Here are all of the materials I used in making my latest piece, “Apricot Fizz”.

For my paper, I used Stonehenge Colors 250 GSM Paper and cut it to the right size. This piece is for a show with a size specification so I used an Xacto to cut it down. I love Stonehenge papers for graphite and multimedia pieces because they are very sturdy, high quality, and have a perfect amount of grain. I love the COLORS series because they give you a few different subtle tones of paper in the pad and you can choose whatever will suite your needs.

After I taped off the edges, I toned this paper with Cretacolor’s Graphite Powder and then began my drawing. Most of the drawing is done with the assortment of graphite pencils ranging in different lead hardnesses from 2B to 6H. I use an Xacto knife and sand paper to sharpen my pencils so that they are razor sharp. I used a kneaded eraser and a Mono zero eraser for sculpting out the lights.

For the darkest darks, I used my special mixture of liquid graphite. Check out my dedicated post about how I make this mixture here!

For the highlights, I used Holbein’s acrylic gouache colors in Opera and Pale Lavender. I like to use some colors instead of white sometimes to give the piece a little bit more interest. My favorite brushes are these Interlon brushes I got in Japan, but I also often use Princeton brushes too.

Check out yesterday's video of this piece to see how I use these tools in real time!