Architectural Media

Bartlett School of Architecture Year One 2018/19

Basic Studio Tools

You will need to start collecting a range of tools for use in drawing, modelmaking and portfolio making. Some of these
will be expensive, but if you choose sensibly and look after them, tools will last you a long time. Don’t rush out and buy
everything all at once – ask us if you are unsure what you need or want to know the cheapest/best value way of getting
things. A list including most of the basic items you are likely to need at first is below. As the course progresses, we’ll
introduce more specialist tools and materials.

Sketchbook(s) You need to keep a sketchbook / sketch diary throughout the year, and carry them everywhere with
you. Buy durable (hard-backed) books with reasonably heavy cartridge paper, and of a size that’s easily
portable but large enough for reasonably-sized drawings (probably A5 or A4).

Drawing Board A flat, smooth, surface to draw on. Drawing boards need a Parallel Motion (or a T-square), a straight edge
which can be moved up and down the board parallel to the top and bottom edges. Rulers and squares
are rested against this to allow you to draw at different angles. The cheapest way to get a drawing board
is to have a piece of MDF cut in the workshop (recommended size for A1 900 x 700mm), and then fix
on a parallel motion, available from some specialist shops and online (try http://www.artway.co.uk).
Don’t use the drawing surface as a cutting surface, but you can use the ‘back’ to cut on.

Cutting Mat A rubber mat (usually green or grey) for cutting cardboard and paper on, which makes it easier to cut
accurately and in straight lines, and makes scalpel blades last longer. Useful for modelmaking and cutting
paper to size for sketchbooks and portfolios. Buy the largest you can afford – at least A3. Store it flat!

Drawing Pens Technical ink pens that allow you to draw with lines of consistent thicknesses. The majority of drawing in
the first year will be done by hand, and these are vital for producing high-quality, clear finished drawings.
These are cheaper if you buy them in a set, which often comes with three thicknesses of pen and some
drawing accessories. The most popular brands of pen are Rotring and Faber Castell. These pens are
designed to draw on tracing paper and drafting film, the nibs will wear out / break much faster if used on
cartridge paper or anything else.

Pencils Available in three main types, all with leads of a variety of hardnesses:
Clutch pencils, which are advanced by releasing the clutch and pulling out more lead, are the most useful
for accurate drawing, as it’s easy to keep the thickness of your line consistent. You’ll also need a barrel-
shaped clutch pencil sharpener. Propelling pencils, which take small, thin lengths of lead and are advanced
by clicking or twisting the end are less useful, as they can’t be sharpened as accurately. They are good for
fine sketching and diagrams. Ordinary pencils (with a wooden barrel containing the lead) are by far the
most versatile and cheapest for everyday drawing. Try a range of hardnesses, usually harder (H-6H) for
technical work and softer (HB-9B) for sketching. Sharpen with a scalpel or a good metal sharpener.

Colour Experiment with diferent media to find what is most suitable for the task you’re doing – try coloured
pencils, coloured ink, chalk, watercolour/gouache...

Erasers Available in numerous sorts and hardnesses – putty erases for soft pencil/charcoal work, medium ones
for pencil on trace and film, and hard for ink on trace. An old-fashioned razor blade is better than an
eraser for getting ink off trace.

Scale Ruler Allows you to draw, or measure from drawings, at a range of scales. Available with either triangular or flat
profiles. Useful scales are 1:1, 1:5, 1:10, 1:20, 1:50, 1:100, 1:200, 1:500, 1:1250 and 1:2500. Don’t use plastic
scale rulers for cutting against, this damages the straight edges.
Architectural Media
Bartlett School of Architecture Year One 2016/17

Basic Studio Tools

Drawing Square A piece of plastic that allows you to draw at an angle to your parallel motion. The simplest sort (often
included in a pen set) just provides straight edges and four square corners, with triangular ones providing
45 degrees or 60 and 30 degrees, or adjustable models that can be set to any angle. There is also a wide
range of drawing templates for curves, circles, drawing symbols etc – you’re unlikely to need all of these!

Scalpel A handle with a replacable sharp steel blade, invaluable for modelmaking, cutting paper for mounting,
sharpening pencils etc... The most useful type are Swann Morton surgical scalpels with blade shape 10A.
Make sure you buy the right handle type for your blades (eg handle 3 for 10A blades). Use pliers to
change the blades to avoid injury.

Steel Ruler For cutting against with a scalpel, the most convenient size is 300mm, but shorter (150mm) and longer
(600/1000mm) are also very useful.

Adhesive Tape Masking tape is useful for all manner of studio jobs. Magic tape, which is nearly invisible when stuck
down and doesn’t show up when photocopied, is good for mounting some things and repairing torn
drawings. Magic tape only works properly if the sides of the roll are kept clean, the easiest way to do this
is to use a plastic dispenser. Double-sided tape is useful for some mounting, but you can’t move things
around oce they are stuck down with it.

Portfolio A case for storing, carrying and presenting your work. A1 zip-up ones are best. Check before you buy
that it doesn’t have ringbinder rings inside – you don’t need these, and they will damage your work (they
are difficult to remove!). A1 plastic wallets aren’t suitable for presenting your work in, but are cheaper
and might be useful as well for storing paper etc.

Paper As basics, you’re likely to need:

• Tracing paper (available in sheets or on a roll, usually in weights from 60-112 gsm). The heavier weights
are better for finished drawings, lighter weight is cheaper and fine for sketching but not as durable.
• Detail paper is light tracing paper, always on a roll and invaluable for sketching, overlays and quickly
developing ideas .
• Cartridge paper, in a loose-leaf pad for drawing and in sheets for making portfolio pages. The paper
department at Atlantis is excellent, with a huge range of specialist and handmade papers – try some out.