Best Art Supplies to Use When Drawing Anime

This guide will help you get the best of the best materials for drawing professional looking anime and manga art. Some of these materials I've used myself before and have been happy with the results.

Copic markers for example are one of those treasured anime drawing materials that I still cherish. When I started drawing anime and manga art, I used Copic markers and can't recommend them enough for you.

Below is a carefully researched list of materials you need or should acquire for creating professional-looking anime art. Now, if you are more into digital art and want to know how to draw anime art digitally, I suggest you read my guide: How To Draw Anime for more information.

Zebra Mechanical Graphite Pencil for Sketching

You can choose graphite pencils for your anime and manga sketches. Graphite pencils are great for sketching because the material is soft.

You would want a soft pencil material for quick drawing movements that is usually done in sketching.

You should make sure that the graphite pencil is also smudge-resistant, so it doesn't smear when you are drawing. Graphite pencils are great for reaching different textures.

These pencils offer you flexibility in order to reach the darkest of tones in your anime and manga sketches. This pencil material is great for different textures, such as skin, fur, and fabrics.

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Zebra 54012 Stainless Steel Mechanical...

• 0.5mm standard lead point size for...
• Features a lightweight, durable...
• Shorter length works well in shirt...
• Provides a significant upgrade from...
• Refillable with Zebra's Standard 0.5mm...

Features:

• A 0.5 mm lead point provides accurate and enjoyable sketches
• A lightweight and stainless steel barrel offers you quick drawing movements
• Non-slip grip for comfort and stability
• Short pen length and metal clip for portability and ease of storage
• An excellent upgrade from plastic mechanical pencils, offering you good style, performance, and value
• Refillable with Zebra's 0.5mm lead refill

Another excellent option is to use Mitsubishi branded pencils as some of the professional manga artists use, especially the 2B version.

Pilot Color Eno Neox Mechanical Pencil – Soft Blue for Sketching

A non-photo blue pencil color is a common tool used in graphic design and drawings. It is not detected by copy machines and allows easy removal with editing software.

This material allows artists to lay down a sketch of an anime or manga without needing to erase it after inking. You can choose this material for sketching because it allows you to freely draw anything that comes into your mind without having to worry about erasing it before printing.

The soft or light blue color is an artist's favorite when drafting using mechanical pencils.

This material is also perfect if you want to brainstorm and want to consult other people for ideas for your drawing.

Features:

• Erasable and vibrant color
• Pilot's Eno line is very popular in Japan, especially for manga artists.
• The Soft Blue color is excellent for non-photo sketches
• The lead size is 0.7 mm
• Nice fine point
• The plastic body is not too wide nor too narrow
• Each click provides the ideal amount of lead for your sketches

Kokuyo Block Eraser

Block erasers are specifically made to lift lead markings off your drawings. You can choose this type of eraser for easy erasure of markings.

These eraser materials typically only need very light pressure to remove any lead markings. Block erasers do the job cleanly and without tearing or scratching the paper surface.

It is ready to use and comes with a protective sleeve for storage and also to avoid contamination with ink or lead, which might smudge your drawings when you use it.

Features:

• Erases cleanly
• Very tidy usage and the crumbs stick to the eraser
• Able to erase dark leads like 2B pencils
• Erases 99% of graphite

Faber-Castell Kneaded Eraser

Kneaded erasers are also known as "putty rubber." These are pliable materials and are usually colored gray or black. You can choose this eraser material for picking up charcoal and graphite particles.

In addition to that, you can also use these for erasing carbon or pastel marks on your anime drawings. Kneaded erasers last much longer than traditional pencil erasers because it does not leave behind any residue or eraser crumbs.

You can use this if you want precision erasing as it is very pliable. These erasers are not to be used in erasing large areas as it creates too much friction that it may cause it to smear or stick.

Faber-Castell Erasers - Drawing Art...

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Features:

• Excellent for correcting and lightening charcoal, pastel, and pencil marks.
• Great for final drawing touch-ups
• Extremely absorbent and kneadable for precision erasing
• It comes with a storage plastic case for easy storage

Pentel Arts Brush Pen for Inking

You can use brush pens for inking and for finalizing your drawings. Brush provides you with the feeling of paintbrushes due to their brush-like tip.

Brush pens offer flexibility with the line widths and how clean the lines would look.

These pens come in different tip sizes like thin, medium, and broad. Use the thin size of the pen if you opt for sketching and like to add more fine details for your drawing.

Medium and broad tips are excellent for bot sketching and shading, depending on your preference.

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Features:

• Portable and easy-to-use
• Permanent pigment ink is fade-resistant and water-resistant
• Premium bristles that help you create broad lines in a single stroke
• Refill cartridges for convenience and tidy, no mess ink replacement

G-Pen for Detailed Inking

You can choose G-pens for detailed inking for your anime and manga drawings. These pens offer precise lines for your drawings. You can adjust your pressure to have thick or thin lines.

