1. Lyra Full Graphite Crayon Permanent 9B

The waterproof hexagonal LYRA graphite crayon has a diameter of 12mm. With this crayon, you can achieve delicate shading to deep black areas. To protect your hands from smudging, the hexagonal graphite crayons are wrapped with a paper band. The high-quality LYRA graphite crayon is ideal for monochromatic drawing.

– Waterproof graphite crayon in 9B for intense artworks

– Ideal for monochromic drawings – from subtle shading to deep black strokes

– Hexagonal shape with ⌀12mm

RRP: 1,99€

2. LYRA Rembrandt Art Design Pencil 6B

Pencils are the foundation of creative work. The hexagonal graphite pencil LYRA Rembrandt Art Design stands out with its high break resistance and consistent. Pure graphite and natural binders are the valuable components of LYRA Rembrandt Art Design. The perfect grinding of the graphite allows for a defined, fast, and smooth stroke. As a professional drawing tool, Rembrandt Art Design is available in 17 gradation to create black tones with exceptional depth and delicate gray tones. The softer gradation bring out the natural shine of the graphite. The compactness of the leads allows for perfect and well-defined points. LYRA Rembrandt Art Design pencils are made from PEFC-certified cedarwood, ensuring sustainable forest management. The hexagonal pencils with a diameter of 69mm fit well in the hand, allowing sketches, drawings, or illustrations to be easily realized. The graphite pencil, made in Germany, is particularly suited for high-level demands in the fields of graphic design, art, and architecture. The pencils are easy to sharpen and break-resistant. Ideal surfaces are papers with fine and satin grain. For special grain effects, softer hardness can also be used on rough-grained paper. Fine-grained surfaces make it easier to create defined transitions and detail work. For proper preservation of the work, fixing it with fixative spray is recommended.

– Hexagonal artist pencil of the highest quality for drawing, with ⌀ 6,9mm

– Ideal for technical and artistic drawings in the fields of graphic design, art, and architecture
– Perfectly ground graphite for a defined, fast, and smooth stroke
– Made from PEFC-certified cedarwood

RRP: 2,49€

3. LYRA Kneadable Eraser Soft K20

The LYRA kneadable soft eraser can be easily shaped, allowing you to precisely lighten, smudge, work, or erase specific areas of a sketch or drawing. It can also be used to refine and perfect finished drawings. Pencil, charcoal, crayon, and pastels can be easily altered. The kneadable eraser is packed in a plastic case for protection and easy storage after use. The eraser dimensions are 30 x 30 x 09 cm.

– Kneadable eraser with plastic case for easy storage
– For removing, working, lightening, or smudging sketches and drawings
– Especially suitable for charcoal and graphite pencil drawings

RRP: 1,39€

4. LYRA Rembrandt Carbon Extra Dark 2B Penci

LYRA Rembrandt Monochrome Carbon Extra Dark. A balanced mixture between high-concentration compressed charcoal, graphite, and a minimal amount of Carbon Black pigment. The extra-dark carbon pencil is recommended to give exceptional intensity to drawings, defining body and areas in deep black. When combined with oil-free and oily white chalk pencils, deep light-dark effects with sharp contrasts are created. It is a tool for mixed drawings, combining oil-free and oily, natural, and synthetic materials in a balanced ratio to achieve the strongest and most vigorous black tones possible with a drawing tool. The exceptionally well-defined stroke covers the surface in a homogeneous manner. The pressure applied to the paper determines the intensity of the stroke and its natural shine. The Carbon Extra Dark pencil is completely opaque on all types of paper, hardly smudges, can be layered, and is partially soluble with water or solvents due to its composition. It can be sharpened with a wide-opening sharpener or a craft knife.

– Carbon Extra Dark 2B for sketching deep dark areas with exceptional intensity
– Round shape with ⌀ 8,5mm
– Ideal for deep light-dark effects with sharp contrasts for portrait, landscape, and figure painting
– Made from PEFC-certified cedarwood

RRP: 2,49 €

5. LYRA Rembrandt White Chalk Pencil Oil-Free

LYRA Rembrandt Monochrome White dry. Oil-free white chalk pencil for creating broad and rich lines. It allows for smooth transitions and well-defined accents. Primarily used in combination with other dry drawing tools such as charcoal, sepia, sanguine, and warm tones. The oil-free white allows for quick and expressive interventions when combined with oily black or colored pencils. The dry drawing tool tends to dust, so the use of fixative is recommended.

