Are you ready to shop for drawing supplies? Before you walk out the door, remember this fact:
You don’t want to blindly invest all your art-supply cash on drawing items you may use only once or twice, only to realize you don’t like them after all. This is especially true if you plan on buying material online, where you don’t have the opportunity to even try a medium on the sample sheets that are usually provided upon request at the art store. After you try different
materials and know what you like, feel free to buy online; try http://www.pearlpaint.com, http://www.utrechtart.com, http://www..dickblick.com, or http://www.fineartstore.com. Make sure you have a good idea of what you need and what you like before you set out. In the following sections, I describe a variety of supplies that are useful in figure drawing.
Online resources are an excellent option if you don’t live near an art store but don’t totally count out the office-supply stores. Although the quality and selection of materials are limited when compared with art stores, you can find items such as plastic erasers, sharpeners, mechanical pencils, and markers also found in art stores.
Most art supply stores are pretty fussy when it comes to returning art materials. Some stores don’t refund items like portfolio cases or opened sets of pencils. You won’t get a refund if you buy a drawing pad and draw as much as a single line on one of the sheets. However, most stores have no problem giving you a full refund or exchange if a product is still sealed in the original condition you bought it (just make sure you don’t lose the receipt!).