Best Life Drawing Mediums (Examples, Tips & Techniques)

1. Graphite pencil — a popular favorite

I've been using Staedtler Lumograph graphite pencils for as long as I can remember and they've never let me down. The graphite leads are strong and almost never break.

You can buy these bad boys individually or in various sets that come in neat protective storage tins.

Here's the set I recommend: (Amazon link)

2. Charcoal pencil — my personal favorite!

The General's Charcoal pencils are my favorite medium for life drawing.

Here's why I think they're the best:

• They have a beautiful sooty texture.
• They have strong charcoal leads that rarely break.
• They make minimal mess because they're in pencil form.
• They come in white which is perfect for highlights on toned paper.
• And there are many grades to choose from.

It works out cheaper to buy these in the following set:

• 3 × charcoal pencils (6B, 4B, 2B)
• 1 × white charcoal pencil
• 1 × kneadable eraser (Bonus!)

I highly recommend you try these out! (Amazon link)

3. Willow charcoal — for beautiful, soft life drawings

Willow charcoal has an unmistakably soft and sculptural feel to it, especially when used by someone who has had plenty of practice with it.

I haven’t got there yet.

I find this medium difficult to master because it gets all over my hands and smudges with the slightest disturbance. I’m not a big fan of messy materials, but for people who like to get their hands dirty, it's the perfect life drawing medium.

Willow charcoal is very affordable: (Amazon link)

But you’ll also need a fixative to prevent your drawings from smudging: (Amazon link)

4. Ink — with a nib or brush

Ink can’t be deleted once it’s on the page so your approach to ink life drawing needs to be more considered.

For me, this changes the overall feeling of drawing to something more formal.

I like to use ink in two main ways:

• Full-strength with an ink nib to create strong line work.
• Diluted with water and applied with a brush to build up areas of tone. This is best done on a flat angle to prevent running ink.

Sepia or black ink are my preferred colors but you can get any color you can dream of.

I recommend the following: (Amazon links)

• Sepia India ink
• Black India ink
• Ink nib set
• Brush set

7. Chalk — in pencil or block form

Chalk has a different feel to graphite pencil or charcoal, it’s more powdery.

You can get chalk in pencil form or in solid blocks which you hold directly in your hand. If you like making big wide marks of solid tone then the latter option is definitely the better choice for you.

Here are my picks for both formats: (Amazon links)

• Conté sketching crayons set
• General's pastel chalk pencil set

5. Markers — clean and simple

Markers have a unique style to them that is hard to replicate with any other medium. I think it has something to do with the consistency of tone and hue.

They’re also very easy to use.

For me, I prefer pale colors so I can build up layers of tone slowly — I have more control that way and I’m less likely to make mistakes.

My favorite brand of marker is definitely Copic.

Copic markers have a double-ended design with a chisel point on one side and a flexible brush tip on the other.

I love the brush, you can use it on its side for coloring large areas or make the tiniest fine lines and dots with the tip.

Copic pens are expensive but they’re totally worth it. The good thing is you only need three to do all the basics. A cool, gray, and warm color.

Here are my recommended colors: (Amazon links)

• Copic Markers B000-Sketch, Pale Porcelain Blue (cool)
• Copic Markers C2-Sketch, Cool Gray (gray)
• Copic Sketch Markers, Barely Beige (warm)

6. Colored pencils — not just for kids

Colored pencils are not just for kids, they’re a serious medium that can look amazing in the right artist’s hands.

I love their slightly waxy texture.

And the colors!!

It’s refreshing to break out some color once in a while, particularly if you’ve been drawing with charcoal all day.

I think every artist should have at least a few colored pencils in their kit, just for fun.

Here’s a set I think you might love: (Amazon link)

8. Pastels — for amazing color

Pastels are similar to chalk but they use a different binder and often come in bigger blocks.

There are a huge range of colors available, not just pastel shades, but also vivid hues.

I love the variety of marks used in pastel life drawings, from lots of tiny strokes to long and deliberate sharp lines, and large sweeps of color from the side of blocks.

Definitely try pastel life drawing if you get the opportunity.

Here’s an inexpensive set to get you started: (Amazon link)

9. Paint — the road to life painting

Splashes of paint can really make life drawings come alive. Try experimenting with watercolors or oils along with your normal drawing mediums.

If you enjoy it, you might find yourself venturing into the world of life painting.

Here’s a simple watercolor set you can start with: (Amazon link)

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