Best paper and pencils for tracing and drawing

You don't need an art store haul to start. Most people can trace their first picture with a sheet of printer paper, one pencil and an eraser. The rest of this guide helps you pick better tools once you know what you like to draw.

First, how are you tracing?

Pencilbloom gives you three ways to trace, and each one asks something different of your paper.

Phone on a stand. Your phone sits above the paper and its camera looks straight down. You see the picture on the screen, laid over your paper, and you follow the lines with your pencil. The light never has to pass through the paper, so thickness doesn't matter. Sketch paper, card, even watercolor paper all work.

Hold your phone. You hold the phone above your desk and AR keeps the picture pinned to your page. Again the paper only needs to be visible to the camera, so any plain paper works. Good light on the desk helps the app find your page.

Trace on screen. You lay thin paper directly on the screen and trace what shows through, like a small light box. This is the one way where paper really matters: it has to be thin enough for the picture to shine through. It works best on an iPad or another tablet, because the bigger screen gives you more room.

↳ Not sure which way to use? Read how it works first.

The best paper for each way of tracing

Here is a quick comparison of common papers. You can start with what you already have and upgrade later.

Printer paper is the easiest place to start. It's cheap, smooth and easy to find, so you won't feel bad about using a lot of it while you practice. On a bright screen you can usually see the picture through it well enough to trace.

Tracing paper is the clearest choice for tracing on a screen. It lets almost all of the light through, so fine lines are easy to follow. The downside is that it's slippery and doesn't hold a lot of color, so it's better for line drawings than for finished, colored pieces.

Sketchbook paper has a little more texture, which pencils grip nicely. Use it with a phone stand when you want to keep the drawing. A bound sketchbook also turns your practice into a record you can flip through later.

Marker or mixed-media paper is worth it once you start inking and coloring. Markers bleed less on it, and it handles erasing better than thin paper.

Card or thick drawing paper is for drawings you plan to give away or frame. Use it with the stand or hold method, never on the screen.

The best pencils for tracing

Pencils are graded by how hard or soft the lead is. H pencils are harder and make lighter, thinner lines. B pencils are softer and make darker lines that smudge more easily. HB sits in the middle.

For tracing, two pencils are enough:

HB for guide lines. Light enough to erase, dark enough to see on the screen.

2B for final lines. Darker and smoother, so the finished drawing stands out.

If you want a third, add a harder 2H for very light first sketches you plan to erase completely, or a softer 4B for deep shadows.

A mechanical pencil is also a good choice for tracing. The line stays the same thickness and you never have to stop to sharpen, which helps when you're following small details. If you use wooden pencils, keep a sharpener nearby: a sharp point makes it much easier to stay on the line.

↳ Press lightly first. Light lines are easy to fix, dark ones are not.

When you trace on a screen, light pressure matters even more. Let the soft lead do the work instead of pushing down on the glass.

Erasers, tape and the other small things

A few extras make tracing calmer and cleaner.

Erasers. A kneaded eraser lifts graphite gently by dabbing, which is great for lightening guide lines without wearing out the paper. A plastic eraser removes lines cleanly when you need them gone.

Tape. This is the most underrated tool. If your paper moves while you trace, your lines drift away from the picture. A small piece of low-tack tape on each corner keeps the sheet still and peels off without tearing it.

Something to hold your phone. A real stand is nice, but a glass, a mug or a stack of books works too, as long as the phone stays steady.

A fine-liner. Once you're happy with the pencil lines, going over them with a fine-liner pen and erasing the pencil gives a clean, finished look.

A scrap sheet under your hand. It stops your hand from smudging the graphite as you move across the page.

Picking tools for your first drawings

If you're just starting, keep it simple: printer paper, an HB pencil, an eraser and tape. Try a few of the free step-by-step lessons and see what you enjoy drawing before you buy more.

Once you know what you like, upgrade the one thing that bothers you most. If the paper keeps sliding, buy better tape. If your lines look faint, add a 2B. If you want to keep your drawings, get a sketchbook. If you want to color them, look at marker paper and read our tips on coloring pages.

You can also turn your own photos into clean lines with photo to line drawing in the app. Photos of pets and people often have small details, so a sharp pencil and smooth paper help a lot there.

Questions about paper and pencils