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Nearly all aspiring and established artists stock the basic toolkit. Depending on their preferred medium, they have, at a minimum, pens, pencils, and/or brushes, plus some canvas upon which to create the art—whether that’s an actual canvas, sketchbook, or blank sheets. If you also dabble in sculpture, you probably keep some clay and associated accessories close at hand.
However, beyond the basics, there’s a whole universe of art supplies ready to elevate your work. It all depends on how granular you want to get. If you want greater control over value, texture, colour, perspective, and lines, you can seek out a sprawling array of niche supplies.
The best way to do that is to chat with a knowledgeable clerk at a reputable arts supply store. Before you do, consider the following four art supplies you might not know you need.
Blending Stumps
Blending stumps and tortillons (a thicker, less tightly wound version) are simple but effective tools for blending graphite and charcoal. Many beginners use “nature’s blending stump” (i.e., their fingers), but this process is messy and inexact. By contrast, stumps give you a far higher level of control over smooth gradients and shading.
Check out this helpful video from RapidFireArt on how to use a blending stump to add depth easily and compellingly.
Painter’s Tape
No, painter’s tape isn’t just for house painters. Artists can get a lot of mileage from an inexpensive roll of multi-surface tape. If you’ve ever wanted clean, crisp edges in your artwork, but don’t trust your hands to steady themselves sufficiently, painter’s tape is a godsend. Simply apply it in the patterns and structure you want—either to section areas, create borders, or even aid in drawing perspective lines. Then, use your preferred medium to track the lines or paint overtop of them before removing the tape.
A Charcoal Set
Charcoal is dramatic, high-contrast, evocative, and rich. It creates monochromatic art that can be deep, brooding, bold, or soft, depending on the artist’s touch.
Because of this versatility, charcoal is often recommended to students as a means for exploring the fundamentals of art. It’s also easy to work with, simple to erase, and quick to tweak. Whether you’re a beginner honing your skills with practice sketches, or an artist looking for a new medium to make detailed works, charcoal is a must.
To get started, consider sets from General, Derwent, Staedtler, or Faber-Castell; you can find each at a well-stocked art supply store like Above Ground Art Supplies.
A Kneaded Eraser
What’s so special about an eraser? Won’t any old eraser work, provided it, you know… erases? Again, we’re discussing specific tools that can elevate your art. And a kneaded eraser certainly fits that description.
Most erasers, like the pink kind you used in grade school, are a one-size-fits-all deletion tool. The material you erase corresponds directly to the size of the eraser. By contrast, kneaded erasers can be manipulated, moulded, broken, and remoulded to create precise specifications. With kneaded erasers, you are in complete control of what, and how much, you remove. This allows artists to create clean lines and precise details, whether they’re removing unwanted elements or practicing “subtractive drawing.”
Of course, we’re only scratching the surface. Other lesser-known tools that are handy in any artist’s arsenal include graphite powder, ruling pens, fixatives, lightboxes, palette knives… the list goes on and on. Chat with the representatives at a quality art supply store to find out what tools work best for your art.