If there is one thing I can say about the types of tools you will need, it's "what are you trying to accomplish with your work?"

If you simply want to mess around and scribble on your notepad, a normal #2 pencil with an eraser or a ballpoint pen will be just fine.

However, if you wish to create better work, better materials may be needed. Thats not to say there aren't amazing works of art done with the standard office supplies! Check some of these out for inspiration!

I know what you're thinking, this stuff can get expensive! I know, trust me, over the years ( and countless visits to A.C. Moore) I have caught myself understanding why artists are all poor. As a guide, I am going to show you middle of the road materials that have given me great quality without the huge price tag.

PENCILS:

I personally have fallen in love with Prismacolor products. They are great quality without the higher end price tag. Their Turquoise line of drawing and sketching pencils can be bought individually or in sets (which I find cheaper) with varying lead types. I prefer to stick with HB pencils as a standard, but experiment with them!

Another one in the Prismacolor line, the Ebony pencil. It has never let me down. I have taken drawings from "meh" to "HOLYCOW!" after applying some shading and tonal value to my HB drawings. It definitely gives you a darker color and it is smoother, as well as easy to blend with your fingers (which saves you money, no special blender needed!).

ERASER:

As far as erasers go, there are so many types. The pink rubber ones may work fine for you, but I prefer the kneaded rubber erasers like the ones above. They are basically moldable erasers that allow you to shape it to fit your needs. Need one tiny dot erased? No problem. The versatility alone makes it a drawing essential, even if you use other erasers too (like me).