Art supplies shading tools

This is a very helpful list. Stumbling on this post has been a great find. Hello Gayla! I use markers stabilo has done me well, but I like a range of points and feels and I like the non-smudgy Verithin line of colored pencils from Prismacolor. Thanks for sharing a bit about your own on-the-road techniques, Todd!

Next time at the store, one goes in my bag! Micron pens are the best! Thanks for your comment, Rita! Great tools recommendations for on the go! I also do alot of sketching while traveling and recently got into watercolors.

I just purchased the Derwent canvas pencil holder to keep everything organized! Candace, seeing this post is so well timed! Hi Candace. Great post, awesome quotes. Thank you for comparing past and present and the evolution of creativity, not only with style but materials as well.

Also that one need not spend a fortune on lots of materials that may not be needed or used. I like that you are able to minimize what you take with you. I hope to accomplish this one day! However I removed the paint cakes and squeezed in my favourite Daniel Smith Watercolours. Along time ago I had also purchased empty pans that would fit in this box and can change the colours without wasting the paint.

I still like Daniel Smith Watercolours and my field box. I have migrated to using the waterbushes and Pitt artist pens. I have always used the kneaded erasers but I do like the vinyl eraser as it seems cleaner.

I used to be faithful to the 5 x 8 black hardcover sketchbook but since starting up again my choices have been erratic. I recently purchased a Moleskine 3 x 5 watercolour sketchbook that I really want to try.

Your sketch of supplies was in Costa Brava — we were there in in Tossa de Mar. We also drove up the coast to Figueres to the Dali museum and a stop in Girona. It was oh so inspiring and beautiful.

I had taken my sketching stuff and sadly never even opened the book. I definitely want to go back and take in this area at a slower, more enjoyable pace and to definitely do lots of sketching! I love the blue and white cloth that your beautiful sketchbook and supplies are on in the photo above! Thank you again Candace for another great post!

Thank you so much for this amazingly detailed note, Treava—I loved hearing more about how your own favorite materials have evolved over the years! I also loved hearing that you were also exploring the Costa Brava the same year I was—how fun would it be if we crossed paths in Tossa de Mar one day?

I would love that if one day our paths crossed Candace. The vibe in Tossa was wonderful, but busy. It was August, peak tourist season, but it was wonderful. Thank you again Candace! This is so helpful Candace, for me as a beginner. Again, you give a comprehensive guide in such a concise manner, and as always, so inspiring!!!!!! Now I can walk into an art supplies with a more purposeful mind.

Knowing what shading tools to use and when to use them can be confusing and overwhelming without proper guidance. Luckily, there is a rule of thumb which can be followed for every basic shading tool used.

Each shading tool can help develop different textures and tones of shadows. Once an artist understands each tool's use, she can shade in her pictures with ease. For a beginning artist who has trouble rendering smooth surfaces, the blending stump is an excellent shading tool to use. It gives an artist the ability to smooth out the lines and is applicable to both graphite and charcoal.

An artist uses the blending stump by rubbing over the markings of their pencil, mixing them together to create one solid shadow. The blending stump tool works well for developing surfaces such as skin, tabletops and polished metal. Graphite pencils can be used as shading tools if the proper techniques are applied. Simple techniques such as cross-hatching shading developed by overlapping pencil lines or circulism shading created by overlapping circles allow an artist to bring out lifelike shades using only his pencil.

The techniques required for pencil shading do require some practice. Once an artist gets a handle on these techniques, it allows him to create different tones of shading quickly.

Charcoal is applied much like graphite pencils, but because of its structure it allows for darker shades and a less glossy reflection. Charcoal smears easily, enabling it to work with blending stumps and kneaded erasers well. However, charcoal lays down much thicker than graphite and can be harder to adjust.