Now that I'm mentoring some people on here, I thought it might be valuable if I start doing a few tutorials. I want to start with the basics, the supplies I like to use.

This isn't definitive by any means, it's just my personal preferences, but I thought it might help someone out there

All the tools are piled up on my smallish wooden drawing board, I don't like to draw on a desk or table, I usually sit on my bed next to the tv I also just got an OTT light for Christmas. I love it so far, since most of my drawing time is at night.

The piece there is a work in progress that I've been trying to finish for over a year XD

A: The pencils I use the most by far are my two .3mm mechanical pencils. One I keep loaded with the B Pentel Super Hi-Polymer lead .3mm lead, the other with HB. They are absolutely invaluable for getting small details, and pretty much the only pencil I'll use on something as detailed as the the WIP there.

B: My other pencils, I've collected hundreds over the years in various degrees and brands, the only ones I really use are Cretacolor and Grafwood 2B, HB, 9B, and 2H. My very favorite is the woodless Cretacolor Monolith 9B.

C: My Staedtler electic eraser ($10 in most art supply stores or online) I was skeptical of this initially, but it quickly became an essential. It can be sharpened to a fine point very easily and erases small area clean without disturbing any surrounding graphite. Perfect for highlights.

D: The Papermate Tuff Stuff stick eraser, also perfect for highlights, I sharpen it to a fine "V" with an exacto knife or sandpaper. It's ideal for hair and fur highlights. It also can create softer highlights than the electric as it doesn't erase clear to white as quickly.

E: The ol' kneaded eraser is an essential. They're cheap, can be molded in any shape you might need, and have the power to lift graphite and lighten areas without necessarily erasing.

F. My small smudging tools. I use tortillions for very small places and q-tips for larger small areas. I do not rely on these too heavily, I focus on building up good solid layers of graphite first and use the blending stumps just to smooth things a bit.

G: This is a little pad of sandpaper I use to sharpen erasers, I can run the electric one over it to get a point and to keep the stick at a nice sharp "V" I don't use if for pencils, it makes a huge mess

H: That is an eraser shield that I occasionally use in conjunction with my electric eraser, it's good for super small dots and such.

I: My Staedtler electic pencil sharpener, it works very efficiently and fast, I especially like it for woodless pencils. Also pictured is a little standard sharpener I use every once in a while.

J: Creatacolor powdered graphite (I got it for about $10 online at jerrysartrama.com) I love powdered graphite primarily for backgrounds and very dark tones. I've found that when layered with my 9B it helps create very dark blacks, reduces graphite shine, and evens out any pencil strokes. It's good in large areas, I never really use it for anything precise.

K: That's the 3" x 18" ruler I use for gridding, I like to make grids when I'm plotting my lines I find it helps me relax. I know many people use other methods, gridding is just my preference.

L: Thick puffs tissue, no lotion of course, for blending large areas such as skin, initial layers of pencil, and background shading.

One last note on paper, I love the 500 series bristol board, I've found it to be much, much smoother and more consistent than the 300 series.

That's all, I'd be happy to answer any questions!

I'll be working on a portraiture and fur tutorials in the near future.