My Core Pencils & Materials
This is a guide to all the core pencils and materials I use in my pet portraits.
I tend to buy individual pencils, rather than entire sets, so that I only pay for the colours I need.
I use a mix of Faber Castell Polychromos and Caran d’Ache Pablos and Luminance pencils and I've listed all my favourites below, with an asterix next to my most used in my pet and equine portraits.
Faber Castell Polychromos
These are my staple pencils and if you’re only going to buy one brand, Polychromos should be it!
They’re oil based coloured pencils that come in 120 colours, high quality, good lightfastness (which means they hold their colour over time) and have a great range of colours. They have a nice hard core so are great for general base layering and details.
WHITES & CREAMS
White*
Ivory*
GREYS & BLACK
Warm Grey I*
Warm Grey II*
Warm Grey III*
Warm Grey IV*
Warm Grey V*
Warm Grey VI*
Cold Grey I*
Cold Grey II*
Cold Grey III*
Cold Grey IV*
Cold Grey V*
Cold Grey VI*
Black*
PINKS & PURPLES
Beige Red*
Cinnamon*
Light Magenta
Violet
REDS
Caput Mortuum*
Caput Mortuum Violet*
Burnt Carmine*
Indian Red
ORANGES
Burnt Ochre
Terracotta*
GREENS & BLUES
Earth Green*
Sky Blue*
Dark Indigo*
BROWNS
Burnt Sienna*
Walnut Brown*
Vandyck Brown*
Nougat*
Brown Ochre
Bistre
Dark Sepia*
Caran d’Ache Pablos
Pablos are also oil based and have a beautiful range of 120 colours.
I find these slightly harder than the Polychromos but they work perfectly together. I use Pablos when I want specific colours that Polychromos don't offer and for layering details over my existing base.
WHITES & CREAMS
White*
Cream*
Beige
Light Beige
GREYS & BLACK
Charcoal Grey
Light Grey*
Ash Grey
Steel Grey
Black*
PINKS
Granite Rose*
ORANGES
Apricot*
Cinnamon*
GREENS & BLUES
Light Green
Mouse Grey
BROWNS
Chestnut*
Brown
Brownish Beige
Brownish Orange
These are the highest price point of the 3 pencils I use but are so lovely to work with! They are waxed based so are softer and creamier than the Polychromos and Pablos but still work beautifully with both. I use more of their paler colours as they have a great % range where they only include a percentage of the pigment.
The Luminance Violet Grey in particular is one of my all time favourite colours!
Caran d’Ache Luminance
WHITES & CREAMS
White*
Pink White
GREYS
Violet Grey*
PINKS & PURPLES
Ultramarine Violet
GREENS
Middle Verdigris
BROWNS
Sepia
Sepia 50%
Sepia 10%
Burnt Ochre 10%
Burnt Sienna 10%
Warm Earth 5%
Raw Umber 10%
Other Pencils
As well as the above I also have a few single pencils from other brands that I couldn't live without:
Derwent Drawing Ivory black – this is a really black pencil if you need to deepen your black areas, it can be used lightly as a top layer.
Caran d’Ache Museum Aquarelle White – this is a watercolour pencil but can also be used dry. I find this one great for whiskers if my other whites aren’t working sufficiently over the layers.
Prismacolour Beige and Peach Beige – I use these a lot if I’m drawing pets like a yellow lab, works perfectly with a bit of cinnamon and nougat over the top to create that beautiful golden tone. These are softer, wax based so use over the top of Polys and Pablos rather than as base layers.
Paper
There are a huge range of artist papers available and it's good idea to try and few and get a feel for what works for you and your style/subject matter. But to help you narrow it down I'll share the two very difference types that I like to use, depending on what I'm drawing.
Grafix Drafting Film
Grafix drafting film .005 double matte - this is my favourite surface to draw on and is perfect for beginners! It's a polyester film that's super smooth but also holds the pencil beautifully. It allows for really crisp fine details and vibrant colours. It's slightly see through so you can choose a background based on whatever colour paper you place behind it. I love to use a dark grey paper with the drafting film - I find the lighter coloured animals in particular really pop with that combo.
Because of it's smooth surface, it doesn't take as many layers as traditional artist papers do - perhaps 5-6 at most, but I find that means it's a quicker process after you've learned how to build up depth and tone in less steps. The other great thing about drafting film is that you can flip your drawing over and draw on the back, allowing you to deepen or lighten areas as needed - please note the film needs to be double matte if you want use both sides.
Grafix Drafting film is archival and doesn't require a fixative on your finished artwork at all. If you can't find that exact film online, 'Grafix Duralar' is a great alternative, it's cheaper and easier to find (available on Amazon) - it's the student grade film but it's still great quality, it just cant take quite as many layers as the other. Duralar is what I used for my earlier commissions - it's a great option if you want to try drafting film out!
Clairefontaine Pastelmat
Clairefontaine Pastelmat 360gsm sheet - Pastelmat could be described as the complete opposite of drafting film. It has a sanded textured surface that holds many many layers of pencil or pastel and once a few layers have been built up, it almost feel like you're 'painting' with pencil, the way the colours start blending together.
It results in a softer finish to drafting film but as you can see in the example shown, fine details are also possible. Pastelmat is archival, acid-free and you don't need a fixative on your finished piece.
Other Tools
Swordfish Ikon sharpener – I have the manual option but there is also an electric one. These give your pencils a lovely sharp point and you can buy replacement blades (which will last 2-3 years depending on usage.)
Slice Retractable Pen Cutter – this is a ceramic blade that you can use to take away areas of pigment or to create texture. Perfect for whiskers!
Tombow Mono Zero eraser – perfect for erasing fine details, just make sure your pressure is light as it can damage your surface
Frog Tape - this is the yellow painters tape that I use to mask off the edges of my drawing. It protects the areas around the drawing and allows for a nice sharp edge of pencil. The tape doesn't damage drafting film or pastelmat when removing. I've not tried it on other artists papers though so make sure you do a test patch!
Faber Castell putty eraser – for erasing larger areas and wont damage the paper surface as easily as the Tombow. Also great for creating details and texture as the eraser can be moulded into any shape.
Small soft brush – for brushing away excess pencil that builds up over your drawing. I use a clean make up brush, it prevents smudges and oil from your fingers damaging your drawing.
Pencil extenders – it’s a good idea to have a few of these on hand to extend the life of your pencils as they become too small to hold. I use Faber Castell extenders.