Keep in mind that some practice must be required in order to make the most out of this pen.

Zebra Comic G Model

Features:

• Flexible nibs
• Offer excellent line variation
• The tip does not pick up fibers

Tachikawa Comic Pen Nib Holder

Features:

• Excellent quality
• Offers comfort when drawing
• Convenient nib cover
• The foam grip is very comfortable to use

Deleter Manga Ink

Features:

• Super black drawing ink
• Waterproof and marker-proof
• Fade-resistant and no feathering
• Matte finish when it is dried
• Beautiful opaqueness that appears glossy and smooth

Deleter Comic Book Paper

Comic book paper is specifically designed for artists that need consistent, high-quality paper for their drawings and illustrations. You can choose comic book paper than traditional white paper for your art as these have good paper surfaces for pencils and markers.

Drawing on these papers feels very consistent and accurate. These can take ink brilliantly and makes the ink dry fast and look nice. It prevents smudges and smears from markers and inks.

This type of paper comes with pre-lined comic book templates for your preferred dimensions.

DELETER Comic Book Paper, 8.27 x 11.7...

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• 40 loose sheets / pack / Made in Japan

Features:

• A4-sized / Printing size: 182 x 257 mm
• Standard guidelines with ruler bleed, corner crop, frame mark, and page number box
• Premium and heavyweight paper
• 40 sheets per pack
• Smooth and handles erasures very well

Copic Markers

You can choose Copic markers for your anime and manga drawings as they are specifically made for these kinds of art. Copic is a Japanese brand of art supplies that have become popular because of its high-quality art products.

Copic markers are considered the best because of their smooth application and a brilliant wide variety of colors. These markers have nibs that are double-sided with a reservoir in the middle.

Copic markers can be blended and layered and are streak-free. The ink is refillable, and the nibs can be replaced, making them an excellent choice if you want a long-lasting marker that you can use for years.

I personally own a set of Copic markers and have been extremely happy with them. I don't use them that much anymore as I have transitioned to digital art, but Copic markers are the ones I wholeheartedly recommend.

Copic Marker C72A Classic 72 Color Marker

Features:

• The broad nib offers smooth drawing
• Consistent and accurate coverage for large areas
• Fine nib for detailed art
• Photocopy safe
• Color consistency is guaranteed

Copic Markers 6-Piece Sketch Set – Skin Tones

Features:

• It comes with a clear plastic case for easy storage
• Refillable markers
• Alcohol-based ink is non-toxic and permanent
• Vibrant and smooth color
• Excellent skin tone color replication

Copic Marker SB12 12-Piece Sketch Basic Set

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Features:

• Copic ink can be applied smoothly and evenly
• Ink is easy to blend
• Alcohol-based ink does not destroy the paper fibers
• Flexible brush nub for smooth blends
• Paint-like Application

White Ink

White ink can be useful for drawing on black illustrations or dark colored papers. You can choose white ink to lighten dark objects in your anime and manga drawings.

Adding white on dark parts of art creates uniqueness and tones. The right white ink can highlight some parts of your drawings. White ink color can be used to highlight the whites on the eyes or highlights on hair.

Its color is very practical and useful, especially in anime and manga, wherein whites on eyes and hair are common.

Speedball 2-Ounce Super Pigmented Acrylic White Ink

Speedball 2-Ounce Super Pigmented...

• Pigmented acrylic ink has rick vivid...
• Permanent and archival quality with...
• Ideal for drawing, calligraphy, stamping...
• Non-toxic, acid free
• Available in white color

Features:

• Pigmented white color is rich and vivid
• Waterproof and fade-resistant
• Permanent and dries fast
• Excellent for drawing anime and manga
• Accurate white color

Smudge Guard

Smudge guards are helpful to prevent any smudges or smears on your drawing. It also functions just like an apron, preventing smudges from getting on your hand.

The smudge guard is worn at the side of your hand and pinky to prevent smears and smudges. A smudge guard also helps your hand to glide over on the paper surface smoothly.

You can choose a smudge guard for your anime and manga drawings to prevent unexpected fingerprints and palm touches on your drawings.

Digital artists can find this smudge guard very convenient as palms can get sweaty and can get to the tablet screen's surface. It can make unwanted marks and lines on your digital drawing, which can be annoying.

Smudge guard can solve all problems of unwanted hand to screen interface when making art.

Mixoo Artists Gloves 2 Pack - Palm...

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Features:

• Removes friction between paper or drawing tablets
• Soft elastic Lycra is lightweight and comfortable to wear
• Provides smooth glide on paper or screens
• The package includes two pieces of gloves for your needs
• Stretchable to fit any hand nicely, whether it is left or right
• Breathable and very comfortable
• Prevents sticky and sweaty hands when drawing

Best Art Supplies to Use When Drawing Anime

Source: https://okuha.com/best-materials-for-anime-artists/

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