Starter List: (Basic supplies)

Graphite drawing or sketching pencils - These come in grades and range from 9B (very soft) to 9H (very hard). A good starter range would be 2H, B and 2B. You can buy drawing pencils in sets or individually.

A good hand held sharpener - Just a small plastic one will do but make sure it brings your lead down to a full sharp point.

A kneaded eraser

A rectangular vinyl (plastic) eraser

Drawing Paper - Make sure the texture is not too rough (or your details will look rough) and not too slick (or the graphite won't stick to it well enough to make dark values.) A tablet that is marked as "drawing paper" will probably work fine. Get a good sized tablet. (At least 8.5 x 11) A tablet that has rings is much more useful than one with a bonded top or side. If you are concerned about your drawings lasting for a while, look for "acid free" paper.

Intermediate List: (What to add after you have your basic supplies.)

A wider variety of pencils - To extend your range of pencils, add a 4B, 6B, 4H, and 6H. You will be able to make interesting value variations and textures with them.

A "stick" eraser - They come in a plastic body and you can sharpen the eraser's end into useful shapes, like a point or a wedge.

A small utility knife - To sharpen or shape your stick eraser.

Blending stumps - For shading techniques and textures.

A small flat brush - For shading techniques.

Stonehenge paper - Archival 100% cotton paper

Matte Fixative - Protective spray for your finished work!

Advanced List: (Useful tool additions.)

A storage box - To keep all your tools in.

A small battery powered eraser - Probably your most expensive tool but well worth it. You can use them to create textures and to erase very small details and highlights.

Mechanical pencils with 2mm leads and a hand held rotating point sharpener - These leads sharpen to a fine point and you can create extremely detailed work with them.

A blow-bulb - To blow away graphite dust and eraser crumbs.

Arches Watercolor Paper - Archival 100% cotton paper.

Pastel brushes - These work great with graphite.