up depth in colour, but the results are fantastic. Finally, Caran D’Ache Luminance pencils are wax-based, premium pencils. They layer nicely and are a little harder, so they break less often.”

TRY THIS: Faber-Castell Polychromos Artist Assorted Tin Set Of 60, £109.95 (were £134.99), Cass Art

Watercolours

“Using lower quality materials inevitably leads to lower quality results. Lower quality results often lead to frustration. It is wise to spend a little more on the higher quality paints in order to give your experience with watercolour a "fair chance". For beginners, I recommend Winsor & Newton Cotman Watercolours. They are available in cake (or pan) sets or as tube sets. Tube colours provide the artist with more colour intensity, while cake sets are easier to travel with.”

TRY THIS: Winsor & Newton Professional Watercolour Set Of 24, £57.50 (were £141), Cass Art

Portfolio

“There are more than a few options for storing artwork, but the most popular option is a portfolio. There are many different options on the market – each with their own benefits and drawbacks – so remember to look for a couple of features. First, rigidness. Look for a portfolio that will keep your artwork from bending. Most portfolios will do this, but there are a few cheaper versions that may not. Second, size – be sure to provide yourself with room for larger works. Don’t just purchase the 18in by 24in portfolio because all of your works up to this point are smaller than this size. Chances are good that you’ll produce drawings that are larger in the future and you’ll wish you’d opted for a bigger option.”

TRY THIS: Cass Art Presentation Portfolio, from £17.95, Cass Art

TRACK DOWN THE BEST COURSES…

The Royal Drawing School, Summer School Courses

From portrait painting to drawing for graphic novels, the Royal Drawing School is running a plethora of courses during its annual summer school. This year, instead of taking part at the school’s east London headquarters, students can expect to be taught online by expert tutors. 

Visit RoyalDrawingSchool.org

University of the Arts London, Online Courses

From portraiture to art theory and contemporary painting, the range of online courses offered across Central St Martins, Chelsea College of Arts cater to multiple ages and abilities. From one-day workshops to week-long intensive courses, there’s something to suit everyone.

Visit Arts.ac.uk

London Art College, Beginners' Drawing Online Art Course

This introductory course teaches students how to draw and covers perspective, shapes and shadows, pencil, pen and ink drawing, use of charcoal, coloured pencils, pastels and chalk, how to draw people and how to sketch. An excellent starting point for people who simply want to draw well, students can then move on to the beginner’s painting course at a later stage. 

Visit LondonArtCollege.co.uk

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