To get the best results it is important that you acquire the right set of tools.
If you don't yet have all these tools available you can still start a course. All you need to get started is pen and paper, a healthy dose of motivation and a curious mind 🙂
Hereby a list with materials that I personally prefer. You are free to choose for yourself, but remember that the quality of the tools has quite an effect on the quality of the results.
The brands posted here are just examples. I am sure if you shop around you can find (cheaper) alternatives somewhere else. Don’t forget to ask for a student discount!
a couple of light blue pencils (NO graphite!): e.g. Caran d’Ache Pablo - Gentian blue or Prisma
a good quality pencil sharpener!
a couple of felt-tip pens (fineliner ±0.4mm): e.g. Faber Castell / MOLOTOW / Pilot / Stabilo / Uni-pin / read some reviews
a couple of heavy felt tip pens: e.g. Papermate Flair M / Pentel Sign Pen / Edding 1200
a set of 3 grey alcohol markers (C2-C4-C6): e.g. Copic Cool Grey / Touch / Pantone / Prismacolor / Ohuhu
some coloured markers in 2-3 shades of the same colour (super light to medium dark): e.g. Copic B Blues
one yellow or orange marker (for arrows): e.g. Copic YR07
one Tabloid (11″ x 17″) or A3 marker pad: e.g. 4Art / Copic / Bee Paper
a white gel pen (for highlights)
Also recommended:
a portable camera (smart phone is ok)
laptop
printer
If you already own a set of markers then check if they are all properly filled! If you intend to use these tools frequently I recommend to also get refills for your markers.
Depending on your personal preference and style you can also use different tools than described in the list above. However, each tool has it's benefits and downsides that you also need to take into account. Below some suggestions and tips:
Digital tools
I often get asked if it's OK to use digital tools. I wrote a blog article on that: My thoughts on Digital Sketching.
Blue pencil
For exploring aesthetic design options I like to work with a hard blue pencil. Using it gently producing thin lines this pencil allows me to freely experiment with shapes and proportions. However, to communicate your design solutions with others you will need to boost the contrast of the sketch using pens and markers again. Another big pitfall of using pencil is the ability to erase 'mistakes'. By using an eraser you constantly interrupt your process making it hard to get into a creative flow.
Tip: invest in a good quality pencil sharpener!
Highlights
To boost the fidelity of your sketches with highlights I like to use a soft white pencil and a white paint pen (Poska, but a correction fluid or gel pen also work).
Core shadows
To punch the core shadows and add some nuance to your marker shading a soft black pencil can be useful: e.g. Derwent Artist / Caran d’Ache.