Behind the scenes art blog- drawing tips and techniques

For those of you who have been watching my drawing videos on Facebook, a bit more about how it's done and the materials I use. First thing is the paper. I use Fabriano Artistico Extra White, which is the whitest art paper available. It offers me the greatest contrast with the charcoal and the hot press version is both smooth and hard wearing - important for blending as it means the surface won't tear. I use two kinds of pencil - charcoal for fine detail and outlines, then Wol