– Oil-free white chalk pencil for enhancing light areas and creating light-dark effects
– Ideal for portrait, landscape, and figure painting
– Round pencil with ⌀ 8,5mm
– Made from FSC-certified cedarwood

RRP: 2,49 €

6. LYRA Rembrandt Charcoal Pencil Oil-Free 2B

LYRA Rembrandt Monochrome Charcoal. Compressed charcoal is probably the oldest drawing tool, used since prehistoric times. Charcoal consists mainly of powdered charcoal obtained by burning carefully selected willows and vines, combined with a minimum amount of oil-free binder to allow adhesion for a black-covering tone. The charcoal pencil is often used for drafts, rough outlines, and drawings where quick execution is required. The stroke is smooth, natural, and soft, allowing for balanced color transitions. Smudging is done by simply rubbing the drawing directly with fingers or a smudger. The characteristic volatility of the stroke requires immediate fixation. Due to the fragile nature of compressed charcoal, it is advisable to sharpen with a knife or sandpaper block rather than a sharpener. The round casing made of shiny and tough black lacquered, break-resistand cedar wood protects the 5mm core.

– Charcoal pencil in 2B for a black-covering tone, ideal for sketching
– Ideal for portrait, landscape, and figure painting – for drawings and outlines requiring quick execution
– Round pencil with with ⌀ 8,5mm
– Made from PEFC-certified cedarwood

RRP: 2,49 €

7. LYRA Paper Smudger K10

The LYRA paper smudger is ideal for smoothing or smudging strokes and areas. The smudger allows pastel pencils and crayons, compressed and drawing charcoal, as well as graphite pencils and colored pencils, to be blended, smoothed, or smudged.

– Paper smudger for smudging or smoothing drawings
– The smudger can be used on both pointed sides
– Suitable for all smudgeable drawing materials such as pastels, charcoal, and graphite pencils

RRP: 3,19 €

8. LYRA Sharpener Monochrome K20

LYRA Monochrome sharpener. It stands out with its excellent blade, perfect angle, and cone. Made in Germany. It is the best sharpener for the LYRA Rembrandt Monochrome line!

– Monochrome sharpener for artist pencils
– For pencils with with ⌀ 8,5mm
– Ideal for artist sketching pencils
– Excellent blade, perfect angle, and cone

RRP: 2,99 €

9. Canson “C” à Grain 180 gsm 30 Sheets

“C” à grain is ideal for various dry techniques, thanks to its fine texture that is neither too smooth nor too pronounced. It allows for both relief effects and finely nuanced drawings. It benefits from a core and surface sizing, making it resistant to repeated erasing or scraping without fuzzing. The paper is suitable for all dry techniques and can be used for certain wet techniques such as ink or gouache at higher weights.

– Drawing paper with fine texture
– White drawing paper
– Weight of 180 gsm, ideal for all dry techniques and certain wet techniques such as ink or gouache

RRP: 6,49 €

ARTIST OF THE MONTH:

Sophie Pasheva

INSTAGRAM

Where do you find ideas for your art process?
Very often my ideas are related to literature or psychology. The very inspiration for form and composition I look for through films and
people. Since I love portraits, I am often inspired by people (more often from social media).

How often do you make art and what does it mean to you?
I draw every day. But not every day blogging. Art for me is like a therapy, like a revelation. And you have to draw every chance you get, otherwise you can lose the skill.

What are your plans for the future?
It’s hard for creative people to plan structurally. But still, I’m planning an exhibition of my work. I can’t tell you everything yet, but, a little secret, there will be a lot of portraits!

Tell us, what a day in your life looks like, if you’re not making art?
It’s either a day when I’m sick, or when I have some important or challenging events. In short, I paint always, except for a real force majeure.

What was the most exciting part of your work with the box and what was the biggest challenge?
I think the most exciting was creating the video, as I don’t usually shoot this kind of content. And the biggest challenge was waiting for the coveted box!

What is your artistic process like?
Three words: idea – sketch – artwork.

This box is full of different art supplies. How do you deal with the different supplies to put them together into one artwork?
There is a different tool for each task. It is normal to use many accessories. Especially if they are dry materials, which often don’t mix well. It’s the same with paint. Each colour in paint conveys a colour from the actual object. It’s the same in a pencil drawing. Each material, shape and tone can be conveyed by a particular pencil, charcoal, graphite, etc

HOW TO DO VIDEO:

Special tips

Tips from me for drawing: To start with your art work I suggest to outline a small space on the sheet. You can even draw a sort of frame. I like to do this unevenly, it makes for a more lively drawing. In fact, it is necessary to make it easier to work because in this case you will not be afraid of a white sheet. And then mark the horizon line and the line to which we would like to have the main composition of objects.

Then start to draw gradually. In the beginning we make dark spots and leave the lightest space unpainted. When we are working, it is important for us to remember that the closer the object is to us, the darker it is the further away the object is, the lighter it is and this is how we try to work. We alternate our materials depending on what we are doing. If we’re doing places that are light, we take harder materials. And do the highlights with a soft white pencil or pastel. And, of course, a stick to rub it all out to make a kind of haze. And don’t be afraid to mix white and black. Yes, it’s going to be grey.

Because that way we can get that graphite photo effect. If something doesn’t work out, don’t get upset. Try to just insure it with a darker pencil and make an interesting effect out of the mistake.