Drawing supplies - graphite

Notice: I made a small update on this info july 29.

I wanted to show my favorite supplies for graphite drawings.

I use 3 kind of graphite pencils - from left: Derwent Graphic, Staedtler Mars Lumographic and FaberCastell 9000. I use them all mixed together, but they are different. I mostly use grade 4B-2B-HB-2H.

• Derwent being the more soft and dark pencil, point gets dull a bit faster. 
• Staedtler goes down silky smoothly and I would place it between the other 2 brands in value using same grade, sharpens to a hard point. 
• FaberCastell has the most hard point, but also smoothly application. The lightest value per grade.

Notice it is important that these pencils are the type mentioned, it is not any kind of Derwent, Staedtler, FCastell pencil. These are fine-art material.

Next I use mechanical pencils (5 shown here). I don't have a preferred brand, I use cheap as more expensives one. I use leads 0,3 to 0.7 mm and from 4H to 6B. I also use clutch pencils (not shown here) with 2 mm leads. While the mechanical pencils are always pointy the clutch pencils can be shaped to a flat end - and this will give you both sharp and a flat point :)

Erasers shown: 2 in a pen - Mono zero from Tombow and Tipp-ex.

• Mono is the smallest and a wonderful eraser for very small areas. 
• I sharpen the Tipp-ex to have a narrow ridge. Its a bit harder than the Mono.
• I use Blu-tac (the blue ball in pic) to lightly dap graphite from a drawing, making things lighter or to remove any mess of graphite on the paper.
• I then use a Staedtler white eraser for larger areas.
• The FaberCastell white eraser has an edge - great for erasing in a slim line.

The stump and rubber-brush is for blending. Not in picture, but I sometimes use tissue.

The large brush on right hand is indispensable for removing small loose graphite parts on the paper.

At the bottom also an indispensable thing - my eletric sharpener. Its old and its a workhorse. It will sharpen graphite and colored pencils.

I also use a support to avoid my hands having contact with the paper. I use either a hard plasticplate where I put small felt-pads in each corner or I use a transparent paper.

My drawingpaper is placed on a masionite board thats placed on my drawingtable. The board is not soft, but still it is not as hard as the tabletop. It makes a difference. I work mostly with my table flat, but I can work at an angle too.

I am planning to write a review of the drawing papers I know of - but it might take some time to get it finished.

If you want to see my graphite drawings, they are in my galleries- sorted out in subject-groups Dogs-Cats-Wildlife etc.:

http://lenedaugaard.simplesite.com/429578909