A Guide to Choosing the Right Drawing Equipment
Whether you’re an aspiring architect, experienced engineer, or new artist, the quality of your drawing equipment significantly impacts your work. From pencils to rulers, canvases to measuring tools, each item contributes to your projects. The right equipment enhances precision and technique while improving your creative experience, enabling you to focus on expression rather than technical limitations. This guide will explore various drawing tools and help you choose the best ones for different disciplines. The most fundamental tool for any artist or logician is the humble and understated pencil. Pencils come in a variety of types and grades, each suited to different styles of drawing. Graphite pencils are categorised using a grading scale measuring the hardness or softness of the lead. This scale typically ranges from 9H (hardest) to 9B (softest), with HB in the middle. Despite the different grades and manufacturers, pencils are not standardised. Finding the write pencil (pun intended) requires patience and a lot of trial and error. • Hard Pencils (H grades): These pencils create lighter lines and are perfect for precise work like technical drawings, renderings, or fine details in sketching. If you’re looking to create crisp, clean lines or hatching, harder pencils like H or 2H will serve you well. • Soft Pencils (B grades): Softer pencils produce darker and bolder lines, which makes them ideal for expressive work and shading. They are excellent for creating loose sketches, portraits, and works that require more freedom in line thickness. • Treewise Pencils: These are eco-friendly, made from recycled materials, and a popular choice for environmentally conscious creatives. Their performance matches traditional graphite pencils, but they carry the added benefit of sustainability. An extremely versatile pencil with Mother Nature in mind. Coloured pencils are essential for vibrant sketches and intricate illustrations. There are two main types: • Wax-Based Pencils: Softer and easier to blend, but they can leave a waxy residue that affects layering. • Oil-Based Pencils: Firmer, offering cleaner lines and rich colour saturation. Both types are versatile, and your choice will depend on your style—whether you prefer soft, blended colours or fine, detailed work. Popular choices are pastels and soft pencils. Rulers, often overlooked, are indispensable for a plethora of disciplines that require precision. From architectural drafts to geometric art, rulers help create symmetry and cohesiveness in any project. Standard Rulers are useful for drawing straight lines, measuring distances, and plotting points in technical drawings or perspective grids. Plastic or metal rulers are the most common types of rulers available. Despite the increased durability of metal rulers, a great alternative for planet-conscious creatives is eco-friendly rulers. Triangle Rulers are available in 30°/60° and 45° varieties and are perfect for precise right angles, isometric drawings, and perspective work. Commonly paired with a protractor and a rubber in a clear wallet, it is the perfect secondary school throwback. Flexible Rulers are bendable, making them ideal for measuring and drawing curved lines or arches. They’re commonly used in creative industries such as fashion design and interior design, where smooth curves are essential. Accurate measurements are crucial in some disciplines, especially architectural or technical drawings. Beyond rulers, there are a few other tools that more technical professionals may use to get the balance right. Measuring Tapes are typically used in larger-scale work or projects involving three-dimensional space, such as murals, installation pieces and home DIY (spirit level sold separately). Measuring tapes provide flexibility in measuring large distances, unlike rulers or straight edges. • Flexible Measuring Tapes: These are often used in fashion design or sculpture when you need to measure around curves or uneven surfaces. • Retractable Metal Tapes: A solid option for more robust work in architectural design, set design, or project planning, where long, rigid measurements are a necessity. • Fibreglass Measuring Tapes: With versatility at their core, fibreglass measuring tapes are a stellar option for pragmatists and creatives. Durable, weather and kink-resistant and easy to handle. Perfect for engineers, surveying and construction professionals. Are you wondering what measuring tape to buy? Choosing the right measuring tape for the job can be quite daunting, but rest assured, if you are uncertain, opt for the tape that offers the most use case. On the surface, canvases seem simple. That being said, the surface you draw on can significantly improve the quality of your work. Choosing the right canvas depends largely on the medium you are working on and what surface is optimal for your project. Traditional Canvases are made by mounting primed canvas onto a rigid board, usually made of cardboard, wood, or MDF (medium-density fibreboard). These panels are primed with acrylic gesso, providing a smooth yet subtly textured surface. Traditional canvases are ideal for various types of dry and wet media. Cotton Canvases are the most common and affordable canvas material. Cotton canvas panels, like traditional canvases, are primed with acrylic gesso, providing a suitable drawing surface that works well with dry media. While cotton is less durable than linen, it is still a popular choice for many artists due to its availability and affordability. Linen Canvases are a high-end upgrade on cotton due to strength, quality and smoother texture. Linen canvases are much more suited to professional artists utilising charcoal, coloured pencils and ink. They are much more durable than cotton and endure much more forgivingly than cotton canvases. Paper is the most common material for drawing that comes in a variety of textures and weights. You’ll often see GSM (grams per square meter) expressing thickness and weight. • 50-90 GSM: Lightweight, thin paper for drafts or early sketches. • 90-120 GSM: Standard printer paper for general sketching. • 120-170 GSM: Mid-weight for posters, flyers, and coloured pencil work. • 170-300 GSM: Heavy paper for illustrations and watercolour; durable. • 300+ GSM: Very heavy paper for high-quality art and prints. No matter the industry, drawing boards offer a portable, effective solution for your next project. Typically made of MDF or plywood, they provide a flat surface for seamless, detailed sketches and precise drawings. MDF Drawing Boards are physically light and light on the wallet. Paper can be clipped and held in place perfectly to ensure that your work is secure and precise. MDF boards are a great solution for working on a variety of projects that require a uniform surface for your drawings. Plywood Drawing Boards are geared towards artists. Plywood is compressed and thinly layered, offering a stronger backbone for your creative output. Due to its strength, plywood can withstand rougher treatment. Perfect for charcoal, pastels, thick pencil lines and applying pressure with tools like rulers and protractors. There has never been a greater time to explore environmentally friendly options when it comes to drawing and the tools at your disposal. Waste reduction is a must, and the health benefits of switching to natural and eco-friendly sourced equipment have never been more important. Using recycled equipment reduces the dependency on local and global infrastructure whilst reducing the planet’s carbon footprint. Not to mention the benefits towards businesses and consumers. Choosing the right drawing equipment depends on your discipline, style and what you want to achieve. Getting the right tools is a non-negotiable for increasing and maintaining productivity and bringing your A game. Technical artists need accuracy and precision, while more expressive artists need flexibility and room to experiment. If you are unsure about what tool is right for what job, please consult our experts at Ruler Company Ltd for any questions relating to your next project, big or small! Contact us today for more information on our business or our products. Pencil Essentials: What Pencil Should I Buy?
Graphite Pencils
Coloured Pencils
What Measuring Tools Can Improve My Drawing?
Rulers
Measuring Tapes
Canvas and Paper: What Canvas Should I Buy?
What Paper Should I Use For Drawing?
Improving Your Drawing With MDF and Plywood Drawing Boards
Eco-friendly solutions to drawing equipment
What Drawing Tools Do I Need?
